Most water that comes out of taps in Indonesia has had very little treatment, and can contain a whole range of bacteria and viruses . Drink only bottled, boiled or sterilized water. Boiled water ( air putih) can be requested at accommodation and restaurants, and dozens of brands of bottled water ( air minum) are sold throughout the islands. Indonesian coffee is amongst the best in the world, and drunk with copious amounts of sugar, or occasionally condensed milk.

Alcohol can be a touchy subject in parts of Indonesia, where public drunkenness may incur serious trouble. There's no need to be overly paranoid about this in cities, however, and the locally produced beers , Anker and Bintang Pilsners, are good, and widely available at Chinese restaurants and bigger hotels. In non-Islamic regions, even small warung sell beer. Spirits are less publicly consumed, and may be technically illegal, so indulge with caution. Nonetheless, home-produced brews are often sold openly in villages. Tuak (also known as balok) or palm wine is made by tapping a suitable tree for its alcoholic sap, comes in plain milky-white or pale red varieties, and varies in strength. Far more potent are rice wine (variously known as arak or brem), and sopi, a distillation of tuak, either of which can leave you incapacitated after a heavy session.