A scenic two-and-a-half-hour drive away from Sri Lanka's capital city of Colombo, tucked away within a coconut grove on the stunning Pehebiya Beach in Hiriketiya, is the island's prized possession: Smoke & Bitters, a bar and smokehouse that has put this area on the global cocktail map. Popular with both locals and tourists, it combines an easy-going vibe with exceptional food and drink. The cocktail programme is committed to championing the region by staying focused on local spirits and ingredients, with house-made syrups and tinctures at the forefront of the menu. Pamuditha's Punch is a blend of rum, arrack, absinthe, Sri Lankan narang (a sour orange-like fruit), falernum, coconut, angostura, bay leaf bitters, while the Pepper Pots mixes gin, pineapple, spiced orgeat, cumin, pepper, chilli and spiced bitters to scorching effect The bar, headed by two of the island's finest, Don Ranasinghe and Lahiru 'Lalla' Perera, is testimony to Sri Lankan hospitality and warmth. The decor is sustainable and full of island character, with coconut tree pillars holding up antique ceiling tiles and hand-drawn motifs batiked onto fabric and coated with resin to form the surface of the tables. The food menu, unsurprisingly, features liberal use of the smoker: there's a smoked chicken paté, smoked and pulled goat with jaffna curry sauce, date and lime chutney and cream of coconut, and a torched tuna with confit tomato, smoked buttermilk, chili and mango.
Pehebiya Rd, Dickwella, Matara, Hiriketiya
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