Joanna James
Walking around Singapore can be a dehydrating task. When you are looking to refresh yourself, what better than one of these well-known beverages of Singapore to quench your thirst.
Kopi is a quintessentially Singaporean beverage. In essence, it is coffee, but a coffee that is unlike any you have had before. It has a double punch of caffeine and is served with a lot of condensed milk for extra sweetness. Although it is usually served hot, you can find kopi beng, which is the iced version of Kopi. The best thing about Kopi is that you can find it anywhere, be it at a hawker centre, restaurants in Farrer Park, or food courts.
When you make your way down to Chinatown, you will see massive metal urns that are filled with tea. While tea, in general, is a sweet beverage, this particular tea is rather bitter as a number of medicinal herbs have been added to it. However bitter it is, it is considered to be quite healthy for you. There are several types and flavours of tea, each catering to a different ailment. Although the labels in Chinatown would be in Mandarin, they would be happy to explain things in English. You can also find herbal tea at higher-end restaurants like Park Hotel Farrer Park as well.
If you are looking for something cool and refreshing to take the heat of the day away, look no further than Barley Water. Barley water is made of boiled pearl barley, into which rock sugar is added. It is considered a traditional remedy to address body heat, handed down from the Chinese. The drink is such an ingrained part of the local life that many Singaporeans brew barley water in the comfort of their home. However, you will be able to find it in roadside shops, coffee shops, and hawker centres. While the taste is mild and sweet, the texture of the drink can be a little slimy and might take some getting used to.
Another traditional and sweet drink, sugar cane juice is a popular drink that is easy on the pocket. Pieces of sugar cane are put into a hand-cranked press, which crushes the stem to release the sweet freshness of the sap. It is naturally sweet, and usually, no other ingredient is added to the mixture. However, some might find the mildness of the drink to be too bland. In such instances, feel free to ask the vendor to add a bit of freshly squeezed lime for an added kick.
If you are looking for an alcoholic hit, this is not the drink. But if you are looking to experience Singapore to the fullest, you must try Tiger Beer. Tiger Beer has an alcohol content of 5%, which is quite mild. You can find it at different prices depending on where you buy it from, a hawker centre or a high-end restaurant. It is the same brew, though, made at Asia Pacific Breweries.
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