Soft Drinks & Juices

This category brings together cold drinks from South Asia and Sri Lanka within the tea, coffee and drinks department. They are the flavours many shoppers grew up with and cannot find in a supermarket fridge, and they suit spicy food better than most people expect.

Fizzy drinks include Sri Lankan cream soda, a pale, vanilla-sweet soda, and ice cream soda, along with sparkling nelli, made from Indian gooseberry, and bright red fruit sodas. Fruit drinks cover sweet mango drink and woodapple nectar, a tangy, tamarind-like fruit loved in Sri Lanka and South India. Coconut water is the clear water from young green coconuts, light and gently sweet.

Large bottles of soda are made for family meals, weddings and parties, while cans and smaller bottles suit lunch boxes. Sodas from Niru are among the Sri Lankan-style bottles on this shelf. For something to dilute, look at cordials and syrups.

Chill fizzy drinks well before opening and pour over ice to keep the sparkle. Once opened, close the cap tightly and keep in the fridge, finishing within a couple of days for the best fizz and flavour.