Toddy and palm wine ra what is it where do you try it and how is it different from arrack

Let me pour you the toddy story What it is toddy (ra in Sinhala) is the fresh sap tapped from the flower of the coconut or palmyra or kithul palm collected by the toddy tapper who climbs the palms (or crosses between them on ropes a remarkable skill) fresh toddy is mildly sweet and only lightly fermented when fresh becoming more alcoholic and sour as the day goes on it is the raw natural palm drink How it differs from arrack arrack is DISTILLED from fermented toddy so toddy is the fresh fermented sap (low alcohol cloudy living) and arrack is the refined distilled SPIRIT made from it (strong clear bottled) toddy is the farmhouse original arrack is the polished product Where to try the real stuff toddy is traditionally drunk at the toddy TAVERN (the local licensed toddy shops) found in the palm growing regions the coconut triangle the coastal palm belts and the palmyra north it is a rustic very local working mens institution not a tourist venue so it is an authentic and slightly adventurous thing to seek out best approached with a local who knows a good clean tavern the freshest morning toddy from a known tapper is the prize Is it safe drink FRESH toddy from a reputable clean source the issue is hygiene and adulteration at dodgy spots so go with local guidance to a known place and drink it fresh that morning rather than questionable aged stuff Taste fresh toddy is sweetish yeasty fizzy and refreshing like a cloudy lightly alcoholic palm cider the kithul toddy is prized as it ferments it sharpens so for the authentic palm drink seek a clean toddy tavern in a palm region ideally with a local fresh in the morning and you taste the living original that arrack is only the distilled echo of