Memories of the wonderful time we had on our trip to Madeira keep coming. We hiked and walked around this small island, we explored the Laurissilva forest, and Funchal, the capital of the island; we enjoyed the food, the Madeiran cuisine, and learned a bit of its culture. We found a real foodie scene on the island, with a lot of traditional dishes.

If you are a gourmand, and want to learn more about the local food and drink while you are there, you could opt for one of the Food, Wine and Cultural tours. If you want to check what our top picks were, you can read more: Top 10 local foods you need to try in Madeira.

If you are not in Madeira specifically for the food, you will still need to have a consistent relationship with food and/or drinks, because no matter what, you’ve got to feed yourself😊

These are the top 10 drinks you need to try while in Madeira, although you might find some of them in other parts of the world:

Poncha is a traditional alcoholic drink from Madeira, made with distilled sugarcane alcohol or rum, honey, and juice. There are varieties of poncha using orange juice (which is probably the most popular one), or tangerine juice, but the original recipe uses lemon juice. It is a sweet and very aromatic drink, and it goes well with a dessert.

***

Nikita is another typical drink from Madeira, very popular all over the island. It is said that its creation dates back to 1985, after the success of the Elton John song with the same name. Made with vanilla (or pineapple) ice cream, pineapple juice, and beer (or wine), this flavoured cocktail is a very light drink.

***

Read more: How to spend a week in Madeira

Coral, the local beer comes in two options, golden and dark, both with a pleasant aromatic flavour. Coral is produced from Czech malts, and fermented and matured at low temperatures, with a smooth, and slightly sweet aftertaste. It is brewed at Empresa de Cervejas da Madeira, one of the oldest breweries on the island.

***

Born in 1872, Empresa de Cervejas da Madeira is also the producer of Brisa Laranjada, the first soft drink to be produced in Portugal. A highly carbonated soft drink, effervescent, slightly acidic, it comes in a variety of flavours: passion fruit, apple, lemon, and orange. It is very refreshing, and it can be mixed with wine to make sangria, or with beer.

***

With a long history of sugarcane production, Madeira became the world’s largest sugar exporter by the end of the 15^th century. Today, almost all sugarcane production is used for sugarcane honey, and agricultural rum, traditionally called Aguardente de Cana, or “Sugar Cane Rum”. It is a strong rum-like spirit, with a distinctive and unique flavour.

***

Another unique type of drink is the William Hinton rum. Distilled in his factory in Madeira since 1845, he produced one of the best rums from fresh cane juice. Distilled only once, this rum maintained its scent and freshness, giving it a particular aroma.

Read more: A hike to remember: Pico to Pico

Vinho Verde or“Green Wine” is everything but green! The name actually refers to the fact that this is a “young wine”, the wine being released three to six months after the grapes are harvested. The wine can be red, white, or rose. Although Vinho Verde is not produced on the island of Madeira, it is a very popular Portuguese wine. Goes well with meat and fish, and is found in a variety of brands.

***

Tim Tam Tum is Madeiran traditional liqueur present especially during the holiday season. It is a strong drink, made from rum, Madeira wine, vanilla, cinnamon, raisins, black tea, sugar and water.

***

Read more: Top 10 local foods you need to try in Madeira

But also, being an island with a huge variety of tropical fruits, it is no mistake there is a wide variety of tropical fruit liqueurs. Homemade liqueurs are an old tradition of Madeira, but you can also find a great variety in stores. Each and every one is a sweet, and flavoured type of a liqueur, yours to discover!

***

When most people think of Madeira, they think of Madeira wine. Not to be confused with Porto wine, another famous fortified wine known in northern Portugal, Madeira wine is characterized by its unique caramelized sugar taste resulting from the aging in wooden casks.

Madeira has a long winemaking history, dating back to the 15^th century. But the wine would not stop from spoiling on the long voyages of the explorers, so some grape spirit was added. In time, the heat and the sea movements transformed the flavour of the wine, creating this new typical drink. Today, Madeira produces a wide variety of wines, from dry to sweet, or as an aperitif.

Cheers 😍 🥂