Sri Lanka’s favourite spirit, arrack, has a delicate flavour profile, and is created from toddy, the fermented sap of the coconut palm’s flower. Tapped twice daily by toddy tappers, who expertly scale the palm trees, fermentation occurs naturally in handmade ceramic pots, before the arrack is distilled and lightly aged in native wood. It can be enjoyed in a variety of classic cocktails, including in a spritz or an ice-cold martini, as well as today’s frozen mule, which, with its revitalising kick of ginger and lime, is a great pick-me-up for a hot day.
Frozen arrack mule
Serves 1
50ml arrack – we use Ceylon Arrack
20ml fresh lime juice
25ml ginger beer syrup – mix 1:1 ginger beer to sugar and stir to dissolve (once made, it’ll keep in the fridge for up to a week)
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 star anise, to garnish
Put everything bar the star anise in a high-speed blender, add a big handful of ice (crushed, ideally) and blitz smooth. Pour into a highball, sling or hurricane glass, drop in the star anise and serve with a straw.
Dining and Cooking