Sri Lankan beer and drinks for cricket fans

Lion Lager is the beer you will see everywhere: a light, crisp lager of about 4.8 percent, well suited to the heat. Lion Stout, at about 8.8 percent, is rich, dark and much stronger, with a following among beer lovers around the world. Three Coins and international brands brewed locally are also common.

Beer is sold in bars, restaurants, hotels and licensed liquor shops, known locally as wine stores. Large bottles of 625 ml are standard, so a round goes a long way.

Prices in hotels are much higher than in local bars and shops.

Craft beer has arrived too, with a handful of small breweries and bars in Colombo and Galle pouring pale ales and IPAs alongside the local lagers. They are pricier, but worth seeking out for a change.

Arrack is Sri Lanka's national spirit, distilled from the sap of coconut flowers. It is smooth and slightly sweet, drunk with ginger beer, soda or in cocktails. A bottle of good arrack is a popular souvenir.

Toddy, the fermented sap before distillation, is a cloudy, mildly alcoholic drink sold fresh in rural taverns, especially along the coast. It is an acquired taste, best tried once with a local guide.

Lankan Stays & Trails sometimes includes a visit to a toddy tapper on the south coast, where you can watch the tappers climb between palms.

Arrack cocktails are popular in Colombo and Galle Fort bars, mixed with lime, passionfruit or king coconut. For a souvenir, choose an aged or premium arrack from a licensed store, and check Australian duty-free allowances before packing bottles.

King coconut, the orange coconut sold at roadside stalls, is the most refreshing drink in Sri Lanka, cheap and full of electrolytes. It is ideal before and after a day at the cricket.

Local ginger beer is spicy and sweet, and makes a good mixer or a drink on its own. Fresh lime juice, wood apple juice and faluda, a rose-flavoured milk drink with jelly and ice cream, are worth trying.

Bottled water is everywhere, and many hotels have filtered water stations for refills.

Alcohol is not sold on poya days, the monthly full moon holidays, in bars, shops or most restaurants. Plan ahead if a poya falls during your tour. Wine stores also close relatively early in the evening, and bars usually close around midnight.

Rules on alcohol at cricket grounds vary by ground and series; check on the day. Drinking in public outside bars and restaurants is frowned upon.

Beer and heat are a dangerous mix at a long Test. Drink water or king coconut between beers, eat properly and slow down in the afternoon. Heat exhaustion is a real risk, especially for fans used to cooler Australian winters in a mid-year tour.

A cold Lion at sunset on the Galle ramparts or after stumps is the right time for a beer.