Lao-Lao () is a Lao people rice whisky produced in Laos.
Etymology
The name
lao-Lao is not the same word repeated twice, but two different words pronounced with different tones: the first, , means "alcohol" and is pronounced with a low-falling tone in the standard dialect, while the second, , means Laotian ("Lao") and is pronounced with a high(-rising) tone.
Taste
Quality, taste and alcohol concentration vary by source of the drink. However, all variations are strong.
Lao satoe, the white liquid by-product from lao-Lao production, is also drunk and it has a very yeasty and sweet taste.
Production and consumption
Although lao-Lao is traditionally drunk neat, a cocktail that is rising in popularity is the "Pygmy Slow Lorange", named after the pygmy slow loris, a species endemic to Laos. Various flavoured lao-Laos are made by macerating such additives as honey or scorpions. It is women who often distill lao-Lao and sell it as a source of income locally, often being their second major income.
Lao-Lao sold on retail is usually clear, but amber colored varieties exist too.
It is traditional to serve two glasses of lao-Lao on ceremonies, feasts and other comparable situations. Customarily, it is expected to be drunk in a single gulp.
A less powerful version of lao-Lao, called lao-hai, is especially popular with the Khmu people ethnic group in Laos,
See also
-
Sra peang, a similar form of wine drunk in Cambodia
-
Rượu cần, a similar form of wine drunk in Vietnam
-
Rice wine
-
Rice baijiu
-
Sato (rice wine) – Isan version
External links
