Spirits of the Land

Asia is nothing if not diverse, a fact that is readily reflected in the panoply of alcoholic beverages both fermented and distilled that have arisen as a result of the variety of terrains, climates, cultures and culinary customs of its many regions.

Indeed, the impact of Asia on the development of modern alcohol as we know it today can hardly be underestimated: it was in British India that the gin and tonic was invented, as both an antidote to the oppressive tropical climate as well as the constant threat of malaria (thanks to the presence of quinine in tonic water), which quickly spread to other Crown possessions across the world. Meanwhile, Batavia arrack, a distilled spirit originating from the Indonesian island of Java, is often cited as an influential forerunner to rum.

Among the hundreds of native alcohol varieties that can