Laksoy...

As documented by the National Museum in Butuan, this is how laksoy is processed. The making of laksoy-wine is fast becoming a flourishing small-scale industry in Butuan. Indigenous to the area, Laksoy is a popular drink during festive occasions and social gatherings. Recently, the making of Laksoy has become a money earning venture,, it being relatively cheaper than the other local ones. The process involved in the making of laksoy wine is not easy and involves a rather tedious and time-consuming effort.

Nipa palms that grow in abundance along river banks and swamps are selected depending upon the maturity of its bough and fruit to obtain a greater yield of the desired sap grade. Mud is often applied to the bough and fruit of the nipa palm once every three days for a succession of six weeks. The mud coating is later worked off, before cutting the bough. Immediately after cutting, a salhod (bamboo container) is attached to whet the sap. The sap is thoroughly drained of the nipa palm by slicing two to three mms off the cut-bough in the next five days. The tree is then left untouched from three to four months to restore is former vitality.

The sap extracted from the nipa is soon stored in banga for at least two days, allowing fermentation to take place. Longer storage will only turn the tuba into vinegar.

To produce a gallon of laksoy, three cans of tuba are poured into the distilling apparatus called Laksuyan. One arrives at the desired consistency by regulating the temperature used for the apparatus. To control the heat, the kawa (kettle) is insulated with mud. For any one third of laksoy produced, a sufficient amount of water is poured into the kawa to maintain a certain temperature. Firing is also kept to a minimum.

The distilled laksoy finally drops into a bamboo funnel () before emptying into a gallon bottle.