For a special occasion, you need a special drink and there is no more special an occasion than a wedding. And so, for my wedding reception on the Kenyan coast, we served the exceptional Kenyan Dawa cocktail to our guests.
The event was late in the afternoon but still the beach venue was scorching in the Mombasa heat, so we knew we needed to serve a cold welcome drink. One that refreshed and relaxed and got the celebrations started. And I think we made the right choice. The adults ripped through the alcoholic version, while the kids guzzled the non-alcoholic rendition and the bar staff just about kept up with the pace of getting them made up.
The ingredients of a Dawa are simple – vodka, lime, sugar, ice and honey – but to capture the magic of this cocktail you need to muddle and mix them as you drink. Using a short bamboo-style stick dipped in honey, you mash the lime wedges nestled in amongst some ice cubes and stir and mash again to create the balance of flavours to your taste. I prefer a good limey kick, ready to be calmed by the honey at the back of your throat. Some say it is these medicinal properties that give the drink its name – Dawa means ‘medicine’ in Kiswahili.
The setting for the drink is equally important. As I sip, the sun needs to be setting and Mombasa island and creek within view. But for some, this is the sundowner drink to have on safari with a panorama of rolling plains and grazing game stretching out to the horizon. And for others, a Dawa represents the end of the working week and tipple to start Friday night’s festivities. Wherever you are in Kenya, you are sure to find a Dawa on any decent cocktail list. From its origins in Nairobi’s legendary Carnivore restaurant, the Dawa has now justifiably become a Kenyan classic.
Ingredients
- 1 or 2 measure of vodka
- Lime juice and lime wedges
- Ice cubes
- Brown sugar (from ½ to 1 tablespoon depending on your sweet tooth)
- 1 tbsp honey
Method
- Find a strong stout glass that will withstand a bit of bashing and place wedges of lime at the bottom.
- Pour vodka, sugar and lime juice on top, then add a generous serving of ice cubes. Some people prefer to use crushed ice to make it easier to combine the ingredients and drink, but there is something satisfying about big solid cubes of ice in the glass to my mind.
- The last ingredient to go in is the honey. Twist the Dawa stick (a metal straw will do) in honey and then place the stick in the glass ready to swirl the honey into the drink.
Simple, stylish and delicious.
What do you like to drink when you are in Africa? Sweet, sharp, long or short?
Sources:
https://hannahfielding.net/unwind-with-a-classic-kenyan-cocktail-or-mocktail/
https://www.eater.com/drinks/2016/3/23/11290110/dawa-cocktail-kenya-vodka
