Where can tourists buy liquor in Kerala - the new liquor policy in the state

Kerala is known as God's Own Country for many good reasons. Some of the exotic hill stations and serene beaches are just some of them. No wonder it is one of the best tourist destinations in India.

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Some of the recent political developments and policy changes in the state introduced some significant changes in the liquor policy of the state, affecting the tourism industry in a big way. For information to visitors and tourists to the state, I am sharing some of the highlights of the new liquor policy in Kerala:

1. Through a recent policy change, Kerala Government cancelled the license for all Bars in Kerala, except the 5-Star hotels.

2. All the Bars were allowed to apply for a Beer & Wine Parlor license. Most of them did apply and are now functioning as Beer & Wine Parlors.

3. Most towns and tourist destinations have Beer & Wine parlours.

4. Wine is a rare thing in Kerala. In most wine parlors, there are just 2 choices: Red wine and White wine. There are nothing more. If you use names like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz etc, you won't get anything other than a strange look.

5. Wine is really expensive and is one of the most expensive alcoholic in Kerala, unless you go for a really cheap sweet wine or port wine.

6. Other than 5-Star hotels, there are liquor shops operated by Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Govt. of Kerala) in most of the cities and tourist places. These shops are commonly known as "Beverages".

More reading: where to buy liquor in Kochi.

7. The Beverage Shops usually have long queues in front of them to buy liquor. Sometimes the lines are really long and it may take a lot of time to get to the cash counter.

8. While the rich go to the 5-Star hotels and Beer & Wine Parlors, ordinary people including beggars depend on the Beverage shops to buy their daily quota of liquor. So, be aware what kind of a crowd you are going to mess with in the queue in front of the Beverage Shops.

9. There are few high class beverage shops operated by the same corporation but are limited to just a few such shops in big cities like Kochi. These premium shops are air conditioned and are like supermarkets where you can shop with a basket and pick the items you want. They usually sell relatively expensive brands since that's the kind of customers they expect there. One such premium liquor shop is at Kadavanthra, Kochi.

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