Sri Lankan tea, also known as Ceylon tea, is probably the most favorite drink and coffee is less popular. However, you can definitely taste the freshly ground coffee which is served relatively light with milk and sugar, depending on your taste.
Many road side stalls, as well as restaurants and hotels in Sri Lanka sell refreshing fresh juices. Universal fruit juices such as apple and orange juice, and many other fruits such as mango, guava, papaya and pineapple are also very popular.
Water is considered to be safe to drink in most parts of the country even if it is not filtered. However bottled water is available in most shops.
There are a huge variety of bottled soft drinks, including well-known international brands like Coca Cola, Pepsi, Fanta and 7up. Further, the local producer; Elephant house, makes a range of delicious soft drinks.
Thambli (King Coconut juice), is very refreshing and is an alternative to water. It’s sold at the side of streets throughout the island, and is clean as the coconut is cut open in front of you and also is cheaper than the bottled drinks.
Toddy is a natural drink that tastes a bit like cider. There are three types of Toddy in Sri Lanka: Coconut Toddy from the southern lowlands, Hill-Country Toddy which is made from the juice of the kitul palm and Northern Toddy which is made from the spiky palmyra tree.
The Sri Lankan Arrack is fermented and refined Toddy. It is produced in a variety of grades and qualities. Some of them are almost lethal. Arrack is sold as “shots” in restaurants or by the bottle in licensed alcohol outlets.
