Lao-Lao (Lao: ເຫລົ້າລາວ) is a Laotian rice whisky produced in Laos.[1][2] Along with Beerlao, lao-Lao is a staple drink in Laos.
The name lao-Lao is not the same word repeated twice, but two different words pronounced with different tones: the first, ເຫລົ້າ, means "alcohol" and is pronounced with a low-falling tone in the standard dialect, while the second, ລາວ, means Laotian ("Lao") and is pronounced with a high(-rising) tone.[3]
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.[3][4]
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.[1][5] Lao-Lao sold on retail is usually clear, but amber colored varieties exist too.[2]
It is traditional to serve two glasses of lao-Lao on ceremonies, feasts and other comparable situations. The drink is customarily expected to be drunk with a single gulp.[3][4]
A less powerful version of lao-Lao, called lao-hai, is especially popular with the Khamu ethnic group in Laos[citation needed], and is drunk from large communal earthenware pots (hai) through long bamboo straws.[4]
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