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You may think you can clink glasses, raise a toast, or have your chosen drink any time of the day you want in any part of the world. But each region and continent across the globe has its set drinking culture that you should inculcate as part of your cultural intelligence if you take an active interest in this topic. After all, you must not offend any geographical or religious sensibilities irrespective of where you are, and drinking forms a part of one of those practices too. While raising a toast to an important achievement may seem innocuous in one part of the world, in another part of the world, chances are you might be looked down upon.
From drinking from very particular kinds of glasses (sometimes, even a shoe!) to maintaining a certain posture while drinking, there’s a list of rules and regulations you ought to follow to be a responsible global drinker. While every region has specific traditions, this is a non-exhaustive list you can keep returning to that covers some of the basic do’s and don’ts based on which continent you’re travelling to next.
United We Stand: Togetherness While Drinking in Asia
Countries like Japan, South Korea and China value togetherness, harmony and respect to elders most when it comes to drinking. One of the non-negotiable drinking customs in Japan and China involves pouring drinks for others first rather than yourself. It is considered rude to pour your own drink in a group setting. The first drink of the evening is consumed only when all glasses are filled.
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Similarly in Korea, letting elders drink first is a major sign of respect. Asians not only treasure community the most when it comes to drinking but also are slowly morphing into the proud bearers of the cocktail capital of the world, leaving behind places like New York City. This is also primarily due to the indigenous ingredients they value in their cocktails. These ingredients may include but are not limited to Asian teas and herbs that are included in their experimental drinks. When you do the rounds around Singapore and Taiwan, where cocktail bars are thriving, you must take note of their native ingredients and honour them. Similarly, in India, bartenders are looking towards street food for inspiration for their cocktails instead of regular ingredients like fruits and vegetables. Cocktails infused with coriander, ginger, and sometimes even Goan curry are on the rise. And if you are visiting one of these bars, especially with company, best to make early reservations since bars in India are usually crowded.
Calculated Drinking in Scandinavia
While Americans tend to designate weekends for prime drinking, Scandinavian consumers don’t limit themselves to Friday and Saturday nights. Similar to other European countries like France, Germany and Spain, drinking is a part of their quotidian lifestyle, but here, drinking is more closely tied to holidays, dinners, vacations, and other festive occasions in general. It’s been concentrated on fewer occasions and more calculated than drinking cultures in the rest of Europe and the whole of North America.
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Like the Asians, enthusiasts in Scandinavian countries also drink with the community. Companies usually organise Friday bars at the end of the week for employees, and you’ll rarely ever find someone sitting with a drink in hand all alone in a Scandinavian bar. Their community-driven drinking is also motivated by their toasting traditions, wherein they toast for any notable event or milestone and make eye contact with their drinking companion(s).
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To Toast or Not to Toast
Many countries are divided on whether toasting is a positive or negative practice, and it is accordingly either encouraged or dissuaded. While toasting is actively encouraged in parts of the United States, it is considered a massive social faux pas in Hungary because of cultural beliefs.
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At a dinner party or holiday feast in parts of the State, you can have a designated toastmaster leading the toasts. With drinks being offered to friends and family and to those who have passed, the toasts can quickly touch and even pass the double-digit mark. It is very common to have at least a dozen toasts on social occasions. Typically wine or spirits are used for these toasts while beer is not an option.
Clinking cocktail glasses is perfectly acceptable in Hungary. The trouble arises when the same is done for beer. Ensure you never raise a toast or clink glasses of beer with anyone. This practice of saying ‘cheers!’ was abolished in Hungary around 150 years ago and still continues to this day.
Drinking customs can not only fluctuate per continent but also per state (in something as narrowed-down as Georgia in the United States) and not knowing what etiquette to follow in what part of the world can be risky. However, if you’re fascinated by the motley of drinks around the world and have several of them on your bucket list, then learning them will transform you into a confident globe trotter.
