Akpeteshie (pronounced ak-peh-tesh-eh) is Ghana’s national spirit: a clear distilled liquor made from fermented palm wine or sugarcane juice, usually 30–60% ABV.

Fast facts

• Also called: Apio, Kill Me Quick, VC10, Efie Nipa, Kele (see our names guide)
• Base: palm sap and/or sugarcane juice, fermented then single-distilled
• Taste: fiery neat, smooths out in cocktails as a rum/cachaça cousin
• Origin of name: Ga ape te shie (“they are hiding”), from 1930s colonial prohibition

Palm vs cane

Palm-sap Akpeteshie is fruitier and seasonal. Sugarcane versions (dominant in Volta Region) are cleaner and more scalable. Both can legally carry the Akpeteshie name under the proposed GI.

Safety

Buy sealed, FDA-registered bottles only. Illicit batches risk methanol contamination. See how it’s made and buy via reputable Accra sellers or One Corner Distillery.

18+ only. Drink responsibly.