Ceylon Arrack: The Island Spirit You Need to Try

Ceylon arrack is one of the most distinctive spirits in the world and the fact that it has not yet fully arrived on the global stage is simply a matter of time and exposure. Distilled from the fermented sap of the coconut flower — collected by toddy tappers who climb the palms each morning and evening — arrack has a character that is completely its own: warm, slightly smoky, with a vegetal sweetness and a depth that gets more interesting the longer you sit with it.

The best arrack in Sri Lanka comes from the Rockland Distilleries range. Their Double Distilled Old Arrack is the one to start with — aged in Halmilla wood, which gives it a colour and flavour profile that has no direct equivalent anywhere else. Drink it neat if you want to understand what you are dealing with, then try it with ginger beer, which is the classic Sri Lankan serve.

The toddy shops of the coastal areas are where arrack culture is most alive. These are informal, no-frills establishments where the spirit is served at room temperature in small glasses with whatever bar snack is available — dried fish, spiced peanuts, fresh lime. The clientele is almost entirely local. Pull up a plastic chair, order a small arrack, and observe. This is the actual social life of coastal Sri Lanka.

A note on Lion Lager, which is the beer that most people end up drinking here: it is a perfectly good lager and it goes with everything. Cold, on a hot afternoon, after a long swim, with a plate of devilled cashews. There are worse things. But arrack is the island's actual contribution to the world of spirits, and it deserves your full attention at least once.