A Fruity medley of sweet and acidic ciders have slowly been bubbling into the drinking culture of the city in the past few years. And with its brewing popularity, cider-makers have been dabbling with local ingredients such as kokum to offer tipplers inspired options. Take for instance the homegrown label Thirsty Fox, which, apart from serving the traditional apple cider, also toys with cherries, peppercorns and hops to create variants that are widely sipped on in Mumbai. Founder and CEO Siddharth Sheth shares that the beverage offers a large canvas that one can experiment with — which drew him in. Recalling his first sip of cider in France in 2007-2008, he shares, “I thought it was delicious and very approachable. Later, I ended up being reintroduced to the culture of modern American ciders in Boston, which has given rise to an interesting combination of flavours.”

Nayan Shah; (right) Kokum cider by Drifters Breweries