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The Fabled Pour
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Country

Indonesia

I have one sourced drink connected to Indonesia. The label on each card says how: where it began, what the country is known for, what people drink there, or where the origin is disputed.

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Indonesia on the world map. Boundaries are generalized Natural Earth data.

Drinks of Indonesia

Signature drinks and regional ones, with the evidence behind each. A drink marked non-alcoholic has no alcohol in the traditional serve.

  • Illustration of Bir Pletok: clear ruby red to reddish amber, in a small clear glass cup.

    Bir Pletok

    Jakarta (Betawi)

    IconicRegional drinkNon-alcoholic

    A spiced Betawi drink of ginger, pandan, lemongrass and sappanwood, with no alcohol. It is traditionally served hot, especially in the evening, and is a welcome drink at cultural events and for visitors to Jakarta. Sappanwood bark gives it its red color.

    Wikipedia connects it to Dutch colonists' late-night drinking in Batavia and says the Betawi, many of them Muslim, made an alcohol-free alternative. Now Jakarta says bir plays on the English word beer and that pletok is taken from the sound of a wine bottle cork popping.

    Made with: ginger, pandan, lemongrass, sappanwood, sugar.

    Confidence: mediumEvidence: en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab), nowjakarta.co.id (opens in a new tab)

Map data: Natural Earth, public domain.