DAWA - Mombassa Medicine

Sorry for the irregularity of my posts. The week has been pretty hectic here. While in Mombassa the most common poison we consumed was ‘DAWA’. The word ‘DAWA’ in Hindi actually means medicine and it means the same in Swahili too. And this is my kind of medicine.

‘DAWA’ is sort of like a Brazilian Caipirinha which is prepared with cachaça, lime, and sugar. ‘DAWA’ is made by crushing chopped limes, adding a generous amount of vodka, and a dollop of traditional Kenyan honey. It is usually served in a short glass with a large piece of wood that can be used as a mortar to keep the honey from settling and squash more juice out of the limes at regular intervals.

On the last night of the safari everyone indulged in more than their fair share of ‘DAWA’. At the camp the locals would actually collect their own honey from bee hives and that gave the drink a whole new flavor from the ones we had in Mombassa. ‘DAWA’ packs quite a punch and if I had made it for the morning drive I would definitely have needed some medicine to keep me in check.