Quick answer
To drink arrack neat, choose a pure coconut arrack aged for several years, pour roughly 30 ml into a tulip-shaped or small wine glass and let it stand for a minute or two. Smell it gently, take a small sip and then add a few drops of still water, which opens the floral and honeyed notes. Serve it at cool room temperature, around 18 to 22°C, which in Sri Lanka means indoors or after sunset. One large piece of ice is acceptable in the heat.
Key takeaways
- Pure coconut arrack aged for several years is the style suited to drinking neat; blended arracks are better mixed.
- A tulip-shaped or small wine glass concentrates arrack's delicate aroma better than a wide tumbler.
- A few drops of still water open aged arrack and reduce the prickle of alcohol.
- Arrack tastes best at roughly 18 to 22°C, cooler than daytime air temperature on the Sri Lankan coast.
- A 30 ml measure of arrack sipped over 15 to 20 minutes is the right pace for tasting.
Which arrack to drink neat
Drinking arrack neat starts with choosing the right bottle. Not every arrack is intended for it, and the cheapest styles are honest mixing spirits that show poorly on their own.
- →Best: pure coconut arrack aged roughly seven years or more.
- →Good: younger pure coconut arrack at 38 to 40 per cent.
- →Acceptable with water: old arrack and double distilled arrack.
- →Better mixed: special and extra special arrack.
The right glass for neat arrack
The right glass for neat arrack narrows towards the top. A tulip-shaped nosing glass, a copita or a small white wine glass gathers the aroma, which is light and easily lost.
Bars in Sri Lanka often default to a heavy tumbler. Asking for a wine glass instead is a perfectly normal request, and most bartenders are pleased that someone is taking the arrack seriously.
A five-step way to taste arrack neat
Tasting arrack neat follows the same steps as tasting any fine spirit, and takes only a few minutes.
- →Pour roughly 30 ml and let it rest for a minute or two.
- →Look at the colour, from pale gold to amber, without reading too much into it.
- →Smell with your mouth slightly open, in short sniffs, not one deep breath.
- →Take a small sip, hold it for a few seconds and note the finish.
- →Add three or four drops of still water and repeat.
Water, ice and the tropical problem
Water improves most neat arrack. A few drops lower the alcohol slightly and release aromas, and with a 40 per cent arrack up to a teaspoon is reasonable. Use still bottled water at room temperature.
Ice is a compromise. It chills and dilutes, which mutes a delicate spirit, but on a 32°C veranda warm arrack is worse. One large, clear piece melts slowly and is the sensible answer. Avoid a glass packed with small cubes.
What to eat with neat arrack
Neat arrack suits small, rich or sweet accompaniments after a meal. Sri Lanka's own larder supplies the best of them.
- →Roasted cashews, plain or lightly salted.
- →A piece of kithul or coconut jaggery.
- →Dark chocolate, including local single-origin bars.
- →Love cake or Christmas cake, in season.
- →A mild cigar, where smoking is permitted.
Where to drink arrack neat in Sri Lanka
The best places to drink arrack neat in Sri Lanka are air-conditioned hotel bars in Colombo, the courtyards and verandas of Galle Fort after sunset, and hill-country lounges in Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, where the evening air is naturally cool. Beach bars are better suited to long drinks, although a shaded veranda after dark, with a sea breeze and a single large ice cube in the glass, is a pleasant exception to the rule.
Lankan Stays & Trails can arrange a seated tasting of two or three aged arracks at a suitable hotel on your route, with a note of what you tried in case you want to buy a bottle before leaving.
Frequently asked questions
Can you drink arrack straight?
Yes. Aged pure coconut arrack is smooth enough to drink straight and is made with that in mind. Everyday blended and extra special arracks are harsher neat and are better with soda, water or ginger beer. Choose the bottle to suit the serve.
Should arrack be served with ice?
For long drinks, yes, with plenty of it. For sipping an aged arrack, ice is optional. It dulls the aroma, so purists avoid it, but one large piece is a reasonable concession in tropical heat. Do not fill the glass with small cubes.
Do you add water to arrack?
A few drops of still water improve most aged arrack by releasing aroma and softening the alcohol. Older Sri Lankan drinkers often take everyday arrack half and half with cold water, which is a traditional and perfectly good way to drink the mid-range styles.
What glass is best for arrack?
A tulip-shaped nosing glass or a small wine glass is best for neat arrack, because the narrow rim concentrates its light aroma. For long drinks with soda or ginger beer, use a tall highball glass with plenty of ice.
What temperature should arrack be served at?
Neat arrack is best at cool room temperature, roughly 18 to 22°C. On the Sri Lankan coast that is well below the daytime air temperature, so drink it in an air-conditioned room or in the evening, or use a single large ice cube.
How much arrack is one serving?
A standard serving for tasting is roughly 25 to 30 ml. Hotel bars in Sri Lanka usually pour a measured shot of about that size, while local bars and homes pour more freely. For neat sipping, one or two measures over an evening is plenty.