What to Drink in Sri Lanka: Tea, King Coconut, Arrack and More

Sri Lanka is famous for tea, but there's much more to drink here — fresh coconut water from the roadside, fiery ginger beer, rose-pink faluda and spirits distilled from coconut palm sap.

Tea

Ceylon tea is drunk everywhere, many times a day. Locally, it's usually served:

• Milk tea (kiri thé) — strong, very sweet tea with milk (often powdered or condensed).
• Plain tea (plain tea or thé) — black tea, usually sweetened. Ask for "sugar separate" or "no sugar" if you prefer.
• Ginger tea — black tea with fresh ginger, good on a rainy hill-country morning.
• Kahata — black tea without milk, often drunk with a piece of jaggery (palm sugar) on the side.

In the hill country, visit a tea factory for a tasting of high-grown teas. See our tea country guide.

Non-alcoholic drinks

• King coconut (thambili) — the orange coconut sold at roadside stalls, chopped open with a machete. Naturally sterile, rich in electrolytes and the best cure for heat.
• Fresh juices — mango, papaya, passion fruit, pineapple, lime and the thick, tangy wood apple.
• Ginger beer — Sri Lankan ginger beer is strong and spicy. Elephant House's ginger beer is a national favourite.
• Faluda — rose syrup, milk, basil seeds and jelly, often with ice cream.
• Lassi and milkshakes — in cafés in tourist towns.
• Coffee — Sri Lanka once grew coffee before tea, and good cafés in Colombo, Galle, Ella and the beach towns now serve espresso.

Alcoholic drinks

Arrack

Coconut arrack is Sri Lanka's national spirit, distilled from the fermented sap of coconut flowers. It tastes somewhere between whisky and rum. Drink it with ginger beer or soda and lime, or in cocktails. Premium aged arracks are much smoother than cheap brands.

Toddy (raa)

Toddy is the fermented sap of the coconut or palmyra palm, collected by "toddy tappers" who walk between palm trees on ropes. It's mildly alcoholic, slightly sour and best drunk fresh on the day it's tapped. In the north, palmyra toddy is a local speciality.

Beer

Lion Lager is the national beer; Lion Stout, a strong, rich stout, has a cult following. Craft beers are increasingly found in Colombo and tourist areas.

Wine

Wine is imported and expensive due to high taxes.

Where to drink

• Many local restaurants don't serve alcohol, and you'll find bars mostly in hotels, tourist restaurants and beach towns.
• Wine stores ("wine store" signs) sell beer and spirits to take away. They close early in the evening.
• Drinking in public places, especially near temples, is frowned upon.

Poya days

On every poya (full-moon) day, a public holiday, the sale of alcohol is banned. Wine stores and many bars close; some tourist hotels may serve guests discreetly, but don't expect it. Plan ahead. See our festivals calendar.

Tips

• Drink plenty of water — see our health guide.
• Ask for drinks without ice if you're worried about water quality, although ice in tourist places is usually made from purified water.
• Avoid illicit alcohol (kasippu) — it can be dangerous.