For years, this unassuming little bottle of dark orange caramelly stuff has been the daily dram of entire generations of tholuwas; a silent crusader taking on the big guys - Jack Daniel’s never stood a chance. It is to Tholuwas what Old Monk is to most of North India. It is a matter of national identity today, to declare this humble drink, that will leave you tipsy but wiser, the National drink of Assam. Besides, it is also the great equaliser. In a state that loves to indulge in socialist banter, this is the one drink that unites the bourgeois and proletariat alike - akin to the vodka of the Soviets, dare I say!