KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 21 -- There was a time when "drinks" meant little more than teh tarik, a bottle of something fizzy from the vending machine or just plain old H2O.

Yet in recent years, Malaysia's beverage landscape has begun to ferment - quite literally - with a new generation of "functional drinks" (which ranges from effervescent kombuchas to sparkling prebiotic beverages) changing what we reach for when we're thirsty.

Across the country, small-batch producers are quietly brewing change, one bottle (or can) at a time.

I spoke with three of them - Bryan Yee and Justin Yee, the brothers behind Finding Hylas; Wonderbrew's Boon Loke and Joseph Poh; and Julian Koh of Supergulp - about educating consumers, innovating with local flavours a...