Expats Lionel Maitrepierre and Joëlle Jean Louise drew inspiration from traditional Cambodian rice spirit, which is potent and medicinal-tasting and not always safe for foreigners to drink, and the fruit-infused rums from Joëlle’s home Mauritius, when they developed Sombai. The Siem Reap-based couple started producing their range of quality rice spirits, which they infused with Cambodian fruits, herbs, spices, and roots, in 2012. You’ll see Sombai’s distinctive hand-painted bottles all over Siem Reap, and many bars offer cocktails made with Sombai’s rice spirits, however, it’s much more fun to visit their tasting room and infusion workshop, where you can taste the full range of eight blended flavors (for free), before buying the beautiful bottles with Cambodian cotton kramas tied around their necks. The spirits can be sipped straight as aperitifs, combined with spirits to make cocktails or drizzled over ice-cream or cake to create a heady dessert.
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Taste Siem Reap's own brand of infused rice spirit
Expats Lionel Maitrepierre and Joëlle Jean Louise drew inspiration from traditional Cambodian rice spirit, which is potent and medicinal-tasting and not always safe for foreigners to drink, and the fruit-infused rums from Joëlle’s home Mauritius, when they developed Sombai. The Siem Reap-based couple started producing their range of quality rice spirits, which they infused with Cambodian fruits, herbs, spices, and roots, in 2012. You’ll see Sombai’s distinctive hand-painted bottles all over Siem Reap, and many bars offer cocktails made with Sombai’s rice spirits, however, it’s much more fun to visit their tasting room and infusion workshop, where you can taste the full range of eight blended flavors (for free), before buying the beautiful bottles with Cambodian cotton kramas tied around their necks. The spirits can be sipped straight as aperitifs, combined with spirits to make cocktails or drizzled over ice-cream or cake to create a heady dessert.
