What to drink in Sri Lanka - local drinks worth trying beyond beer and coconut water?
I'm someone who likes to drink local when travelling. I know about Lion beer and king coconuts but I want to know what Sri Lankans actually drink and what's genuinely worth trying.
1. What is arrack and is it actually good or just a novelty?
2. What is the difference between coconut arrack and palm toddy?
3. Is there a specific brand of arrack worth looking for?
4. What do Sri Lankans actually mix arrack with and how do locals drink it?
5. Are there any local craft beers or interesting alternatives to Lion Lager?
6. What is thambili (king coconut) like compared to regular green coconut - is it actually worth seeking out?
7. Are there any local non-alcoholic drinks worth knowing about beyond tea?
8. Where do you drink properly local in Colombo - local bars rather than hotel bars?
I'm from Brussels and I appreciate a well-made drink. I'm not looking for cocktails but I want to understand what the local drinking culture actually is.
2 Answers
Good question and one that doesn't get answered honestly very often.
Arrack: Sri Lankan coconut arrack is distilled from the sap of coconut flowers (called toddy or pol thuru). The genuine stuff is a clear or very lightly golden spirit, around 33-40% ABV, with a mild coconut sweetness and no harshness when it's good quality. The best brands are Mendis (their Special Coconut Arrack is what bartenders use), Old Reserve (smooth, more expensive), and DCSL (widely available, reliable). You'll pay LKR 300-500 for a bottle of Mendis from a wine shop.
How Sri Lankans drink it: most commonly with Sprite or soda water and a squeeze of lime. In the Colombo bar scene you'll see it mixed with coconut water (a surprisingly good combination). Straight, it's worth trying once to understand the base flavour. It's nothing like rum or whisky - it's its own category.
Toddy vs arrack: toddy is the fresh unfermented or lightly fermented sap, drunk straight. You find it in villages, not in tourist restaurants. It tastes mildly sweet and yeasty, very low alcohol. If a local invites you to try fresh toddy, accept.
King coconut (thambili): these are the orange coconuts you see stacked everywhere. Different from the green drinking coconuts in a real way - the water is sweeter, slightly more floral, and higher in electrolytes. If you're hot and dehydrated, thambili works better than green coconut water. LKR 60-100 from a roadside vendor.
Local non-alcoholic: wood apple juice (a sour, tangy thick drink from an unusual fruit), lime juice with salt and sugar (a classic Sri Lankan refresher), and faluda (rose-flavoured milk drink with basil seeds) in Muslim-owned restaurants. All worth trying.
Where to drink local in Colombo: the bar at Nuga Gama inside Cinnamon Grand is touristy but has good arrack cocktails. The real local experience is a wine shop (a licensed liquor store with plastic chairs outside where people drink from the bottle) - not for everyone but that's where regular Sri Lankans drink arrack in the evenings.
The arrack with coconut water combination is genuinely worth trying. Found it at a small beach bar in Mirissa - the bartender mixed Mendis arrack with fresh thambili water and a squeeze of lime over ice. It's lighter than any spirit cocktail I had on the trip and works particularly well in the heat. Also tried the wood apple juice in Kandy and it's one of those flavours you either love or think is wrong - I loved it. Taste it before buying a big glass.
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