A lesson in marketing

Despite the popularity of commercially produced gin, rum and beer, certain regions in the Philippines still produce their unique, indigenous liquors. Of course, with questionable manufacturing hygiene, much of the liquor cannot be marketed locally, much less internationally. In the past two decades, small companies have taken it upon themselves to produce commercially acceptable Philippine local liquors so now it's not too difficult to buy tuba, lambanog (which is 80–90 proof) and basi in Metro Manila. The company that produces these two went one step further: it hired the services of the Institut Oenologique de Champagne to create a coconut wine and refine the basi so that they could be accepted internationally. Malakan'yan, which was specially commissioned for the 1998 Philippine centennial, is a wine made from the water of young coconuts. The bottle is handcrafted from real coconut shell which makes each piece unique. 1807 is basi, a sugarcane liquor native to the Ilocos region. It is named after the 1807 Basi Revolt when the Ilocanos finally rebelled against the Spanish colonial government for expropriating the manufacture and sale of basi.