Arrack liqueurs in Sri Lanka

A liqueur is a spirit sweetened with sugar and flavoured with fruit, herbs, spices, cream or coffee, usually bottled at a lower strength than the base spirit. An arrack liqueur simply uses arrack as that base, which brings a soft coconut note to the finished drink.

Sri Lanka's arrack liqueurs are mostly home-made rather than commercial. Milk wine is the clearest example, and many families also have their own recipes for fruit or spice liqueurs made with arrack, kept for festive seasons and guests.

Commercial versions appear occasionally, often cream or coffee liqueurs, and are worth trying when you find them. They are not, however, a fixed part of the arrack range in the way special or old arrack is.

Milk wine is a home-made liqueur from Sri Lanka's Burgher and wider Christian communities, made each December for Christmas. Arrack is steeped with spices and citrus peel, sweetened, then mixed with hot milk, which curdles. The curds are strained out slowly, leaving a clear, golden liquid.

The result is sweet, smooth and gently spiced, at roughly 15 to 20 per cent alcohol, and is served in small glasses with Christmas cake. It keeps for months if bottled carefully and is often given as a gift.

Visitors meet milk wine mainly in homes, at church fairs and occasionally in hotels or delis in December. If you are offered a glass, accept it as a gesture of welcome.

Arrack-based cream liqueurs, similar in style to Irish cream liqueurs, have been made by Sri Lankan producers at various times. Coffee liqueurs made with arrack have also appeared. They tend to be sweet, smooth and easy to drink over ice.

These products come and go, so availability is unpredictable. Larger licensed wine stores in Colombo and the airport duty free are the most likely places to find any current release. Check the label for strength and storage instructions, particularly for cream liqueurs, which may need refrigeration after opening.

Cream and coffee arrack liqueurs make easy after-dinner drinks and can be poured over ice cream or into coffee. They are a gentle introduction to arrack for people who do not usually drink spirits.

Some families make fruit liqueurs by steeping local fruit in arrack with sugar. Pineapple, passion fruit, mango, lime and orange peel are common, along with spices such as cinnamon and cardamom. The mixture is left for weeks, strained and bottled.

Fruit liqueurs are usually kept for festive seasons and special guests. Recipes are personal and passed down, and a family's liqueur can be as much a point of pride as its Christmas cake.

Fruit liqueurs are easy to recreate after your trip with a young coconut arrack, fresh fruit and sugar. Lankan Stays & Trails can arrange a home cooking experience where hosts sometimes share their festive recipes.

Serve arrack liqueurs in small glasses, around 30 to 40 ml, at room temperature or lightly chilled. Milk wine is traditionally served at room temperature with Christmas cake, love cake or breudher. Cream liqueurs are best over ice.

Liqueurs taste sweeter and weaker than they are. Even at 15 to 20 per cent, a few glasses add up, so pace yourself, especially at festive gatherings where hosts are generous.

Liqueurs also work in desserts: poured over ice cream, stirred into coffee or used to soak fruit for cakes. A little goes a long way.

Commercial arrack liqueurs, when available, are sold in licensed wine stores and duty free. Home-made milk wine and fruit liqueurs are usually given rather than sold, though some home bakers sell milk wine with Christmas cake in December.

Buying alcohol informally sits in a grey area, so buy from established sellers and ask questions. Never buy spirit from unlicensed sources that you cannot trust.

Liqueurs at 15 to 20 per cent are below the airline threshold for the five-litre limit on strong spirits, but they still count towards your home country's allowance. Pack them sealed, taped and wrapped in checked luggage.