Quick answer
In Kandy and the hill country, milk wine is less common than around Colombo and Negombo, but it is found. Kandy has Burgher and Christian families who make it for Christmas, and churches that hold services and occasional fairs. In Nuwara Eliya and other hill towns, heritage hotels with colonial character often celebrate Christmas with cake, roast dinners and festive drinks, sometimes including milk wine. Visitors are most likely to meet it in a hotel or through an invitation.
Key takeaways
- Milk wine is less common in the hill country than on the west coast, but it is found.
- Kandy has Burgher and Christian families who make it for Christmas.
- Nuwara Eliya's heritage hotels celebrate Christmas with colonial-style traditions.
- Hotels are the most likely place for visitors to meet milk wine in the hills.
- Cool hill country evenings suit a small glass of milk wine by the fire.
Kandy
Kandy, the old royal capital, is a mainly Buddhist city, home to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. It also has long-established Christian communities, including Burgher families, with churches such as St Paul's near the temple and Trinity College Chapel.
Some of these families make milk wine for Christmas, along with Christmas cake and love cake. Visitors with friends in Kandy, or staying in a family guesthouse, may be invited to share it.
Kandy's churches hold Christmas services, and some hold fairs or sales in December. Ask your guesthouse or guide.
Kandy's Christian schools, founded in the colonial period, have long carol traditions, and December concerts sometimes include stalls selling Christmas cake and sweets. These events are a pleasant way to see a quieter side of Christmas in the city.
- →City: mainly Buddhist, old royal capital.
- →Christian communities: including Burgher families.
- →Churches: St Paul's, Trinity College Chapel.
Nuwara Eliya and the hills
Nuwara Eliya, the hill station built by the British, has a long tradition of colonial-style Christmases, with roast dinners, carols and log fires in its heritage hotels. The cool climate, sometimes chilly at night in December, makes Christmas here feel very different from the coast.
Heritage hotels in Nuwara Eliya often serve Christmas cake and festive drinks, and some include milk wine or a clarified punch in their Christmas celebrations. Offerings vary each year.
Other hill towns, such as Bandarawela and Ella, have smaller Christian communities and hotels that mark Christmas for international guests.
- →Nuwara Eliya: colonial-style Christmas.
- →Heritage hotels: cake, roasts, festive drinks.
- →Ella and Bandarawela: hotels mark Christmas.
Hotels in the hills
Hill country hotels are the most likely place for visitors to meet milk wine. Some serve it with Christmas cake in the lounge, by the fire, or at the end of Christmas dinner.
Tea estate bungalows and boutique hotels with a heritage theme sometimes revive old recipes, including milk wine, for the season.
Ask when booking or at the front desk, as offerings change from year to year.
Milk wine on a cool evening
The hill country's cool December evenings suit milk wine perfectly. A small glass at room temperature, with a slice of rich Christmas cake, by a fire in a planter's bungalow is one of the more memorable ways to taste it.
Milk wine is roughly 15 to 20 per cent alcohol, so a small glass is enough, especially after a day of walking in the hills.
Hill country roads are winding and can be misty at night, so never drink before driving. A hired driver is the best way to travel in the hills.
- →Setting: by the fire, cool evening.
- →Pairing: rich Christmas cake.
- →Roads: winding, never drink and drive.
Combining the hills with Colombo
For the best chance of milk wine, combine the hill country with a few days in Colombo or Negombo over Christmas week. Colombo's fairs and home bakers offer far more choice.
Lankan Stays & Trails can plan a December route that includes Christmas in Colombo or Negombo and cool days in Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, with a driver throughout.
The drive from Colombo to Kandy takes around three to four hours, and from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya a further two to three.
- →Colombo or Negombo: Christmas, fairs.
- →Kandy and Nuwara Eliya: hills, heritage hotels.
- →Driving: three to four hours to Kandy.
Tips for visitors
Pack warm clothes for the hills in December. Nights in Nuwara Eliya can be cold.
Ask your hotel or guesthouse about local Christmas events, church services and whether milk wine is served.
Kandy is also a good place to buy spices for anyone planning to make milk wine at home, with spice gardens nearby in the Matale district.
- →Warm clothes: for hill evenings.
- →Ask: hotels and guesthouses.
- →Spices: gardens near Matale.
Frequently asked questions
Can I find milk wine in Kandy?
Sometimes. Kandy has Burgher and Christian families who make milk wine for Christmas, and churches that hold services and occasional fairs. Visitors are most likely to meet it through an invitation or at a hotel that serves it with Christmas cake.
Do Nuwara Eliya hotels serve milk wine?
Some heritage hotels in Nuwara Eliya include milk wine or a clarified punch in their Christmas celebrations, alongside cake, roast dinners and carols. Offerings vary each year, so ask when booking if milk wine is important to you.
Is Christmas celebrated in the hill country?
Yes. Kandy and other hill towns have Christian communities and churches, and Nuwara Eliya's heritage hotels celebrate colonial-style Christmases with roasts, carols and log fires. Many hotels across the hills mark the season for international guests.
Is the hill country cold at Christmas?
It can be. Days are usually pleasant, but nights in Nuwara Eliya can be cold in December, sometimes near freezing at the highest points. Kandy is milder. Pack warm layers for evenings in the hills.
Should I spend Christmas in Kandy or Colombo?
For the best chance of milk wine, Christmas fairs and festive atmosphere, Colombo or Negombo is better. Kandy and Nuwara Eliya offer cool weather, heritage hotels and a quieter Christmas. Many travellers combine both on a December route.
Where can I buy spices for milk wine near Kandy?
Spice gardens in the Matale district, north of Kandy, offer tours and sell cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and vanilla. Kandy's market and supermarkets also sell good spices, often at lower prices than the gardens.
What is Christmas like in Nuwara Eliya?
Nuwara Eliya's Christmas has a colonial flavour, with heritage hotels serving roast dinners, Christmas pudding and cake, and carols by log fires on cool evenings. The town is busy with domestic and international visitors in late December, so book well ahead.