Do you have a bucket list of places that you want to visit? Have you also thought of things to do in those regions? I did and I soon realised that the entire list is driven by one key factor: alcohol. So I called it a drinker’s travel bucket list. And here it is.
Ireland: Ireland is a country of happy, hard working and harder-drinking people. It’s also the land of pubs. From stout to ciders to generous amounts of whiskey, the Irish love drinking pretty much anything. A visit to this country’s pubs would be a real test for your liver, because the Irish can hold their drinks really well. Any drink with less than 15% ABV (Alcohol By Volume) can be bought by even a 16-year-old. Irish moonshine, Fat Frog, Guinness and Smithwicks, are some of the must-tries here.
Uganda: Here’s an offbeat one. Apart from acing a formula of making alcohol from bananas, they also take great pride in waragi (also known as war gin), a highly potent regional hit. Ajono, a semi-fermented beer that comes in communal pots is extremely popular too. The go-to hangover cure is meat cooked in banana leaves – does it get any better than this?
Ecuador: You know you are in for some serious trouble when the most popular local liquor literally translates to ‘hangover in a bottle’. Zhamir, the local bestselling drink is made from sugar cane and can knock you out in no time. Cristal, another locally brewed drink can get you drunk in just two sips. Ecuador promises complete blackouts but a bloody good time before them.
China: This country believes in celebratory drinking and takes it quite seriously. Weddings, birthdays, farewells – anything is a good excuse for them. Once you get through the long-winding toasts, you’re in for a treat, because the Chinese are very liberal with their servings of Baijiu (a very popular Chinese liquor made from grains with 52% ABV). There are also other bolder grain-based liquors for you to explore, so what are you waiting for?
Russia: This is the country where vodka is the answer to everything. This nation believes that drinking is a way of life and encourages it. The climate always perfect for drinking, there are pubs on every corner and they’ve got amazing food to accompany your liquor too! Is your wanderlust acting up yet?
