Updated October 2026.
Ethiopia’s traditional drinks are as distinctive as its food. Tej is a golden honey wine served in a round glass flask, and tella is a smoky home-brewed beer made in households across the highlands. Both are flavoured with gesho, a native shrub whose leaves and stems give a gentle bitterness, much as hops do in beer. Trying them, ideally in a traditional tej bet with live music, is one of the most memorable evenings you can have in Addis Ababa.
Tej, honey wine
Tej is made by fermenting honey and water with pieces of gesho for anything from a few days to several weeks. Young tej is sweet, cloudy and light; older tej is drier, clearer and noticeably stronger. Strength varies a lot from one maker to the next.
- How it is served: in a berele, a small glass flask with a round bottom and a narrow neck. You hold it by the neck, a little like a laboratory flask.
- Where to drink it: in a tej bet, a tej house, often simple rooms with benches where tej is made on the premises. Ask for birz if you want the sweet, non-alcoholic honey drink instead.
- With food: tej is a classic partner to festival dishes such as doro wat, and is sometimes used in cooking.
Azmari bets: music with your drink
In an azmari bet, musicians called azmari play the one-string masenqo and sing improvised verses, often teasing members of the audience with witty, double-meaning lines in Amharic. If you are singled out, laugh along; it is part of the fun, and a small tip is the traditional reply. Dancers often join in with eskista, the famous shoulder dance. Evenings start late and get livelier as they go.
Tella, home-brewed beer
Tella is brewed at home from roasted barley or other grains such as maize, sorghum or teff, with gesho and sometimes pieces of toasted bread. It is dark, slightly sour, smoky and usually low in alcohol. Families brew it for holidays, weddings and gatherings, and a guest will often be offered a glass. In towns, small tella bet sell it by the glass.
Other drinks
- Areke: a strong clear spirit distilled at home from grain, served in small glasses. Treat it with respect.
- Bottled beer: Ethiopia has a lively brewing industry, with lagers such as St George, Meta, Habesha and Walia in every bar.
- Coffee and juice: for many Ethiopians, the social drink is coffee or layered fresh fruit juice rather than alcohol.
Good to know
- Fasting and faith. Many Orthodox Christians avoid alcohol during fasting periods, and many Muslims do not drink at all. Follow your host’s lead; see Ethiopian fasting food.
- Strength is unpredictable. Home-made tej, tella and areke vary widely. Pace yourself, especially at altitude in Addis Ababa, where alcohol hits harder.
- Refills are generous. A host may keep filling your glass as a sign of hospitality. Leave a little in it if you have had enough.
- Toast with letenachin, “to our health”. More words in Amharic phrases for travellers.
For the food that goes with these drinks, see Ethiopian dishes to try first and eating out in Ethiopia.
