My advice on drinking cheap spirits in Bali? Just don’t

A few months after I moved to Bali in 2016, I reported on a spate of drink-spiking incidents targeting men and women at well-known bars in Canggu. While the incidents were deeply traumatic, the victims did not lose their lives. Had it been methanol, it could have been a different story.

The tragic deaths of six tourists, including two young Australians, following a mass methanol poisoning in Laos recently have instilled fear in travellers, especially parents with teenagers visiting the island for schoolies. While Bali has been ramping up its regulations on alcohol, it’s important not to drop your guard.

It’s better to drink beer or premixed drinks in cans from well-known brands.Credit: iStock

Alcohol poisoning is an ongoing concern in South-East Asia, and over the years, too many young travellers have been left permanently injured or have lost their lives. My friend, a Bali-based German expat, is one of the lucky ones. In 2022, she almost died after drinking what she thought were three Smirnoff vodka-based drinks at a bar in Canggu. She spent 10 days in hospital, six of them on dialysis, and was told by doctors that she might not make it. She made a full recovery. Her friend was not so lucky: she went permanently blind.

The suspected, but not confirmed, poisoning at a high-end resort in Fiji this week has further fuelled anxieties about whether it’s safe to drink alcohol at perceived “safe zones” such as reputable hotels. I no longer live in Bali full-time, but having travelled there regularly for more than 20 years, I have some advice. Do not drink spirits at dive bars. Just don’t. Drink pre-bottled drinks, such as beers, or well-known pre-mixed drinks packaged in cans or bottles.

Bali has some excellent small and specialty bars, including wine bars Mosto and Bar Vera, and high-quality cocktail joints, such as Segno. There are plenty of bottle shops in Bali, too. Buy a brand you know and drink at the villa or before you go out.

“Bali used to have a bad reputation, but the government has become really strict on the regulation of alcohol,” says Jan Jurecka, the former bar manager at Four Seasons Jimbaran.

“I have really not encountered any harmful or dangerous spirits being sold in the main tourist areas. If you go somewhere more remote, such as the north, be more mindful.”

The Slovakian expat has worked in the industry for 15 years and is in the process of opening his own bar, Eazy, in Seminyak.

His advice? “I would be very careful with the local alcohol arak,” he says. “I don’t want to discourage drinking it, it’s part of the Balinese culture. But make sure the bartender shows you the bottle, that it’s labelled, and that it has the tax sticker on the neck to show the tax has been paid. You can also ask to see the BPOM licence. It’s a food and beverage regulator that checks all the products that go on the market to make sure they’re safe to drink.”

He recommends new bar Syrco BASE in Ubud for those wanting to try local spirits. “The head bartender, Aris Sanjaya Putra, is Balinese and he works with local suppliers and growers. Everything he uses is certified and sustainable,” he says.