If you've traveled in southern Africa, chances are you have seen people drinking from an attractive white, blue, and red carton. You will almost certainly have seen scraps of Chibuku cartons along many a roadside. Chibuku is a very popular drink, so popular in fact that SABMiller (southern Africa's largest brewery), now owns the brand.

Chibuku is based on a traditional beer recipe made from sorghum and/or maize (corn).

It was first brewed and sold in the 1950's by Max Heinrich, a South African of Jewish descent living in Zambia. The shake-shake is a directive, since the solids tend to separate in the carton, so it needs a shake before you drink it. The alcoholic content in Chibuku is fairly low, but the longer it sits around, the stronger it gets. Chibuku is drunk by many of those who can't afford bottled beer on a regular basis, that would be the majority of the population in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Botswana.

The ads for Chibuku always stress its nutritional value, its basic slogan for years has been "Drink Chibuku, It is Good For You", or "Chibuku - Feel the Godness". This doesn't always gel with the drunks you see lying around with carton in hand. To be fair, you have to drink a lot to get to the "falling over" stage. And if you are like me and don't like your sun-downer lumpy, sour, slightly fizzy and porridge-like, your chances of getting tipsy on Chibuku are slim.

Fun Chibuku Fact:
Chibuku is the name of a highly successful Liverpool dance club, its founder was inspired by a little shake-shake while on a trip to Malawi.