30 of the World's Most Unique Alcoholic Beverages

Many of us have heard of sake, the popular rice wine of Japan, but it's unlikely that you've been ordering a warm glass of hirezake at your local sushi joint. This drink is made by charring the fin of the fugu fish (you know-the pufferfish that can be deadly if prepared by the wrong hands?) over a flame and then steeped in a cup of hot sake.

This fermented grape brandy is only produced in certain wine-making regions of South America but is now an ingredient that graces many fanciful cocktail menus around the world. There are slight differences between the pisco produced in Peru (where it's only ever distilled in copper pots) and that of Chile (where the distillers are required to grow their own Muscat or Pedro Jimenez grapes) yet both are strong and deliciously refreshing.

This clear spirit (whose name translates as "burned liquor"-this also gives you some indicator as to its potency) is usually always served neat, in shot glasses. It's made by fermenting rice, wheat or barley, which it gives a slightly nutty yet smooth taste with a hint of sweetness.

Schnapps is a fairly broad term for any form of fruit brandy or distilled spirit. It can be made by infusing fruit, herbs, syrups or spices in grain-based liquor and is always drunk neat, straight from a shot glass. Certain famous brands of herbal schnapps include the likes of Jagermeister and Archers, but you can't really beat homemade versions that have steeped for several weeks.

Featuring a distinctive aniseed flavor, arak is a colorless distilled spirit that is widely drunk at mealtimes, often as an accompaniment to a family gathering. It's usually served in tall glasses and mixed with water and ice, which transforms it into a cloudy milky-white color. It's considered bad form to use the same arak glass twice as this can compromise the consistency of the drink.

Ok, so this isn't perhaps the most appealing drink on this list, but what if we were to tell you that it contained "restorative and reinvigorating" powers? No? It's made by steeping a whole venomous snake in a jar of rice wine or grain alcohol so that the "essence" of the snake is dissolved into the liquor (the venom is denatured during this process). It's usually always served as a shot, but let's be honest-this isn't the type of drink you'd really want to sip and savor, anyway.

Talk to any of Thailand's backpackers and there is no doubt that many of them will have drunk SangSom at one point or another. It's a sweet, honey-colored sugarcane rum that has been aged for at least five years and is prevalent at almost every bar and convenience store in the country.

Created from the sap of certain palm trees, palm wine is known by many different names around Africa. It's milky-white in color and can range in flavor from sweet to sour depending on how long it has been left to ferment (typically only up to a day, otherwise it can become vinegar-like).

This clear grain-based spirit is extremely potent (it's around 50% ABV) and is purportedly the most widely-consumed spirit in the world. It is always served in small cups-either warmed or at room temperature-and usually consumed with friends or acquaintances, as part of a large meal gathering.

Jenever-sometimes also spelled genever-is the national spirit of the Netherlands and is the liquor from which gin was originally born. It has a juniper flavor and can come in two varieties: old or young, which refers to the distillation technique and not to the actual age of the drink. Jenever is served in a unique tulip-shaped glass and should always be sipped slowly.

Aquavit (or Akvavit) is made by distilling either grain or potatoes and then infusing it with herbs, spices or fruits. This means that it can be served in a huge array of flavors and, as it is often served to accompany a meal, it can be used to complement the overall taste experience of the food itself. In Denmark, for example, it's usually served alongside smorrebrod.

Cynar hasn't been around for long (it was only invented in the 1950s), but has gained a pretty big following in its native Italy. It's essentially a bitter liqueur of which artichoke is the main ingredient-along with a variety of other herbs and plants. It can either be drunk on its own or mixed with soda water or orange juice.

Kava is said to produce a mild sedative or euphoric effect and perhaps this goes some way to explain why Fijians like to drink it so much. It is made from the root of a local plant, which is ground into a fine powder and then mixed with water. This produces a slightly bitter, almost muddy-looking drink. Yum.

Absinthe is one of the strongest alcoholic drinks in the world (it can run anywhere up to 74% ABV). It is a botanical aniseed-flavored drink that is green in color and is traditionally served in a special glass on top of which a slotted spoon and a sugar cube are placed. Iced water is then dripped through the spoon, mixing both the water and the sugar with the spirit to create a cloudy and potent drink.

Brewed using the leaves and twigs of the gesho tree, tej is a sweet-tasting honey wine that is widely consumed throughout Ethiopia. Its alcohol content can vary depending upon the length of time that fermentation has taken place (usually up to one month) and it is most commonly served chilled in a bulbous vase-like bottle.

You likely know of cachaca as one of the main ingredients of a caipirinha cocktail, but in Brazil it is also be enjoyed neat. It is made from fermented sugarcane juice, which gives it a smooth, sweet taste. It can come in two different varieties: unaged, which is white in color, or aged, which is yellow-gold.

Chicha is traditionally made by fermenting maize for several days in large vats and then boiling it with added sugar. The other, slightly less sanitary method of making it, involves people chewing the maize, then spitting it into water and letting it ferment for several weeks. Chicha can be found all over Central and South America, sold at stalls, eateries and even from private homes.

This cream-based liqueur is made using the fruit of the marula tree, which typically only bears fruit once each year. The ripe yellow fruit is harvested, then double-distilled in barrels in a process which takes around two years. As it is blended with fresh cream, many liken it in flavor to Irish cream liqueur, although with a slightly fruitier aftertaste.

Kumis is fermented in a similar fashion to kefir, yet uses a liquid starter culture as its base, as opposed to a grain-based one. It is traditionally made from mare's milk (that of female horses) and is only slightly alcoholic in nature-maximum 2.5% ABV. It is fairly sour in flavor and is always served chilled, sipped from small bowls.

Pulque tends to be an acquired taste as its flavor is fairly sour and yeasty. It is made from the fermented sap of the agave plant, but its milky color and thick consistency completely distinguishes it from its spirit cousins. It's traditionally drunk out of large glass tankards.

Like schnapps, horilka can be used to describe several types of strong spirit produced in Ukraine, although it typically refers to vodka or mead. It is usually distilled with wheat or rye, but occasionally potatoes, beets or honey are used for a sweeter flavor. It is often made in local homes and almost always makes an appearance at celebrations or weddings.

Produced exclusively in Goa, feni is made from the juice of ripe cashew apples, which is then fermented and triple-distilled. Most locals drink it neat, over ice and the spirit is widely sold at small stalls in villages across the region.

Tepache actually contains only a very small amount of alcohol and as such, it is sold as a refreshing soft drink at street stands around Mexico. It is made by fermenting the juice and rinds of pineapples and then adding sugar. To make it a more alcoholic beverage, many adults will also add beer right at the end of the process.

Commonly drunk neat as a shot, mamajuana is a herbal alcoholic drink sold in the Dominican Republic. It is made by bottling rum, red wine and honey with a variety of herbs and tree bark. The resulting mixture is thought to produce a health-boosting herbal tincture-although after drinking a few shots, you may have a few new health concerns to worry about.

Okolehao (whose name hilariously translates to "iron butt", referring to the iron pots brought ashore by sailing ships) is a highly alcoholic spirit made from the root of the ti plant. The root is baked and then soaked in water, producing a fermentable sugar syrup which can then be distilled. The resulting flavor is vaguely fruity and definitely "tropical"-okolehao simply has to be tried to be appreciated.

This dark, cloudy Finnish beer is made with a mixture of grains, barley, rye and oats and is often flavored with juniper as opposed to traditional hops. Baking yeast is also usually added during the fermentation process, giving the beer an unmistakable banana flavor which counterbalances the bitterness of the juniper. Sahti can only be purchased from certain breweries or pubs around Finland and is always served cold.

Singani is considered to be the national spirit of Bolivia, where it is produced only in certain valleys using Muscat of Alexandria grapes. It is distilled in metal tanks for a period of around six months before being bottled, resulting in a clear, smooth liquid. It can either be drunk neat or, most popularly, as part of the Chuflay cocktail, muddled with ginger ale and a wedge of lime.

Sloe fruit is soaked with coffee beans and cinnamon to create this sweet cherry-colored liqueur. The flavor profile of patxran can differ slightly depending on how long the ingredients have been left to steep (tradition dictates no less than one month and no longer than eight). It is always served chilled, usually as a digestif.

Made from the berries and leaves of the myrtle plant, mirto is available in two different varieties depending upon which color of berries have been used-rosso (black) or bianco (white). Mirto is a sweet liqueur that is typically drunk neat as a shot and was purportedly introduced to Corsica by the Sardinian bandits who consumed it regularly.

Ginja-sometimes also known as ginjinha-is a sweet liqueur infused with ginja berries (sour cherries). It is always drunk as a shot, with at least one ginja berry in the bottom of the glass and in Obidos, where many of the berries are grown, they serve it small chocolate cups. Once you have drunk the liqueur, you are then supposed to spit the cherry pit out onto the floor.