Bangkok’s barflies, boozers and other alcohol enthusiasts are raising their glasses to a drinks trend with kick — giving cocktails a supersonic boost with Thai-style makeovers.

Much like the liquor that once swilled around inside their wooden casks, the barrel houses at Findhorn ecovillage have matured nicely in their surroundings.

Anyone who likes to curl up with a steaming hot drink should be rethinking how hot they have their tea and coffee, with research linking very hot beverages to cancer.

Iced tea is made for summer. It’s there to quench your thirst in the heat, to tote to countless cookouts, and to leisurely sip on a front porch swing. Best of all, it’s a breeze to make. All you need is tea and water, plus a little sugar if you’re so inclined.

South Africa may be the dominant force in Africa’s wine economy, but as the continent’s middle class emerges and disposable incomes increase, entrepreneurs in some unlikely destinations are making inroads in the fine wine industry.

The Western Cape might be South Africa’s wine capital — renowned around the world as the home of some of the country’s most famous labels — but not far from Stellenbosch’s fertile vineyards there’s another drink brewing up a storm.

Inspired by an international boom for local, independent microbreweries, the business of craft beer has also taken off in South Africa recently, as growing numbers of small producers are experimenting with styles and techniques to satisfy a rising thirst for new flavors and novel brews.

“There is a massive demand,” says Dan Badenhorst, co-founder of Devil’s Peak Brewing Company, just one of the several microbreweries to come out of Cape Town in recent times.

“We started off in a garage, from there we bought our own 500-liter system and now we are in this new 1,500-liter system,” he adds. “Constantly, our biggest challenge has been keeping up with the demand.”

Craft beer is traditionally produced by independent breweries on a much smaller scale than the multinationals.

In South Africa, a country with a strong beer culture, consumers have traditionally opted for mass-produced beer products. South African Breweries is a subsidiary of SABMiller, the world’s second-largest brewer, and accounts for more than 90% of the country’s beer market.
But the smaller players have also started making a mark.

You can’t help but be stunned by the visual splendor when walking around the Western Cape region of South Africa, in towns like Stellenbosch.

Thomas Muster believes in reinvention, and he doesn’t do things by half measures.

“I’ve got the best commute in the world,” Fairview Estate’s chief wine maker Anthony De Jager says with a smile as he watches his amiable pack of dogs run excitedly through the vineyards.

Most football fans, if they are not already, will have to become rabid carnivores during their visit to South Africa for the World Cup.