We travel for a lot of reasons. History. Culture. Food and drink.
And the focus here is on the drink part – the best, more refreshing liquids found in destinations around the world. With alcohol or not, here are the 50 most delicious drinks you can sip, gulp and enjoy:
50. Mango lassi, India
Some of India’s lucky workers have migrated into the air-conditioned confines of its call centers and IT offices. For the rest, and for travelers there, reprieve comes in the form of a cooling, sweat-beating summer drink that acts like an internal sun screen. Mango, yogurt and milk combine in creamy harmony making those sweltering afternoons almost something to look forward to.
49. Red Bull, Austria
OK, Red Bull is an acquired taste even on a good day. But nothing else in the history of drinks and beverages has made deadlines more hittable than this energy drink. It doesn’t really help you grow wings, but when served chilled its fruit-punch flavor explodes in your face like a slap from a sugary, caffeine-marinated cod.
48. Yakult, Japan
Drinking a carton of bacteria is hardly one of the world’s most marketable activities, however friendly they might claim to be. But if you can get over that, a vanilla tongue soak awaits that’ll make you wish each serving was more than just 100 milliliters.
47. Guinness, Ireland
When you’re talking Guinness, perfection is 119.5 seconds. That’s how long it takes for a perfect pint of this ruby red (not black) nectar to be poured according to brand owner Diageo. It’s packed with iron, it’s healthy (no really) and is one of the beer world’s smoother, earthier characters.
46. Pina colada, Puerto Rico
Just looking at the drink brings you closer to a beach and sipping this mixture of coconut milk, pineapple juice and rum will send you directly to a hammock between palm trees in the Caribbean.
45. Cendol, Indonesia
Strictly speaking this is more of a watery dessert than a drink, and is served in a bowl, but at least that way you get to take bigger gulps. The mixture of creamy coconut milk and sweet palm sugar chilled by shaved ice will is the perfect antidote to the hawkers on Kuta beach.
44. Sujeonggwa, Korea
Made from dried persimmons, cinnamon, ginger and peppercorn, sujeonggwa is essentially a liquid made of spices, boiled and steeped in a cup. The cooking and cooling processes mean it can be hours before the final spicy, sweet and tangy flavors are ready for you. The brick-red extract is fragrant and appetizing, making the hours of preparation as agonizing as the result is rewarding.
43. Fanta, Germany
Created in Nazi Germany by an enterprising German Coca-Cola executive when shipments of Coca-Cola ingredients were halted during World War II, Fanta was so popular with Germans that three million cases were produced in 1943 – enough to keep the company’s German operations afloat during the war. The brand’s workhorse is Fanta Orange, a soda marketed under campaigns sunny enough to brighten away its shadowy past.
42. Shikuwasa juice, Japan
For a fruit relatively unknown in the West, the Japanese shikuwasa has a familiar look about it. In fact, its sometime name of “flat lemon” reveals that it shares several characteristics with that yellow citrus, including an acidic punch. The Okinawa native, scientifically called Citrus depressa, yields a sharp juice that’s best diluted or added to a cocktail.
41. Raksi, Nepal
Made from millet or rice, Raksi is strong on the nose and sends a burning sensation straight down your throat that resolves itself into a surprisingly smooth, velvety sensation. Nepalese drink this home brew to celebrate festivals, though we think that the prized drink itself is the reason to celebrate.
40. Coconut water, Global
You can eat its flesh raw or flaked and cook with its oil, but the best way to ingest the star of so many tropical scenes is to stick a straw inside and drink. Coconuts, technically a fruit, may kill more people each year than sharks, but they taste a whole lot better, too.
39. Scotch whisky, Scotland
We don’t like to be snobbish, but if you’re going to drink whisky you have to do it right. Whether single malt or blend, the favored drink of such eminent names as Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher has kept men and women warm and interesting for many decades. Don’t dare taint it with ice.
38. Mojito, Cuba
It’s named after a Cuban seasoning, or an African amulet; it was invented by the Cubans, or in honor of Sir Francis Drake; it should be made fresh and simple, or you can change it up whatever your whim. All depending on who you ask. Everyone has their own take on the mojito, reportedly Ernest Hemingway’s favorite drink, so that the mix of white rum, lime, sugar, mint and soda water, can turn you into the life of the conversation, or a flailing, wailing drunk.
37. Cider, England
A glass of genuine farmhouse cider is about as similar to the mass-produced stuff in cans as apples are to horse manure. Steeped in cinnamon and cloves and swirling with unfiltered apple bits, a room-temperature mug of the real deal lends a warming, fragrant note to cruel winter days.
36. Martini, United States
You could try bastardizing this sacred cocktail with various pollutants – Appletinis? Chocolate martinis? Please stop! – but nothing is ever going to change the magic that gin, vermouth and olives do to a long day.
35. Yerba Mate, South America
Made by steeping the leaves of the South American rainforest holly tree in hot water, yerba mate ranks among the traveling world’s most surprising and pleasing discoveries. Served in a hollow gourd with a metal straw, the caffeinated bevvie is so much a part of the South American scene – popular in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil– that drinking it there instantly turns you into a debonair local.
34. Champagne, France
You may love F1 drivers for their glamorous lifestyles, but you have to hate them for wasting all that Champagne every fortnight. Champagne is the diamond of the drink world, taking its place on the podium as the beverage to have when celebrating pretty much anything. In fact, take a gulp and you could almost imagine that a thousand little diamonds are bursting on your tongue, as the crisp, light fizzy beverage gets to work.
33. Carrot Juice, Global
Healthy enough to feature in diet plans, but sweet enough to be enjoyed by kids, carrot juice is a jack of all trades. Don’t get too attached though. Drinking too much carrot juice has been known to turn the skin orange.
32. Baileys Original Irish Cream, Ireland
The benevolent wizards who make Baileys credit “38,000 of the top-bred Irish dairy cows grazing on approximately 1,500 selected Irish farms mainly on the east coast of Ireland” for producing the rich cream that makes their god-like elixir the top-selling Duty Free liqueur brand in the world. Complements everything from coffee to Cointreau.
31. Tequila, Mexico
Tequila isn’t just for partying – it’s one of the world’s most popular spirits for a reason. 100% blue agave Tequila requires no accessorizing; just sip, savor and repeat.
30. Sparkling Water, Global
Tap water? What else you got on the menu tonight, monsieur, boiled hot dogs and bread crumbs? Sparkling, carbonated, fizzy, with gas … whatever you call it, the mere addition of bubbles transforms plain old H2O into a stylish “beverage,” conferring upon you instant elan. At least till you start burping it all back up.
29. Caipirinha, Brazil
Brazil’s national drink is a modern take on the Daiquiri and brings a refreshing base of lime together with a hint of Brazilian sugarcane rum. Garnish with a wedge or slice of lime, slurp, then beam like Ronaldinho after scoring a hat trick.
28. Chocolate Milkshake, United States
This artery-clogging third musketeer (after burger and fries) of the fast-food world gives a sweet ending to all family meals out. And it may not even be as fattening as you think – the amount of energy spent trying to slurp this thick sludge up the straw must burn off at least a few of those calories.
27. Thai Iced Tea, Thailand
The best tea is served in a plastic bag from street carts, and looks bright orange, but in a good way. It’s a strong, sweet caffeine kick, made from strong-brewed black tea and then mixed with condensed milk and spices. If it wasn’t any good Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants wouldn’t bother stealing the recipe.
26. Dark ‘n’ Stormy, Bermuda
From the shores of Bermuda comes this mix of spiced ginger beer and dark rum, which supposedly evokes tempestuous conditions around the wreck-strewn North Atlantic island. As if not blended with enough metaphor, it’s inevitably been remixed (and canned) for the choppy waters of the mode