India has entered lockdown 3.0 and with it, Mumbai has also entered the alcohol ban 2.0. The unavailability of liquor in the country, as a result, came with two major repercussions: outright depression for some and despair for government.
After noticing long standing queues and endless brawls on the opening of alcohol shops, BMC Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi issued a notice stating that all non-essential shops, including wine shops, to observe lockdown again.
Interestingly, some Mumbaikars have been brewing such quirky ideas to beat the lockdown gloom!
According to a Mumbai Mirror report, the shutdown of wine shops since lockdown 1.0 did not let their perseverance turn cold. Instead, these shyanas got up to just brew their own liquor at home! Simple.
These homebrews can be made with basics like grapes, bananas, sugar and yeast available at home.
A Kandivli resident who spoke to Mumbai Mirror stated, “A friend who makes wine at home gave me instructions. I realised it was simple, not to mention the aroma that wafted through the house.” As per these amateur home brewers, making wine and beer at home comes trouble-free. And what’s more, brewing at home is also pretty economical.
A 750 ml whiskey bottle costs as high as R. 6,500 during the lockdown whereas ingredients for brewing like yeast, grapes and sugar cost almost nothing.
There are some tipplers that even have Whatsapp groups where they exchange top secrets on brewing formulas keeping their identities private. They also argue that brewing at home is not shamed upon by family members and reduces the risk of getting caught by the authorities while out buying bootlegged bottles.
Well, All’s well that ends well, right?