Shochu is one of those spirits people think they understand until they actually have to explain it. Then suddenly it becomes “Japanese vodka,” “strong sake,” “something like soju,” or my personal favorite: “that clear thing Japanese uncles drink with hot water.” All understandable. All slightly wrong. Shochu is Japan’s native distilled spirit. It is built on koji fermentation, regional ingredients, and centuries of drinking culture. It can be made from barley, rice, sweet pot

When we think of iconic alcoholic beverages from Thailand, beer is always at the forefront. However, in terms of spirit consumption, the majority of the market gravitates towards foreign liquors such as Scotch and brandy. Although there has been an emergence of native-born spirit brands in recent years, they tend to adopt the format of Western spirits, such as gin and rum. However, there is a small handful of spirits that are distinctively Thai, with roots deeply intertwined

Vietnam is one of the strongest agricultural powerhouses in Southeast Asia, with some of its commodity outputs ranking the country among the world's top ten. It's a remarkable feat, given that Vietnam was struggling to feed itself just a couple of decades back as a result of constant power struggles. Nurtured by the Mekong Delta and assisted by strong agricultural policies, rice became one of the country's biggest exports. Rice is a staple part of Vietnamese cuisine, used in

The Philippines is the home to some of the most diverse categories of alcoholic brew in Southeast Asia, partially due to the variety of cultures and people that inhabit the different islands of the country. Here, we can find rice wine typical of the region, known locally as tapuy (or tapuey ). Besides that, there is also basi, a type of sugarcane wine . One can also explore a unique brew named agkud here, a rice wine that is fermented alongside sugarcane juice and flavoured

Southeast Asia lacks a clear identity when it comes to locally produced spirits. Beyond rum from the Philippines and Thailand, traditional spirits rarely take center stage. In Cambodia—where local beer and imported spirits are cheap and widely available—few venture beyond Siem Reap’s pubs or Phnom Penh’s cocktail bars to seek out something truly local. Coupled with the country’s turbulent history, knowledge of Cambodian spirits has become almost as elusive as the kouprey, the

There are far more spirits in the world than the Western classics we’re used to—and Malaysia has a few of its own, too. Beyond gin, whisky, rum, and vodka, some bars pour mezcal, baijiu, or even Swedish aquavit. But Southeast Asia has its own rich spirits culture that’s often overlooked. In Malaysia, several local spirits reflect the country’s history and agricultural roots. Rice, a staple crop, is the primary base for many of these drinks. Some are made commercially, while o