West Africa · Drink
Sodabi (Artisanal Double-Distilled Oil Palm Wine Liquor)
Potent, crystal-clear Beninese spirit double-distilled from naturally fermented oil palm sap and infused with fragrant botanical aromatics.
The story
Developed in the early twentieth century by the Sodabi brothers in southern Benin, this crystal-clear palm spirit became an enduring symbol of local identity and ritual life across Fon and Yoruba communities. Consumed during ancestral libations, marital agreements, and festive rites, it preserves the quickly perishable sap of the oil palm into a stable high-proof spirit. Technically, pristine Sodabi requires rigorous fractional condensation of naturally fermented 'atan' (palm wine) to discard harsh low-boiling heads and concentrate aromatic palm esters.
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