Toddy Shops

Hi there, My husband and I would like to try a traditional toddy shop whilst in Kochi. Does anyone have any recommendations? We will be staying in Fort Cohin and don't mind travelling but won't have our own car. We'd love places that also do traditional food if possible too.
Many thanks, Anna

You want to try a traditional toddy ? Or, sit in a toddy shop ? If you want good toddy, just ask the guys in the hotel to get you one. As to licensed government liquor shops, there was long lines whereever I went earlier this year.

Sit in a toddy shop, really

Don't ! I had toddy once in a toddy shop, that too in the 70s. Decent bars will serve you beer and other alcohol, and you can get someone to get you toddy to your room.

I'll let the kerala experts chime in...

my dos centivos

Not a good idea so sit and drink in a toddy shop.

Not a good idea.

If you can go to a farm or a spice plantation, you might, if you enquire, be able to taste some fresh toddy. Fresh as in from-the-tree: if it is completely fresh, it will have no alcohol content, but it ferments after gathering. It is delicious!

If you take a motor launch from, eg Alleppey, the driver will know where you can stop to drink some sort of toddy. Last time I was out on the backwaters with locals was some years since I parted company with alcohol, but I had a taste of what they bought and it was nice.

The fresh option is the best. When I had the experience, the owners told us that what we each had in our glass would be as much real toddy as in a dozen bottles of the commercial stuff.

(edit, cross post with Nick)

I wonder if a visit to a toddy 'farm' may be a better option, there's plenty of travel agents will arrange for you to visit and see how they produce the toddy, and then taste it, they're often just small places in the backwaters and quite interesting to visit.

Not sure if they have 'permit rooms' in Kochi, but they're never great places to visit, for 30 minutes they're interesting, but the way many locals drink can be quite scary (not that I've ever had a bad experience), often a very large toddy or whiskey along with a huge bottle of 9% beer, and they get through it quickly.

Overall, I'd recommend a toddy farm, or an upmarket hotel bar.


Do the staff still usher foreigners to the front of the queue? (always made me feel uncomfortable)

Fresh tapped palm juice is called neera. By noon/afternoon this fresh concoction ferments into toddy.

Dunno, I never stood in a line in Kumarakom or Alleppy. I had it in FL-3 and F-11 locations. Which are types of licensed facilities to serve liquor in hotels and bars.

My mallu hosts say many a toddy shops are dicey places ! I trust them.