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20 Unique Drinks From Around The World (PHOTOS)

Posted: 02/ 9/2012 7:00 am

Even if you're not a big drinker, sampling a unique local beverage can be a fun way to spice up your travels and learn something about the culture at the same time. Often, these drinks are made with local ingredients you may not find elsewhere, giving your taste buds a special memory of a place -- as long as you don't go overboard, that is. After all, it does no good to learn about the culture through its alcohol if you can't remember what you learned the next day.

Some of the drinks featured here aren't necessarily strange or exotic, but they're certainly representative of their location and -- in many cases -- will be unfamiliar enough to outsiders that it's good to have a bit of an introduction before you arrive.

Food and drink are a major part of a destination. Different drinks are part of a country's fabric, their culture, their celebrations, even their religion. Even though many of these drinks may seem odd to you and I, they are all worth trying at least once (well, maybe not the toe one). In no particular order, here are 20 unique drinks from around the world that you may want to add to your list of things to try:

Mirto - Sardinia
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How it's made - Mirto is described as a blueberry liqueur, and it is made from myrtle berries and either honey or syrup. Myrtle is made from the berries of Myrtus Communis plant, which is native to the Mediterranean.

Where you can get it - Sardinia is your best bet for obtaining an authentic bottle of mirto.

Why it's popular - Similar to grappa, the other Italian liqueur on this list, mirto is served as an after dinner drink to help aid in the digestive process. It is considered an important part of Sardinian tradition and has even been known to have some healing powers.

Find out 8 Reasons to Explore Sardinia's Secrets and learn how to get to Sardinia.
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Photo credits: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

 

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Even if you're not a big drinker, sampling a unique local beverage can be a fun way to spice up your travels and learn something about the culture at the same time. Often, these drinks are made with l...
Even if you're not a big drinker, sampling a unique local beverage can be a fun way to spice up your travels and learn something about the culture at the same time. Often, these drinks are made with l...
 
 
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12:50 PM on 02/14/2012
Oh how good a Pusser's Painkiller would be right now.
01:49 AM on 02/13/2012
There are sooo many typos in the articles! It makes one wonder at what age they are hired to start typing these -- And, how little they must be paid!!!
04:38 AM on 02/12/2012
I recommend ginja, a cherry liqueur drink from Portugal.
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
blueplano
I'm a yellow dog
02:30 PM on 02/11/2012
I prefer vodka tonics.
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kareemachan
watashi ha tororu ga oroka da to omoi masu。
12:35 PM on 02/11/2012
I had kava in Fiji, and while it wasn't that bad to drink, I never really experienced any effects from it.
11:50 PM on 02/09/2012
I love terremotos!!!! but you should credit pisco sour's to CHILE not to peru :) they are better in chile
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stjoshy
"C is for COOKIEEEEE. thats good enough for me"
10:13 PM on 02/09/2012
gotta try that pisco sour one day
06:21 PM on 02/09/2012
Any chance I can get credited for my photo of the raicilla used on slide 14? It was taken from my flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/longster/5835747660/
01:51 AM on 02/13/2012
Good Luck !!!
03:36 PM on 02/09/2012
What about tejj in Ethiopia? Fermented wine, sweetened with honey (and often the remains of bees' legs and wings to add extra nutrition...)
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Karl Wilder
02:00 PM on 02/09/2012
Having lived in the Dominican I never saw any wine being used in Mama Juana. What is your source for wine being a part of it?
02:00 AM on 02/13/2012
The wine is IN THERE, not added to the drink after the bottle has been opened!!!
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Karl Wilder
12:20 PM on 02/13/2012
Having seen it made in both big and small places no wine was used. Again source for the wine?
12:08 PM on 02/09/2012
Now I just want to try these .......
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lensamy
Im 23! Are my thoughts my own or must I abide?
11:14 AM on 02/09/2012
Ive tried a couple of these drinks and interesting is the word that comes to mind to describe them. #12 mama juana is one of the best it doesnt taste funny and you can add any liquor to it or take it as a shot, either youll have a blast trying to figure out what happened the night before lol
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
KIVPossum
Moldova Marsupial
09:28 AM on 02/09/2012
Love raki. Then again, I am an absinthe junkie.
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09:23 AM on 02/09/2012
the snake wine thing is just awful, why torture an animal to make a stupid drink. just ridiculous
01:53 AM on 02/13/2012
Hopefully, it was already dead!! Or maybe it died drinking itself to death!!!!
01:57 AM on 02/13/2012
And I really hope all those grapes were dead before being so brutally crushed!!!!!