While we Indians are pretty chill when it comes to our booze and the way we drink, the same certainly can’t be said about our foreign counterparts. To blend in perfectly, and we’re not talking about whisky here, it’s important that one makes note of their drinking traditions and rituals. It’s a small difference that could go a big way in getting a free drink or pissing a lot of people off.
With you being high on wanderlust, here are 5 interesting drinking rituals around the world that you should know about.
1. Czech Republic
Drinking in Prague or any other city in the Czech Republic is no mean feat. It’s not a test for the faint hearted as all you have to do is pass three criteria in your path to success. Should you fail, get ready for seven years of bad sex. So better note this down. Firstly, make proper eye contact with your drinking buddies, like stare right into their soul. As you do the cheers, ensure that you don’t cross arms with any of them. And lastly, the precision test, you’re not supposed to spill even a single drop. Lucky for you, this custom only applies to the first drink of your night.
2. Russia
Your trip to Russia would certainly be incomplete if you didn’t down their vodka. All you need to remember is that there’s only one way to drink it – straight and in a shot glass. It’ll be sacrilege in the Soviet Union should you be seen using a mixer. And it doesn’t just end here. If you’ve opened a bottle of their vodka, you bloody well finish it. For those who’ve left a bottle of vodka in Russia unfinished, just remember that the locals now think less of you.
3. South Korea
Countries in the Far East are known to be absolute suckers for tradition. When it comes to respecting one’s elders and holding them in high regard, South Korea extends their gratitude to the old even in their drinking culture. You’d always, and we repeat, always see a person offer drinks to those older and senior to them before they pour a drink for themselves.
4. The Netherlands
Tulips are the national flower of The Netherlands. The country’s fondness for tulips is evident in their drinking culture. The way the Dutch drink their Genever, a local flavoured whiskey, involves pouring it in a tulip-shaped glass that’s filled all the way to the very top. Traditionally titled Kopstootje, which translates to “little headbutt,” the ritual involves you bending from the waist and taking a sip without the use of your hands.
5. China
Just like South Korea, here’s another Asian country that’s high on respect, giving much more importance to the person drinking than what is being drunk. When the Chinese get together for a round of drinks, the person of a lower status should place the glass lower than the other person. We say cheers, they say ‘Gan Bei’, which literally translates to ‘empty the glass’, setting the mood for a good time of Chinese chugging.
