Nigeria has a locally made gin called Ogogoro that has been associated with poor people. However, this narration of this gin has changed with its rebranding. If you love gin and have not tasted Ogogoro, you might end up drinking it without knowing with its new luxury bottle.
A company called Pedro has raised the Ogogoro glass for the rich to enjoy it even in the premium spots. Ògógóró is a Yoruba word for this alcoholic local drink that is distilled from fermented Raffia palm tree juice.
This distilled drink comes from raffia or oil palm tree. Since before colonial times, many palm wine tappers have tried to refine the process of making this drink more potent.
Ogogoro has a substantial cultural and economic significance, and also serves an essential part of numerous religious and social ceremonies. The people.of Ijaw pour it onto the ground to contact their local gods.
Fathers of the bride make use of Ogogoro as a libation to give blessing to the wedding. This drink has served as an economic facet to many poor families. These people homebrew this drink and sell shots of it on the streets.
To make Ogogoro more popular and acceptable, Pedro has found a way to create a promising future for this drink. The drink is gradually finding its way to a broader market-thanks to what Pedro has done with the drink.
Many consumers of premium gin will find the newly manufactured Ogogoro acceptable. For those who have taken some premium gins from other countries, Pedro came at the right time to give people something better in Ogogoro.
If this gin can be marketed in commercial quantity around Africa, people will change their perspective about this drink. Most Africans do not want to be associated with taking these locally brewed gins because of the stigma attached to it. The stigma attached to it is borne out of the way it is packaged and served which makes most people believe it is meant to be drunk by only the poor
Many people believed that those who take this gin are poor or good for nothing people. However, this will change when more companies make this gin to be generally accepted and trusted. The fear of drinking poison or taking dangerous substances when you consume these drinks can be changed when we have bettered refined Ogogoro.
How is Ogogoro produced locally? Palm wine tappers collect palm saps and store them in drums for days. This process allows the sap to ferment. The next stage is to heat it in a metal drum over a fire.
The heated fermented sap is the end product that becomes Ogogoro. However, the premium Ogogoro goes the extra mile to make it taste better and have a premium look. This is achieved when the crude Ogogoro is passed through a distilling machine that filters and makes the drink smoother. Do not be surprised to see Ogogoro served in high-end restaurants and bars in places like London.
With companies like Pedro, the world might end up demanding for Ogogoro and changing the history of our local gin. Ogogoro has different names in Africa, whatever the name is, you can create a signature in a premium package.
Have you tried Ogogoro drink before? If you have, please drop a comment otherwise whenever you are in the western part of Nigeria, Benin republic and possibly Togo, this drink should be one you should try. The taste it would leave in your mouth would leave you salivating for more.
