Asian Geographic - April 2018

Myanmar, despite the Buddha’s

encouragement to abstain from intoxicating

substances, is home to a dizzying array of

homemade alcohol. Apart from the ubiquitous

national staple, Myanmar Beer, many rural

communities are manufacturing their own

do-it-yourself rice wine brews using spare rice

and millet. The final product’s shelf life of just

a few days means there’s always a batch being

fermented and drunk somewhere. Whether

out of bottles, cups or a pot with bamboo

straws, this cultural beverage has been the

country’s drink of choice for years.

In Myitkyina, the state capital of Kachin –

Myanmar’s northernmost subdivision in

the Himalayan foothills – thriving micro-

distilleries hum with life behind almost every

home. Manned by women, huge cauldrons of

white rice are steamed over smouldering log

fires, then fed into a rickety system of sealed

metal pots and bamboo tubes, within which

the fermentation happens over four to five

hours. Recipes vary from house to house,

and are fiercely guarded; from them streams

a precious source of secondary income for

the family. Potential buyers are faced with

dozens of different brew-strengths on offer,

but Kachin rice wine, called sapee – a thick

pink liquid that looks and tastes like a fruit

smoothie – is always a popular pick.

To the locals, the drink is a cure-all elixir

that replenishes strength. Indeed, researchers

claim rice wine’s probiotic properties impart

amino acids, minerals and antioxidants to the

body, and lower the chances of cancer. The

grog is also known to aid digestion, improve

metabolism, and pair well with local river

snails cooked in garlic. ag

There’s no drink more reflective of Myanmar’s rice-loving culture than its

namesake wine, a traditional tipple fermented in the humblest of abodes

Homemade Moonshine

A BACKYARD BREW

0 4

Cider Vodka

Tequila

Rice Wine

Beer Wine Whiskey

8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 ...... 96 100

Text Alex Bescoby

revealed

above A Chin tribe man
drinks local wine during
the Kachin Manaw
Festival in Myanmar’s
Mrauk U district

alcohol percentage of common drinks: