This limoncello locally produced in India, bursts with gondhoraj lebu

In 2018, when Lolita Sarkar, founder and chief alchemist of Unusual Spirits, Goa, moved to the seaside capital of India, she began internet hosting suppers for pals and making jams. It was in the course of the pandemic that her experiments with spirited concoctions launched her to the liqueur house serendipitously.

Lolita Sarkar
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Five years on, speaking in regards to the journey of Limoncello 24 — India’s first ever locally produced limoncello (a lemon-based liqueur historically made with Italian lemons in small batches throughout southern Italy) — she says, “In 2020, when I was making pickles and squashes at home, I wondered why we didn’t have any liqueurs made of local fruit, when we have such an abundance of it. Confessing her love for travelling and Italy as one of her favourite destinations, she recalls enjoying the little shots of limoncello served after meals at small establishments. “Through 2020-2021, I made over 12 batches of limoncello, using Assam limes, imported Italian lemons, and a host of other such citrus fruits, but fell in love with the one we made with gondhoraj lebu. The flavour and the oils from its zest give this limoncello a distinct flavour profile.”

Limoncello 24 owes its moniker to 24 Parganas — previously the most important district of West Bengal on the time of bifurcation — the place gondhoraj lebu grows in abundance
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Tart and recent, Limoncello 24 immediately transports you to the coasts — to not Amalfi in Italy however to the Bay of Bengal and Goa. It owes its moniker to 24 Parganas — previously often called the most important district of West Bengal on the time of bifurcation —  the place gondhoraj lebu (a hybrid citrus, neither a real lemon nor lime) grows in abundance. Typically bigger than different lemons, the gondhoraj lebu has a crumpled pores and skin, thick pith, inexperienced hue and is notoriously stingy with its juice.

Lolita Sarkar pouring a Limoncelllo 24 cocktail
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From selecting to packaging, your entire course of has a turnaround of simply three days. “We use around 200 kilograms of produce per batch. Once we receive the limes in Goa, we have a team of women that zest them by hand. The zest meets a grain-based ENA (extra neutral spirit) and very little added sugar. In Italy, they use grappa as a base spirit (made from remnants of grapes after juicing) but sourcing that in India is not practical,” explains Lolita, who can also be a filmmaker and former restauranteur (two areas of Desi Delhi in Mumbai, which closed down in the course of the pandemic).

From selecting to packaging, your entire course of has a turnaround of simply three days
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The liqueur, although made in small batches, is on the market by the 12 months. Unusual Spirits has roped in small farms from Bengal, for a constant provide of gondhoraj lebu. From the pickers in 24 Paraganas to the all girls crew of peelers in Goa, Limoncello 24 is hand made, retaining the freshness of the lemon zest, with zero components, preservatives, and no synthetic flavouring or colouring. While most liqueurs are cloyingly candy, this one has solely 200 grams of sugar per litre in comparison with 250 grams, normally discovered throughout markets. “We lab test our batches for consistency, but you will find slight changes in the shade of the spirit, due to the produce, and there’s a beauty in those natural fluctuations,” states Lolita.  

Lolita is celebrating Mahabaleshwar’s luscious strawberries with Fragoncello ‘412 (Fragola is the Italian phrase for strawberry)
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Next, Lolita is celebrating Mahabaleshwar’s luscious strawberries with Fragoncello ‘412 (Fragola is the Italian word for strawberry and 412 comes from the first three digits of Mahabaleshwar’s PIN code). About the fragile liqueur — with its wealthy aroma, deep scarlet hue and tart-sweet flavour (150 grams of sugar per litre) — Lolita says, “It is distilled in small batches and is only available between November and February due to the seasonality of the produce”. Fragoncello ‘412 presents versatility. It could be sipped on ice, used in cocktails and desserts like muffins or sorbets.

Fragoncello ‘412 could be sipped on ice, used in cocktails and desserts like muffins or sorbets
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Unusual Spirits has three extra liqueurs in the works for 2025-2026, with a launch slated for late September in Goa. “One is herbaceous and layered with Indian spices, the other is an annual drop made from Indian fruit. The third one is especially exciting, since it will be the first of its kind in the country,” says Lolita, who’s tight-lipped about its particulars.

Fragoncello ‘412
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She is buoyant in regards to the prospects of locally produced liqueurs. “Using Indian fruit adds a deeper flavour to cocktails and helps the bottomline at the bar, since Indian-made liqueur is cost effective.”

Both spirits, with 25% ABV, can be found in Goa. While Limoncello 24 is priced at ₹1,320 for 550ml, the same amount of Fragoncello ‘412 prices ₹1,540.  

Published – September 19, 2025 04:35 pm IST