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Drinks
Coffee
can be found just about everywhere in Laos. Lao coffee
is made in a coffee sock and is very thick, strong and dark
black. It is served in a small glass with a couple of
tablespoons of condensed milk at the bottom. Coffee
is always served with a chaser of either weak black tea or
warm water. Strangely enough, real coffee is hard to
find in hotels and restaurants, where, as in much of Asia,
Nescafé and Coffeemate are the order of the day.
Tea,
made strong, with condensed milk, served indian style is quite
common and can be found in many places. Chinese tea
is served in teapots in most cheaper restaurants and noodle
stalls.
Water
served in jugs in restaurants is quite safe to drink and always
comes from large 20 litre bottles of purified water.
If in doubt, order bottled water. Bottled water can
be found just about everywhere in the country with the exception
of remote villages.
Soft
drinks can be found all over the country. They are all
imported, and relatively expensive compared to local drinks.
Do not expect to find diet sodas though.
 Beer
Lao There is only one beer that can be found in
Laos, with the exception of a few hotels and expensive restaurants
in Vientiane. Beer Lao is one of the best, if not the
best beer in Asia - that's what all expatriates say who live
in Laos. Beer Lao comes in large bottles that sell for
well under $US1. Drink it cold, and enjoy. Beer
Lao is also sold in cans, for export and can be found in six
packs or cases at Wattay Airport and at the Friendship Bridge
duty free shop.
Click
here for details about
Lao Brewery Company Ltd -
the makers of Beer Lao.
 Lao
Lao is found all over the country - it is rice whiskey, and
the flavour and methods of manufacture varies all over the
country. Visitors to the Pak Ou caves near Luang Prabang will
probably stop at the well known village of Ban Xang Hai, where
they distill rice whiskey - which you can see being made on
the banks of the Mekong river.
Yellow coloured Lao Sator,
a milder fermented drink that is not distilled
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