When you think of a holiday in the tropics, one of the first things that comes to mind for most people is lying on the beach with a freshly made cocktail or an ice cold beer, and so it should be. Zanzibar is the home of so many incredible fresh fruits, pineapples the size of your head, mangos that make your mouth water, coconuts in abundance, bananas, the sweetest grapefruits I have ever tasted, I mean just with those I already see my Pina Colada, a mind blowing Mango Daiquiri, basically the perfect ingredients for the best drinks in Zanzibar.
Local beers to drink in Zanzibar
Zanzibar is an autonomous part of Tanzania, so although it has its own government, it still falls within Tanzania. TBL, Tanzania Breweries Limited has 80% market share of the Tanzanian beer market, and based on the beer consumption on the island, their beers must be good!
I am normally not a beer drinker, but even I on occasion have craved nothing more than an ice cold Kilimanjaro while welcoming in the sunset.
Tanzania is seeing a few craft beers hitting the market which are becoming quite the trend, since the craft beer volumes are substantially less they aren’t on the list of top selling drinks in Zanzibar, but keep your eyes out for the growing Zanzibeer of Twiga Brewery, and if you happen to pop over to Dar es Salaam, do yourself a favor and visit Crafty Dee’s for the delicious Dee’s Gold Pilsner
5 best beers to drink in Zanzibar
Kilimamjaro
Serengeti
Safari
Ndovu
Tusker
Konyagi
Konyagi is a clear spirit, it's made from pure cane juice and the taste resembles gin. Konyagi is better suited mixed with a selection of sodas, most commonly drunk as a Konyagi tonic, it also mixes well with the Stoney Tangawizi (the Tanzanian ginger ale) or with sprite for a sweeter taste. As a personal lesson learned with the lovely Konyagi, never mix it with your coconut! My friends discovered the so called ingenious idea that coconut water neutralizes the alcohol taste, while it may actually do that, have you ever been approached by multiple people the day after a good party, fellow party goers who are ridiculously eager to reminisce on all the fun and fabulous topics of your previous discussions and memorable moments that only they remember? Well… that was my entire day after our “coconut slammers”, flashbacks from watching videos and many one sided conversations, with many, many facepalm moments.
Cocktails
Dawa is Swahili for medicine, it is also one of my favorite drinks in Zanzibar. A Dawa generally comes in a tumbler, it is made of honey, brown sugar, vodka and lime, and prepared on crushed ice. This is a sweet drink, and because it's quite small, you tend to knock them back pretty quickly and then order another, so don't be fooled by the name and its healthier contents… too many of any good alcoholic beverage, generally doesn’t end well.
Of course we are all familiar with the world famous song “Do you like Pina Coladas?” and the very simple question, if it were asked, is “yes”. As previously mentioned, the fresh fruit in Zanzibar is mind blowing, so when you order yourself a Pina Colada, forget the pre-mixes and artificial flavors, and expect the freshly juiced pineapple, the blended coconut possibly from the trees you are sitting under, mixed with rum and served on ice, often with some pineapple slice as garnish, maybe with a slice of lime and you may even get the little toothpick umbrella to add to the look. Another warning, these can be made quite strong in some establishments, at my sunset hangout I can only have one if I have any intention of having a long night.
Wines
The selection of wines available on the island is vast and world class, I say this with first hand knowledge from working with the importers and distributors. Many hotels and restaurants have a fully diverse wine list, most often pouring a good South African wine as their house wine, and then selling by the bottle, wines from around the world, wines from leading wine regions such as Chile, California, Argentina, New Zealand, Spain, Italy and France to name a few. From entry level to vintage exclusives, if your hotel doesn’t have it on the menu, feel free to make a request as the supplier may just have what you want. If your hotel allows you to bring your own alcohol, get your driver to stop at the ZMMI store on Airport Road, you will be pleasantly surprised not only by the selection, but by the luxury tax-free prices.
Non-alcoholic
So not all the best drinks in Zanzibar are made with alcohol, although you could probably add alcohol to all of them and have a good party, there is freshly grown produce that makes some of the most delicious thirst quenchers ever.
To state the obvious, the fresh juices are incredible. Whether you order mango, pineapple, orange, passion fruit or a mix, you will not regret ordering a fresh juice.
Sugar cane is farmed in Zanzibar, all over the island you will find vendors with their sugar cane juice extracting wheels, they will offer to add some lime and ginger pieces, and trust me, you want to add them, and these are squeezed through the wheel and directly into your glass or bottle and cost the same as a soda, you have to try it!
Did you know that coconut water is one of the healthiest drinks you can find? Coconut water is a natural source of electrolytes and nutrients, so not only are they a delicious source of antioxidants, one of the great uses of coconut water is to treat dehydration, which ring a ding ding, is one of the effects of drinking too much alcohol.. So while the island may sweep you off your feet and get you caught up in the moments which can have you unintentionally overindulging in alcohol, the island also has the best hangover cure in abundance, and best served cold and fresh out the husk.
I hope I have given you some insight into what to drink when in Zanzibar, no matter what your taste buds crave, I am sure there is something good for everyone.
If you need any help with planning your trip or have any questions, our team at Wild & Free Zanzibar would love to help you.
