Tour of the tipples
Travelling in summer can be thirsty work, so raise a glass or two to our round-up of the best places to enjoy a drop by Lorraine Shah
Becherovka (Czech Republic) This herbal bitter liqueur is made in the Czech town of Karlovy Vary. First sold in 1807, it’s flavoured with anise seeds, cinnamon and some 32 other herbs, and is normally served cold. Often used as an aid to digestion (“where it flows, the illness goes”), it can also be served with a tonic water, in which case it is known as a “beton”. With a 38 per cent alcohol content, I’d put a “beton” it leaving me with a sore head! |
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Pastis (France) Potent Pastis is an anise-flavoured apéritif, first formulated when absinthe was banned in France in 1915 due to its supposed link to insanity. Pastis, which means “mixed” in the Provençale dialect, is normally diluted with water before drinking, is consumed cold (although die-hard drinkers swear off the ice!) and is generally associated with the south-east of France, especially Marseille. |
Guinness (Ireland) The iconic black-and-white beer, first crafted in Dublin in 1759, is brewed in almost 50 countries and enjoyed in 150 – although nowhere is it as beloved as the Emerald Isle, where it’s the best-selling alcoholic drink of all time. Despite its reputation as a “meal in a glass”, Guinness only contains 198 calories per pint, fewer than an equal-sized serving of skimmed milk or orange juice. How ironic for a drink classed as a “stout”! |
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Prosecco (Italy) This wine, which has a bitter aftertaste, is made from the white Prosecco grape grown in the Conegliano and Valdobbiadene regions of Italy. Thought to have origins going back to the Roman Empire, Prosecco comes in still, semisparkling or sparkling varieties, the latter being the basis for a bona-fide Bellini cocktail. Its popularity has led to the development of wine tourism on the estates where it is cultivated. Try it in Rome and toast those ancient Roman dwellers who first gave it a name. |
Whisky (Scotland) Scotch whiskies are generally distilled twice and are matured for a minimum of three years in oak casks. The drink has survived Prohibition, wars, revolutions, economic depressions and recessions, to maintain its position today as the international spirit of choice, generating more than £2 billion in export earnings every year. I’ll drink to that! |
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Sangria (Spain) There are few things more famously Spanish than sangria. Imitated the world over, the real deal typically consists of red wine, sliced fruit, a sweetener such as honey, a small amount of brandy, and lemonade. Deliciously moreish, sangria, which comes from the Spanish word for blood, makes any fiesta go with a swing. |
Jenever (Netherlands) Gin is thought to have evolved from this juniper-flavoured liquor, which was first sold as a medicine in the late 16th century after being invented by a Dutch chemist and alchemist. Jenever is usually served very cold straight from a bottle that has been kept in a freezer and ideally in frosted glasses. It’s often drunk with cold lager as a chaser – something which is charmingly referred to as a kopstoot (headbutt)! |
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Port (Portugal) This sweet fortified wine is produced from grapes grown and processed in Portugal’s Douro Valley, home to the country’s second city, Porto. It’s commonly served after meals as a dessert wine, or with cheese. However, I find it so exceedingly yummy that I’ll drink it anywhere, at any time, with anything! Too bad that overconsumption was once linked to gout! |
and for the morning after…
A selection of some wild, wacky and, quite frankly, disgusting hangover cures:
Czech Republic: brine from a jar of pickled cucumbers.
France: artichoke purée.
Italy: a shot of Fernet-Branca, a bitter herbal digestif. Alternatively, Pliny, the sage of Ancient Rome, swore by “two eels suffocated in wine”, along with cabbage and a necklace of parsley.
Netherlands: matjes, a raw fresh salted baby herring. You eat it with onions and chase it with a beer.
Scotland: a can of Irn-Bru – an orangey-looking carbonated drink
Personally, I think that I’ll stick to a Bloody Mary or a couple of aspirins!
