In 2018, when Lolita Sarkar, founder and chief alchemist of Unusual Spirits, Goa, moved to the beach capital of India, she started hosting suppers for friends and making jams. It was during the pandemic that her experiments with spirited concoctions introduced her to the liqueur space serendipitously.
Lolita Sarkar
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Five years on, talking about the journey of Limoncello 24 — India’s first ever locally produced limoncello (a lemon-based liqueur traditionally made with Italian lemons in small batches across 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 — formerly the largest district of West Bengal at the time of bifurcation — where gondhoraj lebu grows in abundance
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Tart and fresh, Limoncello 24 instantly transports you to the coasts — not to Amalfi in Italy but to the Bay of Bengal and Goa. It owes its moniker to 24 Parganas — formerly known as the largest district of West Bengal at the time of bifurcation — where gondhoraj lebu (a hybrid citrus, neither a true lemon nor lime) grows in abundance. Typically larger than other lemons, the gondhoraj lebu has a crumpled skin, thick pith, green hue and is notoriously stingy with its juice.
Lolita Sarkar pouring a Limoncelllo 24 cocktail
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From picking to packaging, the entire process has a turnaround of just 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 is also a filmmaker and former restauranteur (two locations of Desi Delhi in Mumbai, which closed down during the pandemic).
From picking to packaging, the entire process has a turnaround of just three days
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The liqueur, though made in small batches, is available through the year. Unusual Spirits has roped in small farms from Bengal, for a consistent supply of gondhoraj lebu. From the pickers in 24 Paraganas to the all women team of peelers in Goa, Limoncello 24 is handcrafted, retaining the freshness of the lemon zest, with zero additives, preservatives, and no artificial flavouring or colouring. While most liqueurs are cloyingly sweet, this one has only 200 grams of sugar per litre compared to 250 grams, usually found across 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 word 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 delicate liqueur — with its rich 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 offers versatility. It can be sipped on ice, used in cocktails and desserts like cakes or sorbets.
Fragoncello ‘412 can be sipped on ice, used in cocktails and desserts like cakes or sorbets
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Unusual Spirits has three more 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 is tight-lipped about its details.
Fragoncello ‘412
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She is buoyant about 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, are available in Goa. While Limoncello 24 is priced at ₹1,320 for 550ml, the same quantity of Fragoncello ‘412 costs ₹1,540.
Published – September 19, 2025 04:35 pm IST
