Early in the Sri Lankan morning, the Toddy Tapper ascends a choice coconut tree to harvest a beverage that is one of the best kept secrets on the island.<br><br>Toddy, referred to locally as <em>raa</em> in Sinhala or <em>kallu</em> in Tamil, is a drink made from the fermented sap of the coconut palm. The “Tapper” is the harvester, so named for their modus operandi of rigorously tapping the thick stem of the coconut flower with a stick to encourage the flow of sap. They are a mostly male cohort who work high amongst the treetops on a network of aerial bridges, constructed by stringing coir rope from the top of one tree to another and drawing it taut.<br><br>On the first climb, the toddy tapper bruises the stem repeatedly. On a subsequent climb, he chops off the flower and attaches an earthenware pot to the exposed end, causing the toddy to drip into the pot overnight. The next morning, the accumulated toddy is harvested. The toddy tapper removes the pot and pours the liquid into a container attached to his waist. After emptying the pots around him, he moves on to the next tree via the aerial bridge.<br><br>The harvested liquid resembles diluted milk and turns mildly alcoholic within a few hours, upon fermentation. The drink, typically served in coconut shells in small thatched-roof huts to be found along the wayside, is popular amongst working-class Sri Lankans, but rarely found in any of the many luxury hotels on the island.<br>