What People Drink in Mandalay: Traditional Alcoholic Beverages

Mandalay sits in Myanmar’s hot, semi-arid Dry Zone, a landscape of toddy palms, sesame fields, and the broad Ayeyarwady River. The climate shapes what’s brewed and distilled here: quick-fermenting palm sap, robust rice spirits, and herbal infusions that locals sip in markets and village huts.

Drinking is social and seasonal. Palm toddy flows after tapping at dusk, rice liquor warms cool highland nights from nearby Pyin Oo Lwin, and offerings of alcohol appear at nat (spirit) ceremonies such as Taungbyone just north of the city. Most beverages are small-batch, passed from farm to tea shop with minimal labels but deep tradition.

The quintessential Mandalay drink is htan yay-cho—naturally fermented sap from the palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer). Tappers climb at dawn and dusk to cut the inflorescence, collecting sweet sap in bamboo or earthen pots. Wild yeasts begin fermenting almost immediately in the heat, turning sugary juice into a lightly effervescent, mildly sour “palm beer.”

Fresh toddy tastes creamy-sweet with coconut and date notes; as the day warms, it becomes tangier and more funky. Expect roughly 3–7% ABV, depending on temperature and time. It’s poured in shaded toddy huts on the outskirts of Mandalay and Amarapura, paired with snacks like boiled chickpeas, fried gram, and salty ngapi dips. Most people drink it in the late afternoon after fieldwork, when the day’s final sap comes in.

When fermented palm sap is heated in a simple pot still, it becomes htàn hkaung—toddy-palm arrack. Villagers distill in small batches over wood fires, running vapors through a coiled pipe cooled in a water jar, sometimes redistilling for clarity. The clear spirit typically clocks in at 30–50% ABV, depending on the cut and whether it’s double-distilled.

Flavor-wise, expect a soft palm sugar aroma, light smoke from the fire, and a faint floral sweetness. In Mandalay Region, it’s a staple at weddings, harvest celebrations, and casual dinners at roadside eateries. You’ll find it in reused glass bottles at markets around the city and in nearby toddy villages; many families keep a bottle for toasts or to blend into medicinal infusions.

Khaung yay is Myanmar’s traditional rice spirit, common in the Shan highlands and traded into Mandalay. Steamed rice (often glutinous) is cooled, inoculated with rice yeast cakes that carry molds and yeasts, then left to saccharify and ferment. The mash is pot-distilled into a clear spirit that typically ranges from 25–40% ABV.

The result is clean and grain-forward—think steamed rice, faint banana ester, and a soft sweetness—occasionally with lactic tang if fermentation runs warm. It’s a cold-season favorite in Pyin Oo Lwin’s cool evenings and a ceremonial pour for family rites and weddings across the region. In Mandalay tea shops, small cups of khaung yay might follow grilled meats or Shan noodles, especially on breezy nights.

Ya-gyi (“big medicine”) is not a base spirit but an infusion—roots, barks, and spices steeped in local liquor. Vendors around Zay Cho (Zegyo) Market in central Mandalay bottle blends featuring galangal, cassia bark, star anise, cloves, and bitter medicinal barks, macerated in palm arrack or rice spirit for weeks. The base ABV generally stays near 30–40%, colored amber by the botanicals.

Expect a bittersweet, resinous profile with warming spice and a tonic-like finish. Locals take it in small shots before dinner for appetite or as a nightcap when coughs and chills set in. You’ll see glass dispensers at tiny stalls and pharmacies, or unlabeled bottles tucked behind counters at neighborhood groceries—part folk remedy, part convivial sip.

In the palm-sugar belt west of Mandalay—toward Myingyan and Pakokku—distillers ferment htan nyat (palm jaggery) dissolved in water, then run it through the same pot stills used for toddy arrack. By starting with concentrated palm sugars, the ferment is steady and predictable, often yielding a spirit in the 35–45% ABV range.

This jaggery-based liquor leans caramel and date-like, with a rounder body than straight toddy arrack and occasional hints of smoke from wood-fired stills. It’s poured during village feasts and served alongside grilled goat or pork, and in Mandalay it appears in unbranded bottles at wet markets and casual restaurants. Some home producers mellow it with a touch of new wood or by resting it a few months to tame rough edges.

The hill station of Pyin Oo Lwin, an hour east of Mandalay, enjoys cool nights that favor berries and stone fruit. House-made mulberry and plum wines have long been a seasonal specialty: fruit is crushed, lightly sulfited or simply cleaned, then fermented with either wild flora or added wine yeast before aging in glass. Finished alcohols usually fall between 10–14% ABV.

Mulberry wine tends to be jammy and dark-fruited with gentle tannin, while plum wine is more tart and aromatic. You’ll find both served chilled at small restaurants in Pyin Oo Lwin during the cool season (December–February), and bottles make their way to Mandalay markets as gifts. While modern wineries exist in Myanmar, these fruit wines retain a homestead feel—short supply, variable vintages, and an unmistakable sense of place.