Mate isn't just a hacker thing it's more from the clubbing scene and doesn't derive from yerba mate whatsoever. mate and all the other copy cats are just part o

Mate isn't just a hacker thing it's more from the clubbing scene and doesn't derive from yerba mate whatsoever. mate and all the other copy cats are just part of a wider german taste for dry soft drinks. When clubbing the low sugar content 20Cal/100ml means it doesn't give you cotton mouth when you're on speed or MDMA. It's so engrained into berlin clubbing culture you perform this ritual when you order a "vodka mate" or a "whisky mate" from a bar: they hand you the 500ml bottle (the 330ml is lame) then you take a big swig and hand it back, the bartender then free pours the spirit in topping it up, charging you depending how much you swigged and if you've tipped before. Fun fact! club mate is made in south germany so it's technically schwabisch and Schwabians are eternally made scapegoats for berlins gentrification... and so makes it all the more ironic when it's exclaimed "it's so berlin!"