Toddy, Arrack & Feni

In India and Sri Lanka, as in most places around the world, there’s a history of production and consumption of alcoholic drinks, but for a traveler visiting the region it’s oftentimes the absence of alcohol that is more conspicuous than a prevalence of drinking. Gujarat, for example, in northwest India, is a dry state, and if you’re a tourist visiting, you must get a special permit stamped into your passport that allows you to buy beer, wine, or whiskey. My first six months’ traveling in India, I don’t remember having a single beer. I had no idea where to find one.