Drinking Traditions of Suriname: 6 Local Beverages That Define a Nation

Suriname’s drinks mirror its equatorial heat, riverine geography, and blend of Indigenous, Maroon, Creole, Hindustani, Javanese, and Dutch traditions. Sugarcane from old estates and forest-grown cassava anchor many recipes, while rice informs the country’s signature lager.

From Amerindian cassava beers shared in calabashes to overproof rums used for infusions, beverages are social glue across villages and the capital, Paramaribo. Expect crisp lagers for humid afternoons, bitters rooted in local pharmacopeia, and rums that define celebrations from the coast to the interior.

Perhaps Suriname’s most talked-about spirit, Mariënburg is a molasses-based white rum bottled at a formidable 90% ABV. Distilled to high proof in modern columns and sold unaged, it carries an intense, clean cane character with a piercing ethanol note and faint grassy sweetness. The clarity makes it ideal for infusions, where fruit, bark, or herbs lend flavor while the spirit provides extraction power.

Historically tied to the country’s sugar industry, Mariënburg embodies plantation-era legacies adapted to contemporary tastes. At home, it is often the base for house bitters (oso dresi) or mixed sparingly with coconut water or soda. In Paramaribo bottle shops and neighborhood bars, it’s treated with respect—served in measured shots, or as a few drops transforming punches and seasonal mixes during celebrations like year’s end parties. Visitors should approach carefully: the heat is immediate, the finish long and dry, and the alcohol strength unforgiving if sipped like a standard 40% rum.

Borgoe is Suriname’s flagship aged rum range, produced from molasses and matured in ex-bourbon oak under tropical conditions. Typical bottlings sit at 40–43% ABV, with expressions often carrying age statements. The flavor leans toward vanilla, toasted coconut, banana, and gentle baking spice, with a round, medium-bodied palate and a soft, woody finish. Tropical aging accelerates maturation, delivering depth that belies the years on the label.

Founded in the mid-20th century, Suriname Alcoholic Beverages (SAB) helped shift local tastes from purely utilitarian spirits to sipping rums. In Paramaribo’s Waterkant bars and hotel lounges, Borgoe appears neat, on ice, or in simple highballs with cola and lime. It suits the coastal climate—smooth enough to sip in the evening, sturdy enough to anchor cocktails. You’ll also find it at family gatherings and formal toasts across the country, from riverside towns like Moengo and Albina to the western hub of Nieuw Nickerie, where a mellow, oak-kissed pour pairs easily with spiced snacks.

Kasiri (also spelled kassiri or cassiri) is a traditional cassava beer made by Indigenous Kalina (Carib) and Lokono (Arawak) communities, and shared with Maroon groups in Suriname’s interior. Bitter cassava is peeled, grated, and detoxified by pressing the mash—historically in a woven press called a matapi—then cooked and allowed to ferment with wild yeasts. Some cooks add toasted cassava bread or remnants of a previous batch to jump-start conversion. The result is a lightly sour, earthy beverage, often cloudy, at roughly 2–6% ABV.

Kasiri is communal by design. It’s poured from buckets or clay vessels into calabash bowls during cassava processing days, village festivals, and visits by relatives along rivers such as the Tapanahony and Marowijne. The aroma is faintly lactic with hints of smoke from hearth cooking; the taste is gentle, refreshing, and filling—a food-drink for hot afternoons. While you won’t usually find kasiri in city bars, cultural centers in Paramaribo sometimes host demonstrations. Travelers heading toward border towns like Albina or deeper interior settlements may encounter it through community visits arranged with local guides.

Oso dresi (“home remedy” in Sranan Tongo) refers to household bitters macerated in rum, with quassia (Quassia amara) bark—locally called kwasibita—providing the defining bite. Quassia honors Graman Kwasi, the Surinamese healer whose knowledge of the plant’s medicinal properties spread in the 18th century. Makers combine Mariënburg or other rums (typically 35–60% ABV after dilution) with quassia, citrus peel, clove, cinnamon, and other aromatics, resting the mixture for days or weeks until deeply amber and fragrant.

The result is a potent, digestive-leaning aperitif: intensely bitter at first sip, then warming with spice, orange, and a woody, quinine-like echo. Small shots are taken before a heavy meal, or splashed into soda as a bracing tonic. You’ll see bottled bitters at markets and small bars in Paramaribo and neighborhood eateries from Moengo to Nieuw Nickerie. They appear at holidays and wakes alongside rum and beer, bridging folk medicine and convivial drinking culture. For travelers, a measured sip offers an entry point into Suriname’s herbal pharmacopeia—one firmly rooted in rainforest botany and Creole ingenuity.

Parbo Bier is the country’s emblematic pale lager, brewed in Paramaribo since the mid-20th century and commonly packaged in the iconic djogo—an oversized, returnable brown bottle for sharing. Brewed around 5% ABV with malted barley, local rice adjunct, hops, and soft Surinamese water, it pours straw-gold with a clean nose and a touch of grain sweetness. The palate is crisp and dry, finishing quickly—ideal for Suriname’s humid, 27–32°C days.

Parbo is the every-occasion drink: ice-cold on the Waterkant, at football matches, beach outings near the Atlantic coast, or backyard grills in Nieuw Nickerie and Albina. Bars serve it by the glass or set a full djogo on the table for friends to top up, an economical ritual that encourages conversation. In recent years, lighter line extensions have appeared, but the classic lager remains the standard. Travelers looking to drink like locals can simply ask for a djogo and a bucket of ice—the unfussy service style is part of its charm.

Busi sopi (“bush rum”) is an umbrella term for rustic, small-batch cane spirits made in Suriname’s interior. Produced from crushed sugarcane, molasses, or brown sugar, these spirits are pot-distilled in simple apparatuses, yielding bold, characterful distillates in the 40–70% ABV range. Some makers lightly age or soften the spirit with infusions of aromatic bark or herbs, but most versions are clear and unaged, with a nose that mixes cane, esters, and a hint of smoke from wood-fired stills.

As a community product sold in recycled bottles, busi sopi is tied to river economies along corridors like the Suriname and Marowijne. It is poured at village feasts, after successful hunts, and during weekend gatherings, typically in small shots or mixed with soda. Quality can vary, so drinkers rely on trusted sources or recommendations from local guides. In frontier towns such as Moengo or Albina you may hear about a good batch arriving by boat, while in Paramaribo the style is more often discussed than poured. For travelers, it offers a window onto grassroots distilling shaped by distance, resourcefulness, and rainforest life.