5 best drinks to try in Georgia

You might have heard about the staples of Georgian cuisine, but you might not know what drinks to try once you visit the country. Even though Georgian beverages are not as diverse as it’s cuisine, there are a couple of beverages unique to the state. So here’s a short list of the local drinks you shouldn’t miss when in Georgia.

Mineral Water

Georgia is home to many natural springs, from which several companies produce naturally carbonated mineral water. Each and every beverage is different from the other with taste and carbonation strength. The most famous of all is Borjomi both in Georgia and post-Soviet countries. This particular beverage is from Borjomi Gorge springs, located in the central part of the nation. If you wish to taste the natural spring, you can visit Borjomi and drink it before it is carbonated. Note that the natural spring has a strong sulfur taste before going through the purification process.

The Borjomi Springs were discovered in the 1820s by the Imperial Russian military. This lead to its vast popularity in Russia, both as the drink and tourist destination. The history of the brand Borjomi is closely related to the Romanov Dynasty and has been bottled in Russia’s Georgian estates. However, after the Soviet takeover, the enterprise was nationalized and the product was exported to Soviet countries.

Lemonade

Naturally, lemonades are produced all over the world, but tarragon flavored lemonade is unique to Georgia. It is another carbonated soft drink that Georgian’s love and was very popular during the Soviet era. It has a distinctive bright green color and a taste of the tarragon leaves.

The beverage was made by Mitrofane Lagidze, a Georgian pharmacist in the nineteenth century, by mixing carbonated water with the tarragon syrup. His invention quickly became popular and he opened a syrup factory with the trademark Lagidze Water, which still survives to the this day.

Today, many soft drink manufacturers produce typical lemonades with natural flavoring. The products can be bought at any local shop across the country. If it happens that tarragon is not your cup of soda, you can try other flavors, such as vanilla, lemon, pear, grape, and chocolate to name a few.

Lagidze Water

As mentioned above, Lagidze Water is created from soda and natural syrups. Traditionally it’s mixed in a glass from the soda fountain in front of you, making the whole experience unique and authentic.

In 1887 Lagidze experimented with the idea of using natural syrups instead of imported flavored essences to make lemonades. In 1900 he and his brothers began to blend unique proprietary flavors made from fruits and herbs. In 2014, this method of making lemonade was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List of Georgia.

Qvevri Wine

It’s a fact now that Georgia is one of the oldest wine making countries in the world, producing the alcoholic beverage for at least 8,000 years. What makes Georgian wine so special is the method it uses. Qvevri, a clay jar with a pointed end, is the primary vessel in traditional Georgian wine making. When grapes are crushed, the juice together with stems and skins are poured in qvevri for fermentation. The qvevri is buried underground, where a natural temperature of the soil does the “magic,” resulting in an amber-colored wine.

Chacha

This local pomace brandy is clear in color and very potent. The name of the drink comes from a Georgian word chacha for grape pomace (the solid remains of wine grapes after being pressed).

Traditionally it was a home-brewed drink of Georgians. Depending on the maker, the alcohol percentage can range between 40-65%. Today it’s commonly produced by many local distilleries and is sold in stores all over the country.

Apart from grape pomace, locals make chacha out of many other fruits, such as figs, pears, tangerines, peaches, and even honey.

See more: 5 unique souvenirs you can bring home from Georgia

Source: Internet

The best milk tea shops in Taiwan

Milk tea, or what is more commonly called bubble tea, has become Taiwan’s most popular drink with anyone and everyone drinking a cup or two on a weekly basis. So it shouldn’t be surprising that when it comes to buying bubble tea, there are many options, especially in Taipei. Here are some of the best.

Chun Shui Tang

The original Chun Shui Tang store in Taichung is said to be the birthplace of pearl milk tea back in the early 80s, so it’s understandable that its brand has grown in popularity in the years since. There are many locations throughout Taipei where customers can sample the original pearl milk tea of old or opt for one of the many variations on the extensive menu.

50嵐 (50 Lan)

50 Lan is a chain of tea stores where customers can buy hot and cold drinks to go. This brand is a little more modern in its approach to this classic drink, and the menu and décor reflect this. Fruit teas are popular at 50 Lan, and every drink on the menu has the option of being served with tapioca balls. Affordable, cheerful, and a little different, 50 Lan is a nice alternative to traditional shops.

Ten Ren's Tea

Ten Ren’s Tea is one of the most popular tea shop chains in Taiwan. Its locations have a more traditional feel to them as they primarily sell boxes of tea. However, since the company has branched out into serving hot and cold drinks, it has become one of the most popular places for fans of traditional variations of pearl milk tea. You won’t find any strawberry milk latte bubble tea concoctions here, but the simple and straightforward teas that are served are very well made.

Kenting Dan Dan Milk Tea

A store that breaks from the norm, Kenting Dan Dan Milk Tea has an interesting menu with some great options that you will not find anywhere else. Here the focus is more on the things added to the tea, such as toppings and flavored tapioca balls rather than the tea itself. Again, like 50 Lan, it’s a nice alternative to the original flavors of other popular tea shops.

Yi Fang Fruit Tea

Now, while pearl milk tea is often the most popular option, there’s no reason why it has to contain milk, especially during the hot summer months. Yi Fang Fruit Tea specializes in milkless fruit teas, which are incredibly tasty and refreshing. What could be better than a mango iced tea with pearls on a hot and humid day? We can’t think of much. For those who aren’t fans of milky drinks or strong tea flavors, this place is the best!

Chen San Ding

Chen San Ding is a tea store located in the lively Gongguan neighborhood. Here students from the local university will queue up to get their hands on any drink from this shop. Like Kenting Dan Dan, this place has a few nice non-traditional options that include sweet pearls and less tea. In fact, you can even buy pure milk drinks with pearls.

See more: 7 Michelin starred restaurants in Taiwan

Source: Internet

Best beers to try in Southeast Asia

Everyone loves Southeast Asia for the beautiful beaches, fascinating cultures and of course, the cheap drinks. However, their low price isn’t necessarily linked to low quality; in fact, there are a variety of lagers that everyone loves in Southeast Asia – and here they are.

Angkor Beer

Angkor Beer is the default beer in Cambodia - everpresent, extremely affordable, and ever-welcome when cold and imbibed just after a whole day exploring the ruins of the Angkor temples. The beer's flavor is somewhat low-profile with a distinct hoppy presence, but it packs a relatively high alcohol content at 5.5%.

Angkor has been made and bottled in Cambodia since the 1960s, and every corner store, restaurant, and dive bar serves the stuff in massive quantities. Cambodians are great drinkers - there are cave drawings in Cambodia showing drunkards sleeping off their rice beer hangovers - and in Angkor, they've got a beer to match their thirst.

Beerlao

Time Magazine called it "Asia's best beer"; the Bangkok Post named it the "Dom Perignon of Asian beers". Not bad for a beer brewed by one of Southeast Asia's least developed countries. Beerlao was first bottled in 1973 - four decades and a partnership with Carlsberg later, this beer is a favorite among expat communities for its subtlety and clean flavor.

The manufacturer claims that only the best ingredients go into their beer - German hops and dry yeast, French malts, and local polished rice. Easygoing and absolutely silken when imbibed cold, Beerlao seems inextricably intertwined with the laid-back ambiance of Luang Prabang.

Bia Huda

Almost every major Vietnamese town has its own beer. In Hue, the "official" beer is Huda, produced in partnership with Carlsberg. Huda is a light, crisp-tasting lager with a small head and a malty nose.

Like all Vietnamese beers, Huda is served cold, often with ice - an ideal internal refrigerator for the humid Central Vietnam weather. This beer is especially well-suited for Hue's spicy, greasy regional cuisine.

Bia Saigon

Bia Saigon, the Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation's flagship product, is produced (and mainly imbibed) in Ho Chi Minh City, South Vietnam - do not make the mistake of asking for it anywhere else in Vietnam.

A light golden lager with some notes of rice and boiled vegetable, Bia Saigon is a must-have when drinking with friends on Pham Ngu Lao. It makes a very slight impression, if at all: drinking it cold (with ice, as the Vietnamese like it) allows it to make its character felt only in passing.

Bir Bintang

Bir Bintang dominates the Indonesian beer market, which is surprisingly large; Indonesians are very big on beer despite their being culturally an Islamic country.

Bintang is manufactured under a partnership with Heineken, so the resulting beer tastes like it comes from the same family: a grainy aroma with notes of hops, honey, citrus, and malt. The beer is golden-colored, slightly sweet, and very carbonated: it goes down very easy in the tropical heat.

Chang Beer

Despite being one of Thailand's cheaper brews, Chang is still a good beer experience: a very pale gold liquid with a slight sweetness, malty flavor with hints of grains and hops.

Best when imbibed cold, Chang Beer is an excellent match for streetside Thai food.

Dagon Beer

While Myanmar has a catalog of local beers, Dagon Beer is considered one of the stronger contenders: it's light, sweetish and hoppy, with a somewhat metallic and malty aftertaste.

Dagon can be had in cans and bottles, but (naturally) the draft version offers the best experience of the lot, preferably imbibed in a historic watering hole like the long bar at the Strand in the Myanmar capital Yangon.

Reflecting on Myanmar's long history as a rice-growing power in Southeast Asia, Dagon Beer is brewed with rice. Compared to European beers, rice lagers tend to be lighter, crisper and a little fruitier, and Dagon Beer is no exception!

San Miguel Pale Pilsen

This golden lager owns about 90% of the beer market share in its native country the Philippines, and it's not hard to figure out why: San Miguel Pale Pilsen has been produced in Manila since 1890 and has found its way across Southeast Asia since then, achieving top market share in Hong Kong.

A full-flavored pilsner with hints of caramel and a malty top note, San Miguel Pale Pilsen is meant to be imbibed in warm weather and consumed alongside greasy Filipino pulutan (side dishes) like balut. When ordering in the Philippines, you can just tell the waiter to get you "Pale", just "Pale", and he'll know what to do.

See more: Top local drinks you should try in Indonesia

Source: Internet

Top must-try non alcoholic drinks in Thailand

If you're having street food, you'll likely get to choose from water and soda, and if you're going for an alcoholic beverage, Thai beer can't be beaten. But if you want something without alcohol in it, here are some of the most popular drinks in Thailand. They tend to be very, very sweet, though, so be prepared.

Cha Yen

You may be familiar with this Thai iced tea, it's the milky, orange drink that's often served in Thai restaurants in the United States and Europe. In the typical Thai iced tea, you'll find black tea brewed with boiling water using a cloth strainer, plus some sweetened, condensed milk, served over ice with sugar and a little evaporated milk on top. These days the reddish-orange color is the product of food coloring, though traditionally it may have come from a natural source. If you prefer your Cha Yen without extra sugar, you can ask for it mai waan, which means "not sweet." You'll still get a little sweetness from the condensed milk but at least you won't get the scoop of sugar on top of that.

Cha Manao

If you want the iced tea but don't want all the dairy products that are typically served with it, you can ask for a cha manao, which, translated into English, means "lime tea." That's brewed just the same as cha yen but instead of being served with condensed milk, is served with freshly squeezed lime juice. The default is to serve it very sweet, so if you do not want any sugar, as for it mai waan as you would with cha yen.

Nam Manao

Nam manao is just lime juice, water, and sugar served together. Like similar drinks you'll find in India and other countries with hot climates, it's a basic, refreshing tropical beverage. If you order a nam manao from a street vendor it's likely to be sweetened, but if you order one at a restaurant you'll be served sugar syrup on the side. Nam manao is a great complement to spicy Thai curries.

Manao Soda

This is just fresh lime juice served with soda water and sugar syrup if you want. This is a great substitute for sweetened sodas and any restaurant in the country will serve this up.

Sweet Sodas

These are usually ordered by indicating the color of the flavor you want mixed with your soda water, so, for example, if you want a cherry-flavored soda you'd order a red soda. Same goes for lime (green) and orange (orange). These are made by mixing a colored, flavored syrup into ice and soda water and are very popular, even among adults, in Thailand.

See more: The best Thai desserts to indulge in

Source: Internet

8 beverages you should try when visiting China

When traveling through China, you may have trouble finding your most beloved beverages from back home, unless your favorite drink is Coca-Cola, in which case you'll have no problem. If Coke isn't your thing, though, have no fear. China has plenty of its own delectable drinks to offer.

1. Chrysanthemum tea 

To say that there is no shortage in tea varieties in China is putting it very, very lightly. The first and most traditional of the teas covered in this article is the refreshing chrysanthemum tea, with its nice floral aroma. Many drink it as a remedy for ailments from the common cold to neurological disorders, though it's a soothing beverage choice regardless of your health status.

2. Milk tea 

This popular Taiwanese treat with a smooth creamy feel and bitter aftertaste can be found all over China in various combinations of flavors. One popular form is bubble milk tea, which has tapioca bubbles in the bottom and is often sweetened with various fruit flavors. Large chains such as Coco and Happy Lemon as well as smaller stands can be found all over China. Served hot or cold, it's a great drink for winter or summer.

3. Wang Lao Ji tea 

Commonly referred to by expats simply as “the tea in the red cans”, this is one of the most popular brands of tea. It goes especially well with spicy food and, as is common in Chinese tea brands, contains traditional Chinese medicine, so you can be sure you're drinking healthy.

4. Plum juice 

Made from Chinese plums and sweetened with a bit of sugar, it's the Chinese drink of choice for relief on sweltering summer days. It can be found on some street corners, or the most famous plum juice brand can be recognized by its famous short, fat jars. 

5. Arctic Ocean Orange Soda 

This refreshing, naturally flavored orange soda has been through a lot. Until the 1990's when Arctic Ocean was bought out by Pepsi, the brand's orange soda was the soda for many consumers in China. Its iconic polar bear logo on glass bottles is something many adults still remember fondly, and now it's back. As of 2012, Arctic Ocean is now independently run and back on shelves — at least in Beijing, for now. You'll find it at almost any neighborhood shop for about 3 rmb.

6. Mai Dong Sports Drink 

This sports drink in a blue bottle comes in a number of fruit flavors and is China's version of an enhanced fitness water. It has just a slight touch of sweetness that pleases the taste buds but does not overdo it for the perfect post-exercise thirst quencher.

7. Tsingtao beer

Easily the most popular Chinese beer domestically and worldwide, there is no shortage of the German-style beer anywhere you go. With its light taste and low alcohol content, it's a highly drinkable beer whether you're looking for a single happy hour drink or enjoying a night on the town. 

8. Baijiu 

China's national liquor is not for the faint of heart. Ranging from 40 to a whopping 60% alcohol by volume content, it's a drink you won't soon forget, though the same thing may not be said of a night of baijiu consumption.

See more: Best 10 famous signature dishes of China

Source: chinahighlights