Somrus: The Indian-Inspired Cream Liqueur
In 2014, Chicago's Pankaj and Swati Garg launched Somrus, an Indian cream liqueur of cardamom, saffron, and rose — and Wine Enthusiast gave it 94 points.
Photo by webhishek, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
From the TI archives — a launch announcement originally published September 2014.
Somrus — the name means "nectar of the gods," from the Vedic somras — was Chicago-based SomPriya Fine Spirits' bid to create a new category: an Indian cream liqueur. Dairy cream from Wisconsin, hand-crafted Caribbean rum, and the flavors of cardamom, saffron, almonds, pistachios, and rose, in a gold-coated 750ml bottle at about $25.
The founders, Pankaj and Swati Garg, had their "aha" moment on a flight home from India: craving a liqueur that echoed Indian flavors and finding only Bailey's. Pankaj walked away from management consulting, and the couple built the product around the palate they grew up with.
The industry noticed. Wine Enthusiast awarded Somrus 94 points — its "outstanding" tier — and named it one of the magazine's Top 50 Spirits of 2014, with the quote: "creamy but light and … a palate-cleansing way to end a richly spiced meal." The New York International Spirits Competition named it Cream Liqueur of the Year.
It launched in September 2014 in Illinois, New Jersey, and New York — timed for Diwali and the holiday season — and is still sold today, with mango and coffee variants added later. One of those quiet immigrant-founder stories: two people from India, in Chicago, putting cardamom and rose in a bottle and asking America to try it.
Drink responsibly.
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