Punta Cana

Drinking from the faucet is not recommended. You should be okay using it to brush your teeth, but don't swallow it. Most hotels provide bottled water in the rooms; restaurants and bars use purified water and ice for your food and beverages.

All-inclusive resorts have an endless supply of liquor. You may also drink at neighboring resorts within your own property, but you may have to pay or let them know your room number and resort name at the very least.

With the sun constantly beating down on you much stronger since it is right next to the equator and the endless supply of alcohol, dehydration is a constant danger. Be sure to make sure you hydrate yourself often with water or you may end up in a doctor's office suffering from dehydration and a fever!

Mamahuana is a local concoction of rum, wine, root, and other ingredients.

rum

They also specialize in many different types of rum:

White Rums are generally light-bodied. They are clear and have a subtle flavor. These are primarily used as mixers and blend particularly well with fruit flavors.

Golden Rums also known as Amber Rums are generally medium-bodied. Most have spent several years aging in casks, giving them a smooth palate.

Dark Rums are traditionally full-bodies, rich, caramel-dominated rums. The richest of these rums are consumed straight up.

Anejo and Age-Dated Rums are aged rums from different vintages or batches that are mixed together. The youngest rum in the blend contains a blend of rums that are at least 10 years old.

Most often, you will be offered Brugal or Barcelo products.

Highly recommended rums include Burmudez "Don Armando" and "Anniversario 1852" as well as Macorix "Eight Year".

beer

Presidente is the most popular national brand of beer, and it is readily available anywhere. It is available in both regular and lite versions. For a beer with a bit more taste, you should try Bohemia, made by the same company, but with a fuller flavour...also available in a lite version.

coffee

Though in most Latin and Central American countries coffee is produced primarily for export, most of the coffee grown in the Dominican Republic is savored within its borders. And Dominicans, like Europeans, enjoy their coffee strong and black. One useful phrase for tourists to learn when ordering coffee is "sin azucar" no sugar for the simple reason that the locals measure by tablespoon rather than teaspoon.