The Dawa Sun Downer

The word sundowner is making me excited about heading back on Safari. 

If you have experienced this glorious time on Safari, let's exchange our Safari stories. If not, I will try to explain this, but words will not do justice. You have to go.

What is a sundowner? Via the British dictionary, "an alcoholic drink is taken after completing the day's work, usually at sunset." In the US, happy hour.

The Dawa is sipped at sunset across East Africa in a time-honored happy-hour tradition –– a perfect sundowner cocktail to enjoy after a safari game drive or back at camp watching the sun's last rays streak across the vast sky. 

 It's that magical time of day you and your family/ friends and maybe new friends you have made while on Safari celebrate the end of the day. It's the time when your guide and possibly the Safari Lodge crew will set up 'an outdoor bar', and make your drink of your choice [does not have to be alcoholic], while you are enjoying the magic of the landscape.

A great time to reflect on what you have seen, what more you will see, the serenity of being on Safari in Africa, what is important in life ++ while having a nice cocktail watching the golden hour /sunset - I can't think of a better way to end my day. 

You owe it to yourself to experience an African sundowner at least once, if not more.

'Dawa' means 'medicine' or 'magic potion' in Swahili; it's a mixture of vodka, muddled limes, ice, and Kenyan honey. The Dawa was first invented 38 years ago at Nairobi's Carnivore restaurant, famous for sizzling cuts of grilled meats (including game like crocodile and ostrich).

Much like a swizzle stick, the traditional honey-coated Dawa stick is used to swirl the honey and muddle the limes into your cocktail. Some say the Dawa stick has magical powers of its own!

Dawa Cocktail (Serves 1)

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons white sugar or 1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 ounces vodka

Crushed ice cube

1 whole lime, quartered, with skin on

3/4 cup of lime juice

1 Dawa stick (see below for substitutions), twisted in creamed honey, or 2 tablespoons of honey

PROCEDURE

1. Put lime and sugar into a whiskey tumbler.

2. Crush limes slightly, add ice, pour in the vodka, and add lime juice.

3. At this point, you twist a Dawa stick into some honey and add the stick to the drink. A wooden honey stick or other types of stick twisted in honey will work.

4. Muddle limes with Dawa or honey stick. The more you crush the limes into the mixture and stir with the honey stick, the sweeter your Dawa will taste.

You owe it to yourself to experience an African sundowner at least once, if not more.

Yours truly….

Gabriele Brown