Perhaps the most exciting bit of sunny Singapore is there you're never too far away from exploring a tiny slice of cuisine and culture from anywhere in the world. Sri Lankan cuisine outpost Kotuwa has shifted new and retro chic New Bahru, bigger and better!

Checking Out Kotuwa's Newest Outfit!

Kotuwa is helmed by two-Michelin-starred Chef Rishi Naleendra, where prior to the move to New Bahru, served iconic Sri Lankan dishes for four years in Little India. The new space features more seating, with brightly painted wooden panels, clay accents and Sri Lankan trinkets (some of which moved in from the old place!); very much reminiscent of a Colombo residence.

Source: Food News

We've had the chance to visit Kotuwa and try out "The Lion's Cup" cocktail menu, inspired by the historic Sri Lankan championship claim during the 1996 Cricket World Cup Games; alongside a selection of arracks courtesy of Ashaka Harith, Colombo native and the Head Bartender spearheading the beverage programme at Kotuwa.

Ashaka preparing the bar for service (many thanks for accepting the interview!).

But What Exactly Is Arrack; And More Importantly Why Does This Sri Lankan Spirit Have Superstar Potential?

Before we get into the cocktails however, what exactly is arrack? In an interview with us, Ashaka explains (an in-depth interview will be coming up shortly, stay tuned!)

Toddy (right), which is distilled to make arrack. Source: Ceylon Arrack (Rockland Distillery)

Arrack, depending on who you ask and where its from, can be made from a variety of ingredients. In East Mediterranean countries like Israel, Lebanon and Syria, "arak" refers to a family of anise spirits made with grapes and aniseed. In Indonesia, arak (or sometimes spelt arrack) can be made from sugarcane or coconut sap, with the addition of red rice.

A toddy tapper / farmer climbing up tightropes to harvest coconuts and coconut flower sap. Source: Ceylon Arrack

In Sri Lanka, coconut sap is the predominant ingredient in arrack (with some regions making arrack out of palm sap). Coconut plantations are aplenty in tropical Sri Lanka, with the coconut tree woven into everyday life - used for timber, roofing material, food source, and even for alcohol production.

Coconut flower being cut to tap on the sap. The flowers are often bundled tightly together, with the sap being collected with clay pots at the bottom. Source: The Coconut Company

Farmers would scale up coconut tree and slice of unopened flowering buds of the coconut tree, and tie a pot at the base of the sliced stem. There, a sticky, syrupy liquid flows into the pots; where the farmers, also known as toddy tappers, would scale the tree the next morning to harvest the liquid.

Toddy is tapped once or twice a day; due to the abundance of wild yeasts in the coconut flower and the hot climate of Sri Lanka, the sap starts fermenting as soon as it is collected. Source: Ceylon Arrack

The arrack, left exposed to the air, has been fermenting overnight, now creating a mildly alcoholic substance that is called "toddy". This toddy has a short shelf life, and needs to be transported to a distillery quickly to be distilled into a clear, concentrated spirit we call arrack.

Instead of using casks, most arrack distilleries use huge vats made out of native halmilla or teak wood. Source: Give Me Weird Drinks

Here, arrack can be bottled and drunk blanco style, much like a clear rum or tequila. However, to give more complexity to the spirit, arrack is often aged in huge wooden vats; often made out of indigenous Halmilla wood or teak.

Palmyrah Tree. Source: Wikipedia

Remember how we mentioned palm sap? Palm sap is harder to find, given that it's rarely produced outside of the northern parts of Sri Lanka - here, the Palmyra palm tree's nectar is tapped instead before distillation. The spirit often comes with the "Palmyra" label on it. 

With introductions out of the way, let's get to tasting!

Arrack Review: Rockland Distillery Ceylon Arrack, 40%

This is Ashaka's choice for anyone trying out Sri Lankan arrack for the first time. This arrack is made by Rockland Distillery; the distillery that just hit its 100th anniversary this year and is spearheading the movement for good quality arracks. As the distillery's flagship arrack represent, The Ceylon Arrack by Rockland Distillery is made with Sri Lankan coconut flower sap and aged in Sri Lankan Halmilla wood and teak.

This arrack was light, airy, with just a bit of that slight lactic funk you get when eating dosai or a light yoghurt. Texture wise, there is that silky viscosity of coconut water, alongside its semisweet-savoury taste profile. There is some hints of woodiness and spice, in the form of a light baking spice blend, but it takes a backseat. The spirit is easy to drink, not really giving much in the way of complexity, yet checks all the boxes in every flavour category.

Rockland Distillery Halmilla Old Arrack, 33.5%

Whilst there isn't much information on this bottling online, this arrack has been aged more than the Cerylon Arrack, being part of Rockland Distillery's premium range.

There is much similarities to this arrack and the Ceylon Arrack; however, there is a symphonic roundness to this arrack - giving more integrated, sweeter and deeper flavours. In particular, it starts to remind me much more of coconut flesh, grated coconut, as well as a more mellowed lactic tang that you get from slightly aged pulled cheeses. The spices, whilst still subtle, is more intense, like ground cassia and cloves. 

Arrack Review: IDL Old Reserve Premium Arrack Rare 47, 47%

Another distillery spearheading the quality arrack movement is IDL (International Distillers Limited), the represent of the distillery's premium arrack range is the Old Reserve Rare 47, bottled at 47%; a mark higher than most arracks today. According to Ashaka, this arrack is aged longer than the previous two; and is with a mixture of both halmilla and teak wood.

Now, this arrack was really unique. The texture still has that airy, light quality; however, there is much more depth in sweetness, spice and woodiness for this arrack. Here, the sweetness registers much closer to gula melaka (palm sugar), cooked jaggery syrup, and even with hints of toasted coconut shavings. The sourness has became much more subtle, closer to aged cheeses, with a peppery, nutmeg forward spice note. This is truly something special; not overpowering in any sense, yet offering much complexity!

Arrack Review: Jaffna Usaar Palmyrah Arrack, 34%

Here's the oddball of the lot - instead of being made with coconut flower sap, this is made with palmyrah sap instead, as indicated by "Palmyrah". According to Ashaka, this bottle was quite a hard get, even being rare outside of certain regions within Sri Lanka!

This arrack, to me, has a greener tint. I got pandan, wheatgrass and coconut husk on the flavours and aromas, with a sweetness more akin to medjool dates with a stickier, denser chew. I did get more notes of green pepper, peppercorns and young ginger as well, giving the arrack a spicier, slightly more astringent palate. As a contrast, this arrack was really quite interesting flavour and aromas wise!

It's Cocktail Time!

After a quick tasting to get acquainted with the base spirit, we moved on to arrack based cocktails.

The arrack maverick Ashaka strongly believes that the coconut spirit's greatest strength is its versatility: with sweet, sour, savoury, spicy flavours all in one, arrack cocktails are truly bound by the bartender's imagination.

Kotuwa's current cocktail menu, the Lion's Cup, is filled with references to cricket, the sport that Sri Lankans are obsessed. Despite Sri Lanka's fervent love for the sport, the country has always been the underdog in the World Cup, hence it's no surprise why that 1996 victory is a source of great national pride.

We'll be tasting two cocktails with crafted with Ceylon Arrack from Rockland Distillers ( the distillery behind the Colombo Gin brand).

Uncle Percy

Short Story White Rum, Ceylon Arrack, Soursop and Coconut

Percy Abeysekera, or Uncle Percy as affectionately known, has been a Sri Lankan cricket superfan since1948, supporting the team for over fifty years and appearing at almost every major cricket tournament.

Uncle Percy. Source: Free Press Journal IN

Ashaka explains that anyone who's a fan of cricket in Sri Lanka would know Uncle Percy; easily spotting him in stadiums. Percy became internationally renowned when he paraded the Sri Lankan flag during the 1996 World Cup, even becoming friends with cricket players of other countries. The man was a celebrity in his own right for being the Sri Lanka cricket team's biggest cheerleader.

Uncle Percy has passed on October 2023. Source: ESPN

This cocktail is Ashaka's go to when introducing an arrack-base concoction to people trying arrack for the first time.

The cocktail is light, airy, yet packs a punch in flavour! You get that juicy, start, somewhat musky soursop flavours, along with that buzz from the Ceylon arrack - that coconut candy, reduced coconut water and coconut flesh sweetness and savouriness that permeates through. I really appreciate the bouquet of mint leaves as a garnish, the aromas really lift the cocktail up and prime the palate for green, sweet flavours to come.The texture is thick and velvety as well, reminding me of a thin milkshake. Ashaka is right when he says this is the perfect introductory cocktail to what arrack can do.

Papare Papare

Ceylon Arrack, Sesame, Jaggery

Think marching bands of American football, but in Sri Lanka for cricket. Papare bands are characterised with lively music of trumpets and drums, the party mood-makers and morale boosters for the Sri Lankan team. To me, Papare music sounds like a mix of marching band drums, Mexican mariachi and stadium fanfare all at once.

A Papare band at Melbourne.

Ashaka fixed up the Papare Papare, a spin on the Old Fashioned, to display how arrack can hold its own even in minimalist cocktails, where the spirit's base flavours do more of the heavy lifting. The sesame candy on top of the cocktail is called Thala Guli, a traditional Sri Lankan snack.

Before I get to the cocktail proper, can I talk about how chewy and delicious that sesame nut candy is! It's soft, sticky, and gives a lot of great nutty flavours. Onto the cocktail itself, the aromas are sticky, woody, with notes of coked cola syrup and nutmeg. On the palate, the cocktail is equally woody, with tannic flavours, mineral sweetness, and a developing banana jam flavour. The Papare Papare really makes for a mean old fashion - way beyond the simple stuff and packs lots of oomph in the way of complex, deep flavours.

Headspinner

Aba Pisco, Tamarind, Guava, Chili

In cricket terminology, "spin bowling" is a technique when the bowler (called the spinner in this case) bowls the ball with lots of rotation, causing the bowl the bounce and deviate from an expected straight path and making it harder for the batter to get a clean hit.

A case of a spin-bowl catching the batter off, during the Sri Lanka vs Australia Finals in the 1996 World Cup.

Whilst this cocktail does not use arrack as a base, Ashaka notes that this cocktail gets its flavours from pickled fruits (called achcharu) that are often sold on the streets of Sri Lanka.

The cocktail, with the garnish, has aromas of peppery, dusty and slightly spicy aromas. However, on first sips, it's tart and sweet in a very nostalgic way, very similar to how preserved fruits and like over here in Singapore! The flavours really remind me of spicy dried candied tamarind slices, canned pineapple syrup, and pickled sour plums. Not to mention, adding to the nostalgic flavours is the milkwash - lending a Rabbit Candy, condensed milk like confectionery thickness and subtle milky sweetness to the cocktail! The cocktail is light, refreshing, and really is a great way to round off a heavy meal.

For my first time trying out arrack both in its original form and transformed into a cocktail, I am converted. What Ashaka mentioned was right - in a sense, arrack is like maellable clay that can be turned into any style and flavour of cocktail; in particular, I really like how the arrack's inherent tangyness finds its way to moderate and round off any concoction it sees itself in.

I'll definitely be returning back to Kotuwa for more Sri Lankan tipples (not to mention, their wondrous food, as advised by their staff). Stay tuned to our interview with Ashaka Harith on all things arrack!

@vernoncelli

Kotuwa

46 Kim Yam Rd, New Bahru #01-03, Singapore 239351

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