Hot answers tagged alcohol
78
In Bulgaria, Russia, former USSR countries and others, it's considered offensive not to drink when you've been invited to, and you might need a good solid excuse if you decide not to drink at all. Expect to be on the receiving end of some good-natured banter if you decide to abstain completely.
Medical reasons are a possibility, although it will be ...
26
I was in the unfortunate position of being insistingly encouraged to drink 3 years ago on the Trans-Siberian. I was much worse for wear after that experience, and sought out suggestions (in fact I really shouldn't have had that much considering my meds).
Anyway, this year I returned. And indeed, the best way if you can't just refuse outright, is simply to ...
17
It is indeed possible in theory, and VERY difficult in practice. You need to start, traditionally, at Elephant and Castle at 10am. Going at about 20-30 min per pub you will just finish before closing in Central London. It's hard, really hard, and you need someone to keep tabs on the time and keep everyone moving.
There's a webpage with strategies, maps ...
17
I'm a Russian who doesn't drink vodka. If your goal is not to drink at all - just say so and be done with that. If you like to drink a little but just don't want to kill your liver - tell them that you prefer cognac or whiskey (whichever you like the best). Wine will also work but probably raise a couple of "be a man" things.
The goal is to have a drink ...
17
As a Russian and non-drinker, I want to add some info about the culture of drinking in Russia.
First of all: You don't have to drink vodka, even if your partners are. It is ok if you just say: I can't drink alcohol as strong as vodka, I need wine (or cocktails, or whatever you need). Ask women about this - they're more reliable in such situations. But if ...
14
Short answer: Yes, you will get in trouble.
And I personally don't recommend public drinking in any Arabic/Islamic country. It is even illegal in many other countries.
Long answer is that there are a lot of details to know about drinking law rules in Dubai.
By the way, Ramadan is a single month per lunar year. It was in August 2011, it will be in July ...
12
It's normally the driver's duty to bring the "éthylotest" (or "alcootest"), but some renting companies are providing one or two.
Otherwise it costs 2 € in shop / pharmacy.
Links (in french) for companies saying they provide it (in brackets, price you pay if you used it):
Avis (? €), Budget (? €), Europcar (6 €), Hertz (5 €), Sixt (5 €).
Always ask to be ...
12
The import laws cited on the the page of Norway's Toll Office do not distinguish between the manner the alcohol has been created (because that would likely be rather difficult); only by the strength. You're allowed for free (see the link for how much you have to pay if you need to import larger quantities):
One litre of an alcoholic beverage containing ...
11
There are 7 trappist beers (6 Belgian, 1 Dutch).
From Gent, your best bets are Westvleteren, Westmalle or Chimay. None are easily reachable. To Westvleteren you get the train to Poperinge, for Westmalle Antwerp is your best bet and for Chimay you need to go to Charleroi. From the stations onwards you are depending on either a taxi or the (infrequent) buses. ...
10
If you have no specific medical condition that would be exacerbated by anti-anxiety drugs, I'd say you should at least try them to see if they work well for you. Most of them don't have serious side effects if you don't take too many, or too often.
Excessive drinking has well-documented negative effects, among them the possibility of violent behaviour that ...
9
My preferred method, because it requires no special equipment:
Wrap the bottom of the bottle in a towel, or place a phone book against a wall or tree.
Hit the bottom of the bottle firmly and evenly against a reasonably flat, vertical surface (such as the wall, or a tree). The pressure of the wine against the cork will gradually nudge the cork out.
As an ...
9
Yes, every French car will be required to carry a breathalyser, even rentals.
However, as noted on the AA website, as of October last year:
The implementation of the sanction for drivers not carrying a
breathalyser – a fine of €11 – has been postponed from 1 November
2012 to 1 March 2013.
This was due to a shortage of 21 million or so ...
9
Dirty-flow's answer is not really wrong, however, I want to substantiate it a little bit. To quote from fahrrad-recht.de:
Gut zu wissen: Eine Trunkenheitsfahrt (§ 316 StGB) kann nicht nur mit Kraftfahrzeugen, sondern grundsätzlich auch mit dem Fahrrad begangen werden!
Eine Trunkenheitsfahrt liegt immer dann vor, wenn das Fahrrad nicht mehr sicher ...
8
I haven't been in this position in Russia but I have been in Romania and Serbia just recently.
Nobody seemed to mind when I ordered lots of glasses of water while I was drinking. I had an excuse for being dehydrated (once from being on the beach all day and once for having hitchhiked a long way).
I didn't refuse drinks but I had as many waters as ţuicăs, ...
8
I've been to Japan twice now and have spent a good deal of time drinking in Tokyo. I've never had any issues.
Hostess bars have a reputation for this kind of behaviour (i've never been to one so i can't speak to the truth of that reputation).
I've never had any issues with drink spiking or credit card fraud, even when i've been drinking alone in Roppongi.
...
8
I would suggest you look for another solution.
Deal with the root cause instead and go on a fear-of-flying course. In the UK, where Vass is, both Virgin and British Airways run regular one-day courses at major airports, which include a short flight.
I went on the BA one some years ago and it was certainly money well spent as far as I am concerned; I'd ...
6
Difficult. You're probably going to want to spend a night. In which case you could take a car.
IF you wanted to take the train, the service is the Queensland Rail Tilt Train.
However, the earliest departure north is 11.55am, and you won't reach Bundaberg until 3.30pm.
Coming back, depending on the day, you could be back in the morning if you get the ...
6
Some of these might be out of date, but the asylum.com has this list of top ten cigar bars in Las Vegas from 2010:
Carmine's Little Italy Sport & Cigar Lounge
Havana Club Cigar Lounge
Andre's Monte Carlo
Casa Fuente
Fontana Bar
Rhumbar
Nine Fine Irishmen
Baccarat Bar
VooDoo Steak & Lounge
Dino's Lounge
6
None of the Trappist breweries lies on the way between Brussels and Ghent. And none of the Trappist breweries is really easily reached by public transport. Most often public transport brings you somewhere more or less nearby and then you still have to do a substantial walk. Be aware that taking a bus in Belgium (outside bigger cities) can be quite ...
6
When I was a kid we visited every street on the Monopoly board as a sponsored event. We didn't drink at each (we were underage), but visiting is certainly feasible. We even managed to include the Utilities (HQ of the electric and water companies) and a prison (Pentonville - the stop that added most to our time).
6
If you are strict about it, it is not possible because I think none of the four stations have actually pubs in them (while Waterloo station does). There are pubs nearby but they are on different streets.
I would also say that 'Trafalgar Square' itself has no pub either.
Also what to do with 'Electric Company' and 'Water Works'?
On the other hand, 'Bow ...
5
From Wikitravel:
Although a predominantly Muslim country, Morocco is not dry.
Alcohol is available in restaurants, liquor stores, bars, supermarkets, clubs, hotels and discos. Some Moroccans enjoy a drink although it is disapproved in public places. The local brew of choice carries the highly original name of Casablanca Beer. It is a full flavored lager ...
5
A small, but incredibly useful device is the CO2 cork remover. Basically it has a needle you stab through the cork, and then you press the trigger to pump CO2 into the bottle, forcing the cork out.
It weighs about the same as a corkscrew though, so your better bet may be:
Buy wine bottles with screw tops!
5
Sure! Vancouver is famous for its seawall - the path running the whole way around, especially the downtown region.
So in addition to Waterfront, you can go closer to Stanley Park and hit Coal Harbour. There are quite a few restaurants and bars down there, although sometimes quite pricey.
The path continues all the way around Stanley Park, and back on the ...
5
I believe you'll be able to take 2 bottles with you.
According to World of Duty Free (who are one of the big UK airport based duty free companies, so ought to know...)
The following items may be imported into the Philippines without incurring customs duty:
(snip tobacco bits, not relevent)
2L of alcoholic beverage, in bottles of not more than ...
4
You should not have any problems passing through Philadelphia Airport with 2 bottles of beer in you luggage. You can fill out your paperwork and unless you have something else to declare use the Green exit doors.
Pennsylvania while having some stranger liquor laws doesn't have any issues with importing federally allowed amount of liquor for personal ...
4
Take a melatonin pill. It's a natural substance your brain makes to make you sleepy, specially in the dark. Use it to just sleep through the flight. Two pills allowed me to sleep through a nine hour flight from Los Angeles to Vienna on a plane packed with noisy Russian kids. Melatonin should be readily available at a convenience shop at any decent ...
4
I'm not sure exactly what your definition of 'central Sydney' is, but the vast majority of the 'classic' pubs are in and around the Rocks area.
Personally my first choice would be the one you've mentioned - the Lord Nelson. It is a bit of a walk from the main area of The Rocks, but it's worth it. Not only is the pub itself impressive, but their on-site ...
3
It depends on how, um, elegant you want to be about opening the bottle.
When I was living in India, I took a trip to Paris, and I brought a couple bottles of wine back with me. I totally forgot that I didn't have a corkscrew with me, and I had no idea where I could go to find one.
What did I use? A regular table knife.
I chipped away at the cork until ...
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