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10 South African Beverage Favorites That Aren’t All Alcoholic

10 South African Beverage Favorites That Aren’t All Alcoholic

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These South African beverage favorites aren’t all alcoholic but it doesn’t matter — they’ll intoxicate you with their flavors, aromas and colors.

Source: GoAfrica.About.com

This article was originally published on Feb. 7, 2014.

jerrysye.pixnet.net
jerrysye.pixnet.net

Mageu or Mahewu

Made for kids, Mahewu is the non-alcoholic version of an adult-strength brew made from fermented cornmeal or “mealie pap.” The kids’ version has the consistency of porridge and is often flavored like yogurt with fruit flavors. When South Africans make this in their homes, they let it sit overnight before drinking it. It’s usually sold in a carton like milk, and marketed to children.

Source: En.Wikipedia.org.

brainardbrewing.com
brainardbrewing.com

 

South African Beer

South Africa brews several delicious beers with Castle Lager the top seller, along with Dutch beer Grolsch and Carling Black Label. Most South African beers are American style, with a medium body, but many popular ones have a higher alcohol content than American beers.

Source: GoAfrica.about.com.

alainproust.com
alainproust.com

 

Amarula Cream

Amarula Cream is usually taken with dessert. It’s a sweet liqueur made from the fruit of the marula tree—sometimes called the elephant tree because elephants love to eat from it. The liqueur is heavy on the sugar and cream. The marula tree can only be found in sub-Saharan Africa. Its fruit is rich in vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and protein. Amarula Cream looks a bit like chocolate milk when poured out, and has a 17-percent alcohol content. If you like Kahlua, you’ll enjoy this.

Sources: Amarula.com and GoAfrica.About.com.

southafrica.net
southafrica.net

Van der Hum liqueur

This is a unique blend of brandy, wine, Cape tangerine peels, herbs, spices, seeds and bark. It is extremely aromatic and has a beautiful blood-orange color. Its syrupy flavor tastes great in Manhattan-style or old fashioned-style cocktails.

Source: DrinksMixer.com.

wineanorak.com
wineanorak.com

Pinotage

Pinotage is actually the name of the grape used in this beverage, originally bred in South Africa in 1925. You can only buy this wine in South Africa since it’s a rare blend of pinot noir and cinsaut (hermitage). The flavors vary depending on the price of the bottle: cheaper bottles tend to have a lighter body, while pricier ones have a full body and deep, fruity flavors.

Source: Wine.About.com.

flighthunter.co.za
flighthunter.co.za

Amasi or Maas

If you like Gogurts or drink probiotic yogurt beverages, you might be on board with this drink. Amasi is the African word for fermented milk, and this is a thick, soured milk drink with the consistency of yogurt that’s said to aid digestion. It’s usually fermented in a gourd but can be bought in pasteurized form. You can find it all over South African super markets in the milk aisle. Masai warrior tribes in Northern Tanzania and Kenya were some of the first to popularize this drink.

Source: NaturalNews.com.

foodandthefabulous.com
foodandthefabulous.com

Mahewu or Mechow

This is traditional South African drink made from heavy ingredients like corn, sorghum, yeast and millet malt. It’s a porridge-based drink and therefore a melting pot of flavors from thick, heavy and creamy to sour and gritty. Studies suggest the drink might have health benefits because of the hearty grains.

Source: TheAfricanPotNutrition.com.

bidorbuy.co.za
bidorbuy.co.za

Mampoer

The name loosely translates to “white lightning” and that could be because the high alcohol content will have you seeing white spots in front of your eyes. It’s a homemade brandy similar to moonshine and was originally made by South African housewives. The traditional fruits used in the recipe are peaches and prickly pears. South African author Herman Charles Bosman endowed his character, Oom Schalk Lourens, with a love of mampoer.

Sources: TheFreeDictionary.com  and GoAfrica.About.com.

lynngreenlee.blogspot.com
lynngreenlee.blogspot.com

 

Rock Shandy

This recipe is a South African re-purposing of several familiar drinks. It normally consists of half lemonade, half soda water and a dash of Angostura bitters. South Africans drink it over lots of ice with a lemon slice on warm days. Sometimes the recipe call for beer, but because of its low alcohol content, it’s sold as a non-alcoholic beverage.

Sources: En.Wikipedia.org and  GoAfrica.About.Com.

simplevegancooking.wordpress.com
simplevegancooking.wordpress.com

Rooibos tea

Rooibos is gaining a reputation as a healthy drink all over the world, but was first drunk as a tea by South Africans. The tea comes from the cyclopia genistoides bush of the Cederberg Mountains, is caffeine-free and high in antioxidants. It’s traditionally drunk black with lemon or honey.

Source: En.Wikipedia.org.