Quick answer
Arrack is available in Kandy and across the hill country, mainly in hotel bars, licensed restaurants and a small number of wine stores. Kandy is a sacred Buddhist city, so the area around the Temple of the Tooth and the lake is quiet and few restaurants there serve alcohol; hotels on the surrounding hills do. In Nuwara Eliya, at around 1,870 metres, colonial-era hotel and club bars with fireplaces suit a neat aged arrack or a hot arrack toddy. Ella has relaxed licensed cafes and bars.
Key takeaways
- Kandy is a sacred city, and licensed premises are scarce close to the Temple of the Tooth and the lake.
- Hotels on the hills around Kandy generally have bars serving arrack, beer, wine and cocktails.
- Nuwara Eliya sits at roughly 1,870 metres, with evening temperatures often between 8 and 15°C.
- Cool hill-country evenings suit aged arrack neat or a hot arrack toddy, not iced long drinks.
- Alcohol is not sold on poya days anywhere in the hill country, including during the Kandy Esala Perahera full moon.
Drinking arrack in Kandy
Kandy is the last royal capital of Sri Lanka and home to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the most venerated Buddhist site on the island. Out of respect, the streets nearest the temple and lake have very few licensed places, and the city centre is subdued after dark.
Kandy's hotels are where visitors drink. Many stand on the ridges above the lake and the Mahaweli River, with terraces looking over the valley, and their bars serve the usual range of arracks. A few long-established bars and restaurants in town are also licensed.
Etiquette in a sacred city
Etiquette around alcohol in Kandy is stricter than on the coast, and visitors are expected to notice. The rules are simple.
- →Never carry or drink alcohol in or near the temple precincts.
- →Do not visit the Temple of the Tooth after drinking.
- →Keep bottles out of sight when walking through town.
- →Expect no alcohol at all on poya days, when the city fills with pilgrims.
- →Dress modestly in the evening as well as during the day.
Nuwara Eliya's fireside bars
Nuwara Eliya was laid out by British planters as a hill station, and its grand hotels and clubs still have panelled bars, open fires and snooker rooms. Evenings here are properly cold by Sri Lankan standards.
Nuwara Eliya is the best place on the island to drink an aged arrack neat, because the room is at the right temperature without air conditioning. Some hotels ask for long trousers, a collared shirt and closed shoes in the bar after dusk, so pack accordingly.
Ella, Haputale and the tea estates
Ella is the hill country's backpacker and walkers' village, and its main street has licensed cafes and bars with a far more casual mood than Kandy or Nuwara Eliya. Arrack cocktails and local beer are easy to find.
Haputale, Bandarawela and the tea estate bungalows scattered between them are quieter. Estate bungalows usually keep a small bar or will serve drinks on the veranda, and a few offer cocktails using their own tea.
Arrack serves for cool evenings
Arrack serves in the hill country lean warm and short. The long iced drinks of the coast feel wrong at altitude.
- →Aged coconut arrack, neat, with a few drops of water.
- →Hot arrack toddy: arrack, hot tea, honey, lime and cinnamon.
- →Arrack old fashioned with kithul treacle from the nearby hills.
- →Arrack with ginger beer, without ice, for something longer.
Planning drinks on a hill country route
Planning drinks on a hill country route mainly means buying ahead. Wine stores are fewer than on the coast, the train from Kandy to Ella has no bar, and estate bungalows may stock only a small selection.
Lankan Stays & Trails can advise which hill-country hotels have good bars, arrange a tea-and-arrack evening at a planter's bungalow and schedule shopping around poya days.
- →Buy a bottle in Colombo or Kandy if you want a particular arrack.
- →Pack a warm layer for evenings above 1,200 metres.
- →Check for a dress code before going to a heritage hotel bar.
Frequently asked questions
Can you drink alcohol in Kandy?
Yes. Alcohol is served in Kandy's hotels and in some licensed restaurants and bars, and sold in wine stores. There are few licensed places close to the Temple of the Tooth, and none serve on poya days. Drinking in public is not acceptable.
Are there bars in Kandy?
Kandy has a small number of bars, mostly inside hotels, plus a few long-standing licensed restaurants and pubs in town. The city is quiet in the evening compared with Colombo or the coast. Hotel terraces overlooking the lake and hills are the most pleasant places for a drink.
Is alcohol available during the Kandy Esala Perahera?
Alcohol is available on most nights of the festival in licensed hotels, but not on the poya day itself, and some venues near the procession route stop serving out of respect. The perahera is a religious event, and visitors should watch it sober.
Where can I drink in Nuwara Eliya?
The bars of Nuwara Eliya's colonial-era hotels and clubs are the main places, several with open fires and billiard rooms. Some apply an evening dress code. There are also a few licensed restaurants and a wine store or two in the town centre.
Is there nightlife in Ella?
Ella has a relaxed strip of licensed cafes and bars along its main street, busy until around 11.00 in the evening in high season. It is informal and aimed at travellers. Music is restricted late at night, and poya days are dry.
What should I drink on a cold evening in the hill country?
An aged arrack neat or a hot arrack toddy made with tea, honey, lime and cinnamon suits the cool evenings of Nuwara Eliya and the higher tea estates. Both are widely available in hotel bars, and the toddy can be made without alcohol.