Alcohol

Alcohol - Venice Italy

Not only is it important to sample the Local Food when you travel, but alcohol plays an important part in other cultures.  Of course if you do not drink, that is perfectly fine, but if you would like to experience more of the local culture, try their regionally produced alcohol.

Hofbrauhaus Oktoberfest Guinness
Munich Germany Dublin Ireland

Drinking in Public

Europeans have a much more liberal view of alcohol compared to the US.  It may vary depending on your location, but in most places it is perfectly acceptable to drink in public provided you are responsible.  Use your best judgment and watch other locals for what is acceptable.  During Oktoberfest in Germany, we often found groups of people on the trains dressed in their Lederhosen drinking all the way to their next destination, even on 6a trains.

When in Paris, pop into a liquor store for a for a bottle of wine.  (If you do not want to purchase an opener, we have asked the store to open the bottle for us then reinsert the cork back into the bottle half way.  Some liquor stores even have small disposable plastic cups you can take at no additional fee.)  Find a bakery for a baguette, locate a cheese shop and select a few different types of cheeses.  Now head to one of the many parks to hang out, people watch, relax and enjoy the views.  (Paris has many different parks and gardens: Luxembourg Gardens, Eiffel Tower open space mall, Sacre Coeur area and many more.  To really fit in, purchase a tourist beret and you will look like a local!  Okay, maybe not...

Wine

Cheese

Baguette

Beret

Fitting in like a local
Eiffel Tower - Paris France

Proper Beer and Wine Pours

In Europe and especially Britain, they are very picky about pouring a proper pint.  Beer should be poured up to the rim of the glass.  If it's not, ask the bartender to 'Top it Off' and they should gladly add beer to your glass.

Many wine glasses have etched marks on the glass for the size you have ordered.  Check to be sure the wine is poured to meet the appropriate mark on the glass.  If wine is below the mark, kindly ask them to add a bit more to meet the mark.

Affordable Restaurant Wine

We have found in Italy and France that having a nice bottle of wine with your meal is usually very affordable as restaurants seem to price their bottles around the same price as you would find in the liquor stores.  You tend to not find the price gauging on wine that you may experience at restaurants in the US selling a $10 bottle of wine for $35.

Drinking and Driving

The bottom line is, don't drink and drive.  Don't do it, don't even think about it.  If you are driving, don't drink until you have reached your final destination for the day.  Europen laws for driving while under the influence are very strict and punishment can be severe.   the last thing you want is to have your trip ruined because you were behind the wheel driving while intoxicated.  Like in the States - Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving; the same applies in Europe - don't do it!

In the UK, if you are caught drunk driving or as they say 'Drink Driving', you can be sent to jail and your car confiscated and crushed in a compactor.

Local Varieties

Every country may have their own specialties when it comes to alcohol.  Alcohol can even be regional within a country just as food can be.  To numerous to mention all the alcohols and locations, the goal is to give you an idea of what to research when visiting different locations.  Find what is local to the area, whether it be wine, beer or other types of alcohol.

  • Italy is known for wine and beer as well as regionally produced limoncello and grappa
  • The Czech Republic is known for their beer
  • France is known for their regional wines
  • Germany is known for their beer (a favorite: Erdinger) and also locally produced wine
  • Ouzo in Greece
  • Absinthe in Eastern Europe
  • Italy for wine, beer, grappa, limoncello
  • Poland has outstanding beer (Tyskie, Zywiec), vodkas (Wyborowa and Zubrowka - Bison Grass Vodka), Mulled Wine (Grzaniec Galicyjski) and Liquors (Krupnik)
Absinthe Grappa Krupnik Limoncello Ouzo Zubrowka
 
A Little About Absinthe
History

Absinthe is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic (45–74% ABV / 90–148 U.S. proof) beverage. It is an anise-flavored spirit derived from botanicals, including the flowers and leaves of Artemisia absinthian ("grand wormwood"), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs.

The Green Fairy

Absinthe traditionally has a natural green color but may also be colorless. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as 'The Green Fairy'.

Hallucinations

Modern science has also proven that there is no evidence at all that thujone can cause hallucinations, even in high doses. Still as a part of the absinthe ban being lifted, United States imported absinthe can no longer contain thujone.

Drinking

While in the Czech Republic, we found it served as shown in the photo.  Absinthe is poured over the sugar cube then set on fire and mixed into the glass.  You would then blow out the flame before drinking.