In today’s hyper-connected globe, the meaning of national identity is no longer rigid, and we’re seeing a dissolution of cultural borders as we travel through our devices. This shift in mentality is happening against a turbulent geopolitical backdrop as countries prioritise regional allies.

Matugga Rum is the brainchild of Jacine and Paul Rutasikwa, who blend Jamaican heritage and African ingredients with the richness of Scotland’s distillery scene to broaden rum's international appeal. What does this hyper-local approach with international influences say about shifting drink habits?

Alcohol consumption in Africa has often been led by lifestyle aspirations but now Nigerian artists are taking innovative, collaborative, and non-commercial approaches to producing alcohol by infusing craft beers and gins with botanical flavours and contemporary African narratives.

Young Master’s canned craft cocktail line HIGHERTHAN puts an Asian spin on the classic highball. The brand’s use of unconventional flavors (at least in alcoholic beverages) comes as culinary palates diversify and people begin to look for ready-to-drink alternatives to beer.

Ancestral Mexican drinks are gaining popularity in households across the US as funky flavors help them explore under-celebrated parts of foreign cultures. As local cuisines gain prominence outside their home countries, people are showing more interest in blending familiarity with novelty.