The Dawa (from the Swahili word for medicine) is a Kenyan take on the Caipirinha, or rather the Caipiroska, introduced at the Carnivore restaurant in Nairobi in 1980 (the owner had just been to Brazil) and now essentially the national drink. It combines vodka or local triple-distilled cane spirit with muddled lime pieces, sugar, and ice and is served with a “Dawa stick,” made of plastic or wood, which has been dipped in local honey and stuck in the glass.
Recipe: Cut a lime into quarters and muddle in a heavy-bottomed rocks glass with 5–15 ml sugar, to taste. Fill glass with ice, add 60 ml vodka, and stir. Serve with a “Dawa stick” (a length of dowel approximately 15 mm by 90 mm) that has been dipped in honey.See also Caipirinha.
Bethune, Meredith. “The Dawa: Kenya’s Beloved Boozy Cocktail.” Eater, March 23, 2016. http://www.eater.com/drinks/2016/3/23/11290110/dawa-cocktail-kenya-vodka (accessed March 2, 2021).
By: David Wondrich