Tej

First, a quick primer on pronunciation of this stuff: 

You make the “t” sound all by itself and in its totality, no blending with the vowel, and then follow it with “ej.” This makes it almost a two-syllable word, though not quite. I won't get all geeky linguist on what that sounds like, but the peeps from my old gig will know.

Second, this stuff seems to be universally served in old Johnnie Walker bottles. Even in the nicest Habesha restaurant in Addis it was served in what clearly used to be a Johnnie Walker bottle. I’m not sure how that developed as a thing, or what it means, but it is. I sought clarification and was told that it can in fact be served in any one of Chivas Regal, White Horse, Johnnie Red or Black, but yes it is always served specifically in old scotch bottles.

Finally, Tej in Ethiopia tastes nothing like it does at Blue Nile on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. And before you go assuming that it is automatically better in Ethiopia, I will just tell you that this is some funky, seriously moldy tasting shit. Better, worse, all that is individual taste, but it definitely tastes like something that comes out of an old Johnnie Walker bottle. Personally, I kept thinking of liquid that has been run through a burlap sack - take that for what you will.

If you don't know, Tej is fermented honey wine and is basically the sake of Ethiopia.