Bar fly, Toni&GuyBAR FLY
Published in Toni&Guy's in-salon magazine
Sod sight seeing, the first thing any self-respecting traveler should do when arriving in a new country is check out its drinking holes.
A tipple or few of the unique local beverages on offer will give you more of a flavour for the nation’s cultural habits than any guidebook – as indeed will the novel hangover cures recommended by its barmen...
Australia
Say... “Cheers!”
Your poison? Victoria Bitter
VB is Australia’s biggest selling beer and accounts for one third of all “tinnies” sold in the country. Despite the name, it is actually a lager and natives claim that the brand, also known as Very Best and Victory Beer (after a favourable football match), is mainly drunk by expat poms.
The remedy? A Floater - a meat pie in a soup of peas and gravy. Or if that fails, hair of the dog.
China
Say... “Wen Lie!”
Your poison? Maotai
A clear 55% spirit that holds the dubious honour of being China’s national liquor, or baijiu. Distilled in the Guizhou province from fermented sorghum, its history dates back to the Qing Dynasty. The drink takes up to five years to mature and approximately five minutes to regret drinking.
The remedy? Kudzu - a large leaved, sweet-smelling vine used in traditional Chinese medicine as a combat for drunkenness. Its extract is served in a morning after tea called xing-jiu-ling.
Greece
Say... “Iss Ighian!”
Your poison? Ouzo
This aniseed- flavoured moonshine is consumed straight or with water, a process called louching that makes the drink go cloudy. It’s been made on the island of Lesbos since the 19th century in copper stills by fusing pure ethyl alcohol with anise to produce a 40%-proof hooch. Only the strong survive.
The remedy? Ariani, a drink made from Greek yoghurt, water and salt. An acquired taste but preferable to the Ancient Greek remedies of sheep's lungs and raw owl’s eggs.
Iceland
Say... “Skal!”
Your poison? Opal
A red liqueur made from the Icelandic sweets of the same name. The lethal brew enjoyed a short lived infamy in 2006 after Quentin Tarantino spent one New Year’s Eve necking it with Björk. “Now, I don’t really know what poison tastes like because if I did I’d be dead,” he said on a chat show. “But if I had to imagine what poison tastes like, it would be Opal.”
The remedy? Blue Lagoon - not the Curaçao cocktail but a dip in the restorative spring waters just outside of Reykjavik.
Japan
Say... “Kanpai!”
Your poison? Sake
A potent rice wine, also known as nihonshu, which is served both hot or cold depending on the grade, variety (of which there are hundreds) and season. Try a sake bomb - a Sapporo beer slammer with a shot of sake poured into it.
The remedy? The protein-rich slime left behind by silk worms lowers levels of alcohol and cholesterol in the blood according to Japanese scientists. Less messy is a sake-soaked surgical mask.
Kazakhstan
Say... “Densawliginiz usin!”
Your poison? Kumys
Borat claimed Kazakhstan’s national drink was fermented horse urine. In fact this intoxicating brew is made from mare’s milk. Or camel’s milk. Or goat’s milk. In fact any passing udders will do. If you shake it and it foams, it’s ready to drink. Bottoms up!
The remedy? Salted cucumber juice or black bread soaked in water.
Norway
Say... “Skal!”
Your poison? Akevitt
A schnapps made from potatoes and flavoured with caraway seeds which is shipped across the equator in caskets twice to give it its oaky taste. Named after the Latin for ‘water of life’, it sounds so wholesome but it’s also often referred to as Viking Fire Water for good reason. Best gulped down with a beer chaser.
The remedy? Eat mineral-rich herrings and drink pickle juice.
Switzerland
Say... “Proscht!”
Your poison? Damassine
A brandy made from mini plums of the same name, which were reputedly brought back from Damascus by a fruit-loving knight. The drink is only made and available from the Canton Jura region.
The remedy? Berocca – the Swiss invented the fizzy restorative vitamin drink in the 1960s. Clever so and sos.
Philippines
Say... “Tagay ko!”
Your poison? Lambanog
A 90%-proof coconut wine distilled from the sap of the unopened coconut flower. It is traditionally drunk from one communal glass, or tagayan. The organic, chemical free drink has been creeping onto international cocktail menus since 2001 giving Grappa, and paint stripper, a run for its money.
The remedy? Bululo soup – a tasty stew of beef knuckles, onion, celery, ginger, leeks, bok choy and fish sauce.
Poland
Say... “Nazdrowie!”
Your poison? Zubrowka
Poland and Russia both claim to have discovered vodka. First invented as a medicinal body rub in the 8th century, the Poles soon started quaffing it too and today produce dozens of brands. Zubrowka, the connoisseur’s choice, is infused with bison grass, which is a good thing apparently. Score points with locals by ordering a Tatanka (one part Zubrówka to two partsapple juice).
The remedy? Vodka, egg yolk, pepper and salt all mixed together.
Words Helen Jennings