Local Drinks

1. Akasan

   Akasan (thick hot corn drink)

   Usage

   A manje (food) made with corn — finely ground corn, unsweetened milk, vanilla, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Thick enough to be called a food, but drunk from a cup, typically at breakfast. Can be made unsweetened; ginger is a common addition

2. Mabi

   Mabi (chilled tree-bark drink)

   Usage

   A drink based on boiled tree bark, widely used across the Caribbean islands. A hot-weather drink sold by street vendors in Haiti for around 5 gourdes, served ice-cold with mint and a slight bitterness

3. Chokola cho

   Hot chocolate

   Usage

   A breakfast drink in Haiti; the homemade cocoa of Les Cayes goes by the name Chokola La Kaye. Spiced with cinnamon or anise and quite sweet

4. Ji kann

   Sugarcane juice

   Usage

   Kann (sugarcane) is a long-stemmed plant grown for its sugar and juice. Pressed to order at street stalls. The same juice is what Haitian rum and kleren are distilled from

5. Ji chadèk

   Grapefruit juice

   Usage

   The Haitian version is markedly tart and bitter. To ask for it sweetened: "Ak sik, souple"

6. Ji gwayav

   Guava juice

   Usage

   Because of the tropical climate, juice is a mainstay in Haiti; juices of many fruits are made and can be found everywhere

7. Ji mango

   Mango juice

   Usage

   Mangoes are a Haitian export crop and pile up in the markets in season

8. Bwason malte

   Non-alcoholic malt drink

   Usage

   A non-alcoholic drink made from unfermented barley with molasses added. Looks like a dark beer but contains no alcohol — sweet and full-bodied

9. Fresko

   Fresko (shaved ice with fruit syrup)

   Usage

   Shaved ice with fruit syrup. Sold from handcarts, shaved off a block to order. ⚠ The water the ice is made from is not always known — skip it if you have a sensitive stomach

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