10 Drinks to Try (or Avoid) Around the World

by Alyssa Ramos

Recently I stumbled upon my “only I can view these” photo albums on Facebook from my Eurotrip in college, and immediately remembered why I had hidden them… Mixed in with all of my awesome sightseeing pictures, are a few very obnoxious ones that made me wonder what the hell I was thinking when I posted them.

Oh right, I was young and stupid and thought posting pictures of shrooms in Amsterdam or sweatily dancing in a four story nightclub in Prague was cool at the time. Now I’m just impressed that I didn’t get arrested or something. But I definitely remember the unconventional drinks I had on that trip that I would highly recommend not trying, as well as a few I’ve had in other countries that I’d dub as test-worthy.

Just don’t blame me if you wake up with an extreme hangover or on a plane leaving the country.

1. Absinthe in Barcelona

This gets the number one spot because I really did wake up (or at least come back to reality) on a plane going home from Barcelona after drinking Absinthe the night before. Why we thought taking shots of flaming Absinthe from a little hole-in-the-wall bar in Barcelona was a good idea, I do not know. But I do know that I bought every light-up toy from the gypsy peddlers, lost half of my souvenirs, and ended up wearing three different futbol/soccer jerseys and a shit ton of bracelets.

2. Mushroom Tea in Amsterdam

Since mushrooms are legal in Amsterdam (or at least they were when I was there) most people want to to try them. At least we did. Unfortunately they taste like horse shit, most likely because that’s what they were probably grown in, so we had to figure out a way to actually ingest them.

We found the solution in one of the underground mushroom bars that are specifically for taking mushrooms in — they have weird laws where you aren’t allowed smoking weed in a shroom bar, and can’t take shrooms in a weed bar…you also can’t drink alcohol in either.

Anyway, the “bartender” turned our little tourist mushrooms into tea, which was still disgusting, and off we went to go on a highly humorous self-led tour of Amsterdam.

3. Hofbrauhaus Beer in Germany

Somehow, the beer at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich, Germany is A LOT stronger than any other beer I’ve tasted in the world. In fact, the Germans will go on and on about how American beer is crap and mostly water, then proceed to down an entire stein.

Non-German people would be blacked out after two steins, which is why it’s a rule that you can only order a maximum of two in the famous beer hall. It’s also a rule that you can’t chant in the beer hall….needless to say, we got kicked out for breaking both rules on various occasions.

4. Ouzo in Greece

I don’t know how the hell anyone likes Ouzo, but there’s a good chance I will never drink it again in my life. To be fair, I’m pretty sure we were drinking it wrong since we thought they were shots when you’re really supposed to sip it, but it’s definitely a taste that should have been acquired, not forced.

Oh and it’s 96% alcohol, so that’s probably another reason why my body automatically rejects the mere idea of it.

5. Kava Juice in Fiji

The first time I actually had kava juice was in Florida, and I ended up climbing a tree in the middle of a downtown area. It’s supposed to relax you and relieve stress, but I just felt like my head was spinning around in circles like the Cheshire Cat.

Kava is a root that is found in kava plants in the Pacific islands like Fiji, and is ground up into a juice that you drink to produce a sedative type concoction. It tastes like chalk and I hated the feeling, but that’s mostly because I’m more of a fan of hyper-drunk than sleepy-drunk.

6. Springbok in South Africa

Another drink that I will not be having ever again in my life, but if you’re Irish…or like shots…you may want to try it. Springbok shots consist of one measure of creme de menthe and one measure of amarula cream on top of it. You’re not supposed to mix them, but that last punch of mint really punches you in the face.

7. Cuba Libres in Cuba

Once you have Havana Club rum, your whole life will be changed. Well, maybe not that drastic, but you’ll definitely leave Cuba with a few duty free bottles of it. One of the most popular drinks in Cuba is the Cuba Libre, which is just rum, cola, and a splash of lime juice.

The name translates to “Free Cuba” which is a political term from the Revolucion that is now more ironic than it is accurate considering that the people there aren’t very free at all.

8. Olive Vodka in Prague

DO NOT try this. Learn from my mistakes and avoid trying to buy any type of flavored vodka from a grocery store in Prague. We were trying to save money by buying alcohol to pre-drink instead of the expensive cocktails at the night clubs, but couldn’t read the labels on any bottles, or speak to any of the clerks to ask them what things were.

Long story short, we ended up thinking we were buying blueberry vodka because of the picture on the bottle, and it ended up being a black olive. Most disgusting vodka I’ve ever tasted, but of course, we forced down shots before heading out anyway.

9. Wine in Italy

Guess what’s cheaper than water in Italy? Wine. It’s also delicious, so even if you aren’t a wine drinker, you’ll probably still enjoy a glass or five. If you can go to a vineyard in Florence, you can try wine straight out of the barrel, and possibly even get a home-cooked Italian meal as well!

10. Champagne in France

Yes, I know, so cliché, but if you’re going to France, you might as well try some champagne from the place it’s actually made. Surely you’ve heard that champagne can only be called “champagne” if it’s from Champagne, France, and there’s a ton of it in any restaurant or grocery store all over the country.

Perks of being in a country where an alcohol is made is that it’s typically dirt cheap! We bought a bunch of bottles for around 2 euros each and just drank them in front of the Eiffel Tower.