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If you have the chance to visit the countries listed below, stop by a pub, a restaurant, or attend a local festival to try one of the world's most unusual drinks.
Tuna Tears Soju - South Korea
Soju is a high-alcohol distilled rice wine that can be found in almost every restaurant, bar, and convenience store in South Korea. There are many different soju flavors (peach and blueberry are the most popular), and Koreans like to mix soju with beer to create a drink called "maekju." But sometimes, they even mix soju with tuna tears.
A glass of "tuna tears" or "chamchi nunmulju" is often served at Japanese-style restaurants or seafood establishments. When tuna tears are mixed with soju, a thick, jelly-like mixture is obtained.
Tourists who have tried this drink share: "The waiter will pour the liquor from the teapot into the glass, but it's so thick that they have to cut it with scissors. Sometimes, you can see yellow fish scales in it."
Sinchicara - Ecuador
Sinchicara is a beverage produced in the Sucumbíos province in northeastern Ecuador. People can buy bottled sinchicara in stores or make it themselves at home.
Sinchicara is a mixture of brandy and the bark of trees found in the local rainforest, so it can only be found in Ecuador. One of the main ingredients is "aguardiente de cana" (a type of alcohol made from sugarcane). Additionally, sinchicara is also used as a medicine to reduce arthritis and promote sleep.
Tongba (millet beer) - Nepal
If you're looking for a familiar drink but enjoyed in a unique way, try Nepalese Tongba. Tongba is made from the fermentation of whole millet grains, a process that can take several weeks. It's typically served in a barrel-shaped cup.
Before drinking, you must pour boiling water into the cup and wait for the millet grains to settle at the bottom. Then, you drink it through a bamboo straw to suck up the beer and leave the millet grains and impurities at the bottom. Interestingly, after drinking, you can add more boiling water to continue drinking until the taste is similar to plain water.
Boza - Bulgaria
Boza is made from fermented flour and has a sweet and sour taste. It contains a small amount of alcohol, yet it remains a popular drink enjoyed by everyone, including children and pregnant women. Some obstetricians even say boza is beneficial for pregnant women as it increases breast milk production.
Nowadays, boza is not as popular as it used to be, but you can still find it in most convenience stores in Bulgaria.
Mamajuana - Dominican Republic
Mamajuana is the most famous drink of the Dominican Republic. In fact, there isn't a single universal recipe for mamajuana, as each family has their own way of making it at home. However, all recipes share one common ingredient: tree bark. Red wine, honey, and rum are poured over the bark, and then whatever else they like is added.
Dominicans believe that drinking mamajuana is a way for them to remember their past. In addition, this drink is believed to cure digestive problems, colds, and the flu.
Kava - Fiji
Kava is an important part of Fijian rituals and is often drunk at important meetings or special occasions. If you attend a Kava ceremony in Fiji, you'll have the chance to try this unique drink made from a type of pepper plant that is ground into powder and mixed with water.
Kava is a psychoactive drink and, while legal in Fiji, it's banned in some countries, so be sure to research its side effects before you decide to try it.
Mezcal de pechuga - Mexico
Mezcal is a type of liquor made from over 30 varieties of agave plants, a famous Mexican drink. There are many different types of mezcal, sold in bars both domestically and internationally. However, one type stands out from the others: mezcal de pechuga, because it is not produced using the conventional mezcal production process.
When producing mezcal de pechuga, raw chicken or rabbit breasts are hung above the mezcal distillation area and cooked until they evaporate, adding a unique flavor to the spirit.
Sourtoe Cocktail - Dawson City, Canada
The Sourtoe Cocktail is a famous drink from Dawson, Canada, featuring a salted human toe dropped into a spirit of any kind. The toe in the cocktail is a real human foot, possibly from someone who died or lost a toe in an accident. The toes are soaked in medical alcohol for months and preserved in salt and ice before being immersed in the spirit.
Customers only have to pay about $5 (approximately 116,000 VND) to try this bizarre drink. The rule is that you must touch your lips to your toes, whether you drink quickly or slowly, but you are not allowed to swallow, otherwise you will be fined $2,500 (nearly 60 million VND).
