Clip shows Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka being served non-alcoholic drink, not champagne

"Minimalism went out the door when champagne was served," reads the Sinhala-language caption of a video posted on Facebook here on March 23, 2023.

It has been viewed more than 1,300 times.

Abstaining from intoxicants, such as alcohol, is one of the precepts -- or rules -- that Buddhists follow for spiritual progress. Other precepts include pledging not to kill, steal, lie or commit sexual misconduct.

"In both the Theravada and Mahayana traditions, fully ordained monks observe approximately 250 precepts and nuns follow more than 300," according to Harvard University's Pluralism Project.

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Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post, captured on April 6, 2023

An identical video was shared in Facebook posts here and here. It was also shared on TikTok alongside a similar claim, as seen here, where it was viewed more than 184,000 times.

Comments left by some users on the misleading posts indicated they believed the monks were drinking alcohol.

One user wrote: "This is hardly news -- the biggest alcoholics in every village are in the temples."

"I wouldn't expect anything less in Sri Lanka. This shows the impunity enjoyed by monks," reads another comment.

However, the video actually shows the monks being served a non-alcoholic drink at a hotel in Sri Lanka.

Non-alcoholic fruit cocktail

In the opening seconds of the clip, someone who appears to be a waiter can be seen opening a bottle.

The letter "V" can be seen on the bottle's neck, while the words "cocktail" and "fruits" can be seen near the bottom of the bottle below a gold sticker, as shown in the screenshot below:

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Partially visible wrapper revealed some lettering.

An online keyword search found the bottle relates to this product advertised for sale in Sri Lanka -- a non-alcoholic fruit cocktail drink.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the bottle in the video (left) and the non-alcoholic drink as it appears on an online store (right), with corresponding details highlighted by AFP:

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Screenshot comparison between the details in the video (left) and the non-alcoholic drink as it appears on an online store (right)

In the clip, the words "Hotel Queensbury" can be seen on the waiter's waistcoat, which refers to a three-star hotel situated in the town of Kaduwela in the island nation's Colombo district.

The room seen in the video -- which has a distinctive carpet and dining chairs -- corresponds with the grand ballroom pictured on the hotel's website.

In response to the misleading social media posts, Hotel Queensbury published this statement on its Facebook page on March 22, saying the drink served in the clip was non-alcoholic.

It says the video was filmed at "a very noble and humble alms giving" in the hotel's grand ballroom, which was attended by 185 Buddhist monks.

A hotel spokesperson told AFP by phone on April 7: "We served two flavours of the Valentino -- white grape and fruit cocktail -- and both flavours are non-alcoholic."

The spokesperson added that the hotel planned to take legal action against a former staffer who they say published the video on social media with a false claim.