How to ask for gal arrack in a shop

Arrack sizes in Sri Lanka are almost always described in English, even in conversations otherwise in Sinhala or Tamil. Full means the 750 ml bottle, half means the 375 ml bottle and quarter means the 180 ml bottle. Ask for a full, a half or a quarter and nobody will be confused.

Shopkeepers may use the same words back to you, or hold up the bottle to confirm. If you want more than one, say the number first: two quarters, three fulls. For a group, it is clearer to say exactly how many bottles of each size you want before the shopkeeper starts fetching them.

There is no larger everyday size than the full, so asking for a litre or a big bottle will usually bring a full.

The everyday style is called extra special, often shortened to ES, and widely known as gal. Special is a closely related everyday style. Asking for gal in a wine store or local bar usually brings the shop's everyday extra special bottle, and staff will smile at a visitor who knows the word.

For a step up, ask for old arrack, double distilled or coconut arrack, the last for a pure coconut bottling. For a gift, ask to see the aged arracks, and the shopkeeper will usually bring out a boxed bottle or two from the back.

Using the right style word is more useful than naming a brand, since the house matters less than the category for most purposes.

If you have a preference, add the brand: a DCSL extra special full, a quarter of Mendis. Shopkeepers know the houses well and will bring the right bottle, or tell you if it is out of stock and suggest another.

If you do not know the brands, it is perfectly fine to ask what the shop sells most of, or simply point to a bottle behind the counter. Many shops display one of each bottle on a shelf for exactly this reason.

The brand comparison page has a short guide to the main houses if you want to know who is who before you go.

Gal, the nickname for extra special arrack, means rock or stone in Sinhala, and using it marks you as someone who has done a little homework. Arrack itself is widely understood, and in Sinhala a common word for it is arakku, which sounds close to the English.

Basic courtesy words help too. Ayubowan is the Sinhala greeting, vanakkam the Tamil one, and thank you in English is understood everywhere. In the north and east, a few words of Tamil are appreciated.

Shop staff in tourist areas usually speak enough English for any purchase, so there is no need to learn more than a handful of words.

When the bottle is handed over, check it before paying. The cap should be sealed, the excise security sticker intact and the printed price visible. If the price asked is different from the printed one, point to the label and ask, which usually clears up any confusion.

Pay in cash in smaller shops, and ask for a receipt. Lankan Stays & Trails guides are happy to come into the shop the first time and do the talking, after which most visitors find the next purchase easy on their own.

Wine store counters are businesslike. Have your request ready, speak clearly and do not hold up the queue reading labels. If you want to browse, a supermarket liquor section is a better place to do it.

Shopkeepers are generally patient with visitors, especially outside the busiest hours. A smile and a thank you go a long way, and regulars in the queue are often curious and helpful.

Keep purchases discreet once you leave, in a bag, particularly near temples and in conservative areas.