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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.
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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...
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)
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Absinthe |
Grappa |
Krupnik |
Limoncello |
Ouzo |
Zubrowka |
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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.
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