When you are out shopping or sightseeing and the dry throat gets to you and liquid refreshment is what you need, instead of getting a beer or soft drink try one of the traditional drinks available throughout Indonesia. These are obtained from the kaki lima on the streets and in markets.
When I can’t get a traditional drink then I suffice with a Pocari Sweat – a tasteless fluid that is full of electrolytes to replenish and replace those lost during activities. Of course you can get the western health drinks like Gatorade and Powerade but they tend to be overpriced in the supermarkets.
Here is a few of the traditional drinks available in Indonesia:
Ronde – made from ginger, powdered glutinous rice, peanut, salt, sugar, food colouring additives.
Cendol/Dawet – made from rice flour, sago palm flour, pandanus leaf, salt, food coloring additives.
Wedang Serbat – made from star anise, cardamon, tamarind, ginger, and sugar. Wedang means “hot water”.
Wedang Sekoteng – made from ginger, green pea, peanut, pomegranate, milk, sugar, salt and mixed with ronde.
Bajigur – made from coffee, salt, brown sugar, cocount milk, sugar palm fruit, vanillin.
Bandrek – made from brown sugar, ginger, pandanus leaf, coconut meat, clove bud, salt, cinnamon, coffee.
Talua Tea/Teh Telur (West Sumatera) – made from tea powder, raw egg, sugar and limau nipis.
Cinna-Ale – made from cinnamon, ginger, tamarind, sand ginger and 13 other spices.
Lidah Buaya Ice (West Kalimantan) – made from aloe vera, french basil, javanese black jelly, coconut milk, palm sugar, pandanus leaf, sugar.
