Arak and Methanol in Bali: How to Drink Safely

The danger with arak in Bali is methanol, a toxic alcohol that can end up in badly made or adulterated spirits. The State Department warns of drink poisoning in Indonesia, including alcohol mixed with methanol. You cannot see, smell or taste the difference in a mixed drink, so the protection is in what you choose to drink and where: sealed, branded drinks opened in front of you.

What arak is, and where methanol comes in

Arak is a spirit distilled in Bali, and the risk attached to it comes from how a batch is made and what is added to it. The CDC explains that methanol is a toxic byproduct of alcohol production: commercial producers remove it, but with improper distillation it can remain in the final product or become more concentrated.

Adulteration is the second route

The CDC also notes that methanol is sometimes used to adulterate beverages in place of ethanol, the alcohol people intend to drink. That means the problem is not limited to one traditional spirit. Our view is that any unbranded spirit, and any mixed drink made from one, deserves the same caution.

Why you cannot tell

Methanol is a colorless liquid, and according to the CDC its odor does not give sufficient warning. In a cocktail with juice, syrup and ice there is nothing for a drinker to notice. We have found no official source that offers a reliable way to judge a poured drink by its look, taste or price, and we are not going to suggest one.

What the official warnings say about Bali

The State Department's warning on drinks in Indonesia covers two separate dangers. One is drink poisoning, such as alcohol mixed with methanol or other deadly chemicals. The other is drink spiking, which it says has been reported in Bali, Lombok and the Gili Islands along with sexual assault. Both are reasons to control what goes into your glass.

The State Department's three rules

The State Department's advice is short. Make sure drinks are prepared in your sight. Do not accept drinks from strangers. Do not leave a drink unattended. These rules cost nothing and they cover both dangers at once.

The CDC's advice

The CDC's guidance for travelers on alcohol abroad is to select only reputable brands and to drink in moderation. A sealed bottle or can of a brand you recognize, opened in front of you, is the practical form of that advice in a bar.

How to drink more safely in Bali

Drinking more safely in Bali comes down to choosing drinks whose contents you can verify. Bottled beer, canned drinks and wine poured from a bottle you watched being opened leave little room for substitution. Spirits are where the risk sits, and the risk grows when the spirit comes from an unlabeled container or arrives already mixed.

Our practical rules

These are our own suggestions, built on the official advice above.

• Order sealed beer, cider or canned drinks when you are unsure of a venue.
• If you want a spirit, ask to see the bottle and watch the drink being poured.
• Skip free shots, drinks handed to you, and spirits served from unmarked bottles or jugs.
• Buy bottles to take home only with an intact seal and a proper label.
• Keep your drink in your hand, and get a new one if you put it down.

If you want to try arak

Arak is part of Balinese culture, and wanting to taste it is reasonable. Our advice is to try it from a sealed, labeled bottle, not from a jug or a refilled water bottle. If you cannot see the bottle it came from, choose something else.

Bring your own allowance

A traveler aged 21 or over may bring 1 liter of alcohol into Indonesia. A bottle of your usual spirit from duty free gives you a known supply for drinks at a villa. Stay inside the limit, because any excess is destroyed on the spot by the customs officer.

Symptoms of methanol poisoning

Methanol poisoning is hard to recognize early because it starts like being drunk or hungover. The CDC lists dizziness, headache and nausea among the effects, followed in serious cases by permanent loss of vision, organ failure and death. The CDC also says the effects may not become apparent until 1 to 72 hours after exposure.

The warning signs

According to the CDC, early effects include drowsiness, confusion, headache and dizziness, and problems with sight are a hallmark: blurred vision, sensitivity to light, and partial or total loss of vision. Our advice is to treat a hangover far worse than the amount you drank, or any change in vision after drinking, as an emergency.

The delay is the trap

Because symptoms can take a day or more to appear, a person may feel fine at the end of the night and become ill the following afternoon. If several people who shared the same drinks all feel unusually sick, that is a further reason to act quickly.

What to do if you suspect methanol poisoning

Suspected methanol poisoning needs a hospital, and it needs one quickly. The CDC states that effective antidotes exist and should be given as soon as possible once the patient is in a medical facility. Do not wait to see whether the symptoms pass, and do not try to treat it yourself with more alcohol.

Who to call

In an emergency in Indonesia, call 112 for the unified emergency line, 110 for police, 119 for an ambulance and 113 for fire. Tell the hospital staff that you suspect methanol and what you drank, where and when. The US Consular Agency in Bali can be reached at +62-361-958-6161 and can help an American patient contact family.

Tell the people you were with

Anyone who drank from the same bottle or the same round is at the same risk, whether or not they feel ill yet. Contact them, and tell the venue or your accommodation. Keep the bottle if you have it.