No, this is not a sponsored article. I just happen to be a big fan of Old Monk, like many many others I know.

A lot of great quality daaru burns a huge hole in our pockets. While we all enjoy having the occasional Johnnie Walkers and Jack Daniels of the world, there is something about a certain cheap brand of liquor that makes it resonate with so many Indians. 

We forget the imaginary line between acquaintances and friends, because Old Monk is the vital thread of the social fabric of our lives.

While Katrina Kaif tries her best to convince us that that one drop from the beautiful looking mango is all we need to delve into ‘Aamsutra’, we will still hold our ground and maintain that Old Monk gives us the real satisfaction we need.

I’m pretty certain that most people my age would agree on the fact that alcohol has given us more experiences than all our unpaid internships combined. To be honest, we crave these experiences that end up teaching us more about ourselves and the world we’ve built around us. Money may come and go but our experiences stay with us, and Old Monk gives us the best of the lot.

You might say that drunken experiences can be pretty darn shit. Well, in Old Monk’s defense, I’ve done some pretty dumb stuff while being completely sober as well. 

One proof that Old Monk is legendary is in the story behind its meteoric rise to fame. While you keep seeing advertisements of different brands that ask you to make it large and end up sounding like Viagra, Old Monk is something that is passed on from one generation to the other. It’s one of the rare alcohol brands that have become a cult beverage only through the word of mouth. It never had a marketing team to publicise it, it was so good that people loved it anyway.

Even when we agree that there might be other drinks and brands that are qualitatively superior to Old Monk, there is none more special. We guess that was the thing about Old Monk, it is an acquired taste, an older taste, something lost in the corridors of time.

You can drink it anytime and with anyone. You can have it neat, with Coke or with soda. You can have it in happiness or in sadness, to celebrate the present or to forget the past. In fact, people have even lobbied to name Old Monk the National drink of India and if we’re being completely honest here, this request needs to be taken seriously.

People drink it either because they like the taste, or because they like the memory. Either way, Old Monk is a drink best enjoyed in a verandah, watching the rain in Delhi or in a cool secluded hill station with clouds touching your feet. 

Old Monk goes best with your close friends and possibly smoke from something illegal floating in the air. College days are basically all about the amrit from Gods and the dhua. It is still one of the happiest memories we have in our lives.

There’s no bad time for Old Monk and there’s no right or wrong way to consuming Old Monk. Also, Old Monk isn’t restricted to having any sort of company. You can have it with anyone – be it a friend, an acquaintance or even all by yourself.

Old Monk is our best friend during winters. We can take it for anything from a running nose to scurvy. And guess what? It has a lot of medicinal benefits as well. 

For the current generation, gareebi is like air. It’s everywhere. Considering we have almost no money all the time, Old Monk comes to our rescue. It’s cheap as hell and it keeps us warm. It’s like the friend you take for granted, and hardly ever appreciate. Maybe because it’s not as cool as a Jack Daniels? Or a 100 Pipers? But hey, Old Monk will always be the One True King of alcohol.

Thank you for the memories, Old Monk. You have always been by our sides and we love you for that.

Author’s Note: A lot of non-drinkers will get triggered after reading this. We’ll be blamed for trying to popularise a certain brand of alcohol which might do more harm than good to the society. For those pious souls, we have something to say – please get off your moral high horse and stop drinking the kool-aid of societal values. Alcohol doesn’t ruin people, people chose to get ruined by abusing it.

Don’t hate the game, hate the player guys.