New Delhi, Oct. 3 -- Asia's drinking traditions are as varied as its food, shaped by local grains, fruits, palms, climate, and agriculture. Sake and baijiu are internationally recognised, but many others remain regional.

From Thailand's rice wine sato to Bhutan's grain-based ara and Sri Lankan arrack, these drinks show how local ingredients have been fermented, distilled, and turned into alcohol.

Sato is a traditional Thai fermented rice wine made from glutinous rice and luk paeng, a starter of yeasts, moulds, and other microorganisms. The rice is steamed, cooled and mixed with the starter and water, and left to ferment. The process can take several weeks. Sato contains no more than 15% alcohol; when distilled, it becomes lao khao, a po...