Joanna James
Sri Lankans and travellers to the island love their beverages. Maybe they're all not a fan of water, but they certainly drink plenty of other things! Here's the list.
Imagine lying on the golden shores of some of the most stunning golden beaches in Sri Lanka, while sipping on the refreshing water of a king coconut to ease away your thirst? Well, that's completely possible! You can buy king coconut, or locally known as Thambili anywhere - in the supermarket, roadside shops or even restaurants! Thambili is super refreshing and hydrating, and also works amazing wonders during a hangover. Once you're done drinking this sweet drink, ask the vendor to cut it open for you, and using a spoon, scrape out the white soft flesh and eat it! It's the perfect ending to a great natural drink. You can drink it straight out of the coconut ( usually orange or green), or you can opt to have it served in a glass. We recommend it tastes 100 times better, when drunk out of the coconut. Live the true island life! When in Rome... eh?
Mostly, Lion beer; the local beer. Lion beer can be drunk anytime, at all times. This refreshing malt beverage is inexpensive and can be found almost anywhere. If you love drinking beer, definitely try the island's best. However, if it's not for you, fret not! In Colombo hotel bars, restaurants, super markets and normal bars offer a range of beer types for you to choose from, whether it's Carlsberg or Tiger.
The local favourite - and by 'favourite', we actually mean, it's drunk by almost ¾ of the Sri Lankan men. If you find it too strong for you, many bars such as Rare at Residence, create delightful cocktail concoctions for you with arrack. Do drink this with caution though, it's known to give the drinker a severe hangover - especially if you're not used to it.
The tropical island is - get this- blessed with tropical fruits! Pretty amazing, huh? Whether your poison is papaya, avocado, watermelon, pineapple, wood-apple or even lime, you have plenty of choose from. Many food courts, restaurants and some bars offer fruit juice choices for their guests. Incase you were wondering, wood-apple is fruit with a hard brown shell holding a juicy pulp inside. Do remember that since all these fruits are fresh, there are particular seasons for each fruit and you might not always find the fruit you want due to it's season.
Local favourites include cream soda, ginger beer (non alcoholic), portello, and fanta. You can even find popular brands such as Coca Cola, Sprite, 7up, etc.
A definite must try- faluda is a sweet milk based drink that works wonder to beat the humidity of the island. Made with sherbet and vermicelli, the drink is usually topped with ice cream.
Remember to always drink responsibly. Avoid swimming in the beach or pool after consuming liquour as it can be really dangerous. Bars don't sell alcohol from 2pm to 5pm due to the law and will only do so if you're.
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