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Drinking culture

Drinking culture

Overview
Drinking culture refers to the customs and practices of people who drink alcoholic beverage
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains ethanol . Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits....

s.

Although types of alcoholic beverages and social attitudes toward drinking vary around the world, nearly every civilization
Civilization
A civilization is a complex society or culture group characterized by dependence upon agriculture, long-distance trade, state form of government, occupational specialization, population, and class stratification.-Definition:...

 has independently discovered the processes of brewing
Brewing
Brewing is the production of alcoholic beverages and alcohol fuel through fermentation. The term is used for the production of beer, although the word "brewing" is also used to describe the fermentation process used to create wine and mead. It can also refer to the process of producing sake and soy...

 beer
Beer
Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely...

, fermenting
Fermentation (wine)
The process of fermentation in wine is the catalyst function that turns grape juice into an alcoholic beverage. During fermentation yeast interact with sugars in the juice to create ethanol, commonly known as ethyl alcohol, and carbon dioxide...

 wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage typically made of fermented grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients. Wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast consumes...

, and distilling
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in their volatilities in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....

 spirits
Distilled beverage
A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirits is a drinkable liquid containing ethanol that is produced by means of distilling fermented grain, fruit, or vegetables.This excludes undistilled fermented beverages such as beer and wine, and often the term hard liquor is used to contrast distilled beverages...

.

Alcohol and its effects have been present wherever people have lived throughout history. Drinking  is documented in the Hebrew and Christian bible
Bible
The Bible contains the central religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. Modern Judaism generally recognizes a single set of canonical books known as the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, as it is written almost entirely in the Hebrew language, with some small portions in Aramaic...

s, in Greek literature as old as Homer
Homer
Homer is a legendary ancient Greek epic poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey...

, and in Confucius’s Analects.

Social drinking refers to casual drinking in a social setting without an intent to get drunk.

Social drinking plays an important (but not traditional) role in such social functions as dating, and marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...

.
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Encyclopedia
Drinking culture refers to the customs and practices of people who drink alcoholic beverage
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains ethanol . Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits....

s.

Although types of alcoholic beverages and social attitudes toward drinking vary around the world, nearly every civilization
Civilization
A civilization is a complex society or culture group characterized by dependence upon agriculture, long-distance trade, state form of government, occupational specialization, population, and class stratification.-Definition:...

 has independently discovered the processes of brewing
Brewing
Brewing is the production of alcoholic beverages and alcohol fuel through fermentation. The term is used for the production of beer, although the word "brewing" is also used to describe the fermentation process used to create wine and mead. It can also refer to the process of producing sake and soy...

 beer
Beer
Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely...

, fermenting
Fermentation (wine)
The process of fermentation in wine is the catalyst function that turns grape juice into an alcoholic beverage. During fermentation yeast interact with sugars in the juice to create ethanol, commonly known as ethyl alcohol, and carbon dioxide...

 wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage typically made of fermented grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients. Wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast consumes...

, and distilling
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in their volatilities in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....

 spirits
Distilled beverage
A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirits is a drinkable liquid containing ethanol that is produced by means of distilling fermented grain, fruit, or vegetables.This excludes undistilled fermented beverages such as beer and wine, and often the term hard liquor is used to contrast distilled beverages...

.

Alcohol and its effects have been present wherever people have lived throughout history. Drinking  is documented in the Hebrew and Christian bible
Bible
The Bible contains the central religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. Modern Judaism generally recognizes a single set of canonical books known as the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, as it is written almost entirely in the Hebrew language, with some small portions in Aramaic...

s, in Greek literature as old as Homer
Homer
Homer is a legendary ancient Greek epic poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey...

, and in Confucius’s Analects.

Social drinking


Social drinking refers to casual drinking in a social setting without an intent to get drunk.

Social drinking plays an important (but not traditional) role in such social functions as dating, and marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...

. For example, a person buying another a drink at a singles bar
Singles Bar
Singles Bar is a 1983 studio album from Swedish country and pop singer Kikki Danielsson. On the album charts, "Singles Bar" as best finished 13th in Norway and 35th in Sweden.-Side A:-Side B:-Facts:*Produced and arranged by Anders Glenmark...

 is a gesture that the one is interested in the other and often initiates conversation, or at least flirtation.

Bad news is often expressed through a drink, whilst good news is often celebrated by having a few drinks - for example, one drinks to "wet the baby's head" to celebrate a birth. Buying someone a drink is a gesture of goodwill, and can be used as an expression of gratitude or mark the resolution of a dispute--to mark an end to an aggressive relationship. The physical act of going to a comfortable setting with friends is a large part of sharing a drink in the above situations, but the fact remains that people have found as many reasons to meet for a drink as they have to meet for tea
Tea
Tea is the agricultural product of the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of the Camellia sinensis plant, prepared and cured by various methods...

, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...

, or to eat.

Binge drinking


Binge drinking is sometimes defined as drinking alcohol solely for the purpose of intoxication, although it is quite common for binge drinking to apply to a social situation, creating some overlap in social and binge drinking. Some researchers use a low threshold definition in which binge drinking refers to a woman consuming four drinks and a man consuming five drinks on an occasion. Because drinking occasions can last up to five or seven hours, many such bingers never become intoxicated. Clinically and traditionally, however, binge drinking is defined as a period of continuing intoxication lasting at least two days during which time the binger neglects usual life activities (work, family, etc.). The concept of a "binge" has been somewhat elastic over the years, implying consumption of alcohol far beyond what is socially acceptable. In earlier decades, "going on a binge" meant drinking over the course of days until one was no longer physically able to continue. The usage is known to have entered the
English language as early as 1854; it derives from an English dialectal word meaning to "soak" or literally "fill a boat with water". (OED, American Heritage Dictionary)

University
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...

 students have a reputation for engaging in binge drinking, most famously in the USA, UK, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...

, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...

, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...

 as well as generally throughout Northern Europe
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as including the following countries and dependent regions:** ** ** Ireland** Svalbard and Jan Mayen** ** Channel Islands: and...

, Belgium
Belgium
The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...

 and Canada
Canada
Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. Participants include university athletes, fraternities, and sororities, particularly after final examinations, varsity wins or during spring break
Spring break
Spring break, also known as March break, Study Week or Reading Week in some parts of Canada, is a week long recess from studying in early spring at universities and schools in the United States, Canada, mainland China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, and other countries.-Time of the year:In the...

. Some common reasons for this propensity for binge drinking is that many university students are living on their own for the first time, are free of parental supervision, and are among peers.

It is widely observed that in areas of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...

 where children and adolescents routinely experience alcohol early and with parental approval, such as watered-down wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage typically made of fermented grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients. Wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast consumes...

 with a meal, binge drinking tends to be less prevalent. Typically, the schism is drawn between northern and southern Europe, with northerners being the binge drinkers. As early as the eighth century, Saint Boniface
Saint Boniface
Saint Boniface , the Apostle of the Germans, born Winfrid or Wynfrith at Crediton in the kingdom of Wessex , was a missionary who propagated Christianity in the Frankish Empire during the 8th century. He is the patron saint of Germany and the first archbishop of Mainz.He was killed in Frisia in 754...

 was writing to Cuthbert, Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
Also see Leaders of ChristianityThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, the see that churches must be in communion with in order to be...

, to report how "in your diocese, the vice of drunkenness is too frequent. This is an evil peculiar to pagans and to our race. Neither the Franks nor the Gauls nor the Lombards nor the Romans nor the Greeks commit it".http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,1558040,00.html Possibly, however, "the vice of drunkenness" was not evenly discernible among nations. The 16th century Frenchman Rabelais wrote comedic and absurd
Surreal humour
Surreal humour is a form of humour, stylistically related to the artistic ambitions of the surrealists, based on bizarre juxtapositions, absurd situations and nonsense...

 satires illustrating his countrymen's drinking habits and was banned by the Catholic
Catholic
The word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective , meaning "universal". In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. For some, the term "Catholic Church" refers to the church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, made up of the Latin Rite and the 22...

 church while Saint Augustin used the example of a drunkard in Rome to illustrate certain spiritual principles.

The Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...

n phenomenon of the six o'clock swill
Six o'clock swill
The Six o'clock swill was the last-minute rush to buy drinks at a hotel bar before it closed. During a significant part of the 20th century, Australian and New Zealand hotels shut their public bars at 6 p.m.; between finishing work and this early closing hour, men drank heavily.- The rush to drink...

, in the post-war years, was a form of binge drinking.

Binge drinking is common in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a geographical region in northern Europe that includes, and is named after, the Scanian Province. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark...

n countries, even in Norway and Sweden despite their history of high prices of and restricted access to alcohol in recent decades. For example, the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...

 cultural phenomenon known as Russ
Russ
Russ is a participant in the traditional norwegian videregående skole graduation ceremony known as russefeiring . Russ are easily recognized by their distinctive overalls, which tradition dictates that they wear from the 1st to the 17th of May without interruption , and without washing it...

 provides high school seniors with a socially accepted venue for binge drinking. For younger people, from about 14-15 years and until leaving adolescence, binge drinking may be the main form of drinking. Denmark which has the most lax access to alcohol in Scandinavia unsurprisingly also has the highest alcohol consumption among teenagers, not only in Scandinavia but in the world. Still the alcohol consumption among teenagers in Denmark is still lower than the alcohol consumption of adults in Denmark which is only average worldwide.

Significantly, Northern European countries are among the most stringent in their punishment of offenders driving under the influence of alcohol, sometimes imposing a lifetime loss of driving privileges without appeal.

Some studies have noted traditional, cultural differences between Northern and Southern Europe. A difference in perception may also account to some extent for historically noted cultural differences: Northern Europeans drink beer
Beer
Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely...

, which in the past was often of a low alcohol content (2.5% compared to today's 5%). In pre-industrial society
Pre-industrial society
Pre-industrial society refers to specific social attributes and forms of political and cultural organization that were prevalent before the advent of the Industrial Revolution.- Some attributes of the pre-industrial societies:...

, beer being boiled and alcohol was safer to drink than water. Southern Europeans drink wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage typically made of fermented grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients. Wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast consumes...

 and fortified wines (10-20% alcohol by volume). Traditionally, wine was watered and honeyed, drinking full strength wine was considered barbaric in Republican Rome. Fortified wine was not common until Brandy
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine, the wine having first been produced by fermenting grapes. Brandy generally contains 36%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...

 was created by distilling Port
Port wine
Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine from the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet red wine, but also comes in dry, semi-dry and white varieties. It is often served as a dessert wine...

 for transportation purposes. Nor does binge drinking necessarily equate with substantially higher national averages of per capita/per annum litres of pure alcohol consumption. There is also a physical aspect to national differences worldwide, which has not yet been thoroughly studied, whereby some ethnic groups have a greater capacity for alcohol metabolization through the liver enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase
Alcohol dehydrogenase
Alcohol dehydrogenases are a group of seven dehydrogenase enzymes that occur in many organisms and facilitate the interconversion between alcohols and aldehydes or ketones with the reduction of NAD+ to NADH...

 and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase
Acetaldehyde dehydrogenase
Acetaldehyde dehydrogenases are dehydrogenase enzymes which catalyze the conversion of acetaldehyde into acetic acid.The oxidation of acetaldehyde to acetate can be summarized as follows:The CAS number for this type of the enzyme is [9028-91-5]....

.

These varying capacities do not, however, avoid all health risks inherent in heavy alcohol consumption. Alcohol abuse is associated with a variety of negative health and safety outcomes. This is true no matter the individual's or the ethnic group's perceived ability to "handle alcohol". Persons who believe themselves immune to the effects of alcohol may often be the most at risk for health concerns and the most dangerous of all operating a vehicle.

"Chronic heavy drinkers display functional tolerance when they show few obvious signs of intoxication even at high blood alcohol concentrations (BAC's), which in others would be incapacitating or even fatal. Because the drinker does not experience significant behavioral impairment as a result of drinking, tolerance may facilitate the consumption of increasing amounts of alcohol. This can result in physical dependence and alcohol-related organ damage."

Session drinking


Session drinking is drinking in large quantities over a single period of time, or session, without the intention of getting heavily intoxicated. Unlike binge drinking, the focus is on the social aspects of the occasion. A session beer, such as a session bitter, is a beer
Beer
Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely...

 that has a moderate or low alcohol content - in the UK this would be around 4% e.g. Carling, or a bitter which is generally weaker than lager abv
Alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage...

, while in the USA session beers may go as high as 5%.

Competitive drinking (World Drinking Record)



Speed drinking or competitive drinking is drinking small or moderate quantities of beer or ale over the shortest period of time, without the intention of getting heavily intoxicated. Unlike binge drinking the focus is on the competition, or establishment of a record. Typically speed drinkers consume lighter beers such as lagers and allow their beer to go warm and lose its carbonation to shorten the drinking time. The Guinness Book of World Records (1990 edition, p. 464) lists several records for speed drinking. The first is for 2 litre
Litre
The litre or liter is a unit of volume. There are two official symbols: the Latin letter L in lower and upper case . The lower case L is also often written as a cursive ℓ, though this symbol has no official approval by any international bureau...

s (3.5 imperial pint
Pint
The pint is an English unit of volume or capacity in the imperial system and United States customary units. The imperial version is 20 imperial fluid ounces and is equivalent to 568.26 mL, while the U.S. version is 16 U.S. fluid ounces and is equivalent to 473 mL...

s, or about 66.7 U.S.
United States customary units
The United States customary system, or American system and sometimes "English units", of units of measurement is the most commonly used system of measurement in the United States. It is similar but not identical to the British Imperial units. The U.S...

 fluid ounce
Fluid ounce
A fluid ounce is a unit of volume equal to about 29 ml. It is used in both the imperial and the US customary systems, and it is sometimes referred to simply as an ounce in cases where no confusion with the unit of weight is likely to occur.-Definitions and equivalences:Imperial fluid ounceUS...

s) set by Peter G. Dowdeswell
Peter Dowdeswell
English gourmand Peter Dowdeswell, born in London on July 29 1940, is among the most successful competitive eaters in the recorded history of the sport...

 (born London, July 23 1940) of Earls Barton, Northants, England. Mr. Dowdeswell consumed 2 litres in 6 seconds on February 7, 1975. Steven Petrosino of New Cumberland, Pennsylvania
New Cumberland, Pennsylvania
New Cumberland is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. New Cumberland was incorporated as a borough on March 21, 1831. The population was 7,349 at the 2000 census...

 (born November 1951) consumed 1 litre (33 oz) of beer in 1.3 s to set a world drinking record at the
Gingerbreadman Pub in Carlisle, PA on June 22, 1977. Neither of these records had been defeated when Guinness retired all drinking records from their compendium in 1991.

Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke
Bob Hawke
Robert James Lee Hawke, AC was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia and longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....

 held a record for the fastest consumption of beer, consuming 2.5 pints in 12 seconds.

Free drinks


Free drinks is a ritual which has existed in various institutions at various times and within various cultures and tradition
Tradition
The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem, acc. of traditio which means "handing over, passing on", and is used in a number of ways in the English language:...

s. The social effects of this ritual, however, have more to do with sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the scientific or systematic study of human societies. It is a branch of social science that uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and activity, often with the goal of applying such...

 and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is an academic and applied discipline involving the systematic, and sometimes scientific, study of human or animal mental functions and behavior...

 than the more temporary physical effects of the event itself.

For example, during a wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...

, free drinks are often served to guests during the reception known as an open bar, as a matter of celebration, or at more serious functions, free drinks may be offered in order to entice greater attendance. Interestingly enough, this phenomenon combines the human need and capacity for ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers, or dictated purely by logic, chance, necessity, etc..A ritual may be...

 societal gatherings and basic greed
Greed
Greed in psychology is an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth.-Theology:...

. Free drinks are also commonly offered to casino
Casino
A casino is a facility that houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships and other tourist attractions...

 patrons to entice them to continue gaming
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods. Typically, the outcome of the wager is evident within a short period....

. Free drinks can assume an almost mystical status in the minds of everyday people, who are accustomed to paying for their drinks.

Further examples include the more recent policy of "ladies drink free" at bars; a fairly transparent ploy designed to hopefully bring a bar more female visitors, and hopefully, to thereby bring in more male patrons. Many military bases, as well as large corporations, (especially in Japan
Japan
is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

) have favoured bars, often locations specifically catering to these institutions; private functions arranged here, while providing free drinks, can often be obligatory. Another view of the free drinks phenomenon is far more basic: the simple act of sharing one's beverage with another, be it from the same container, or bringing a cold beer
Beer
Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely...

 from the refrigerator
Refrigerator
A refrigerator is a cooling appliance comprising a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump—chemical or mechanical means—to transfer heat from it to the external environment, cooling the contents to a temperature below ambient. Refrigerators are extensively used to store foods which spoil...

 for a friend.

In the United States, fraternity houses at college campuses often serve "Free Beer" to attract potential rushees and attractive women (Oleson and Larson 2004).

Terms describing drinks, or used in bartending
Bartender
A bartender serves beverages behind a bar in a bar, pub, tavern or similar establishment...

  • Neat - A single unmixed beverage product served at room temperature.
  • Straight - A single unmixed beverage product served chilled.
  • Down - Any drink served in a tumbler glass.
  • Up - Any drink served in stemware.
  • On the rocks - Any drink served with multiple cubes of ice in it.
  • Shake - Drink ingredients are shaken with ice in a cocktail shaker
    Cocktail shaker
    A cocktail shaker is a device used to mix beverages by shaking. When ice is put in the shaker this allows for a quicker cooling of the drink before serving....

    , then strained into a service glass.
  • Stir - Drink ingredients are stirred with ice in a mixing glass, then strained into a service glass.

  • Shot - 1 or 1.5 ounces (3 or 5 cl) of liquor in a shot glass, to be drunk in one quick motion; in the mouth and immediately down the throat without tasting (shooting)
  • Chug - to drink large volumes of alcohol quickly
  • Nursing a drink - Usually derisively, to imply a patron is drinking too slowly.
  • Scull - another term meaning to drink large volumes of alcohol quickly
  • Chaser - a drink to be consumed directly subsequent to another drink, ie: a whisky following a pint of beer, or, more commonly, in reverse order, eg: water after tequila, or Coca Cola after a shot of vodka.
  • With a twist - served with a twist of citrus peel, either lemon or lime
  • In the face - a term common to Northern England, colloquially meaning "drink up"
  • "Down it" - another term used that proposes the drinker to finish his/her drink quickly.
  • "X it" - another term used that proposes the drinker to finish his/her drink quickly.
  • "Get her done" - another term used that proposes the drinker to finish his/her drink quickly.
  • Spider - A term for a free drink (Midwest America
    Midwestern United States
    The Midwestern United States is one of the four geographic regions within the United States of America that are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau....

    ). The very last serving poured from a bottle is usually not a full serving but may be close to it. It may be drunk as is, or be added to a full serving for the price of the next full serving. It is called by the patron and usually honored by the server (sometimes grudgingly).

Drinking terms

  • Happy hour
    Happy hour
    "Happy hour" is a marketing term for a period of time in which a restaurant or bar offers discounts on alcoholic drinks, such as beer, wine and cocktails....

     - A period of time during which the price of drinks (at a bar) is reduced or hors d'oeuvres are served free.
  • Last call
    Last Call
    Last Call may refer to:* Last call , an announcement made in a bar before serving drinks is stopped* Last Call , a 2000 computer game-Film and television:* Last Call , a 2002 film about F...

     - The last opportunity for patrons to purchase drinks before closing of the bar. Typically "called" by the bar tender several minutes before a drinking establishment's official designated closing time.
  • Irish goodbye
    Irish goodbye
    Irish goodbye is a slang term with its origins in the Irish-American neighborhoods of New York City and Boston. The term refers to the practice of inconspicuously leaving a place where one has gathered with friends without ever formally announcing that one is leaving...

     - leaving a bar or party inconspicuously, for example when one has had too much to drink
  • Beer pong
    Beer pong
    Beer Pong is a drinking game in which players throw a ping-pong ball across a table with the intent of landing the ball in a cup of beer on the other end. The game typically consists of two two-player teams and multiple cups set up on each side set up in triangle formation...

     - Drinking game played on a ping-pong table, or similar sized table. The object is to throw a ping pong ball into the opponents cup, usually filled about 1/4 the way with beer. The opponent then drinks the beer in the cup. The person who has no cups left at the end of the game is the loser.
  • Buffalo
    Buffalo (drinking game)
    Buffalo is a drinking game popular around the world. People who play the game refer to themselves as "Buffalos". A group of people playing the game often form Buffalo Clubs.-Rules:The rules are very simple, and involve which hand you may use to drink....

     - A drinking game that is carried through one's lifetime. If you are ever caught with a drink in your right hand, and someone calls you by saying "Buffalo!" you must finish your drink. Any alcoholic beverage that is open and not product sealed is considered to be a drink. If someone calls a false Buffalo, the caller must finish their own drink.
  • Body shot
    Body shot
    A body shot is a shot of alcohol that is consumed from a person's body, usually from erogenous zones such as the navel or the breasts....

     - A shot that is taken off a person's body, usually in the belly button or chest.
  • Cannonball/Strikeout - The act of taking a hit of marijuana on a bong or pipe, then chugging a full beer and drinking a shot. Only after both beverages have been consumed can drinker exhale what is left of the marijuana smoke.
  • Century Club
    Century Club
    Century Club may refer to:*Centurion, a variation of the drinking game known as Power Hour*The Century Association, a prominent private authors and artists club, with its own building, in New York City...

     - A drinking spree which involves one shot of beer every minute for 100 consecutive minutes.
  • Shotgun
    Shotgunning
    Shotgunning is a means of consuming a canned beverage, especially beer, very quickly by a particular technique involving punching a hole in the side of the can.-Procedures:...

     - A term used to describe drinking beer through a hole punched in the bottom of the can, and then opening the top. This method serves to "shoot" the beer out of the can faster thus allowing the recipient to become intoxicated faster. This method is popular among fraternity members, especially at "tailgate" football parties in the southern United States. Shotgunning is also used to describe drinking from a bottle, using a straw to equalise air pressure inside and outside the bottle, whilst not actually drinking through the straw itself. Again the aim is to force the drink from the container more quickly. This is also known as a strawpedo — a wordplay on torpedo
    Torpedo
    The modern torpedo is a self-propelled explosive projectile weapon, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater toward a target, and designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target...

     — or as a snorkel
    Snorkeling
    Snorkeling is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn...

     in Australia.
  • Power hour
    Power Hour
    Power Hour, with its variant Centurion , is a drinking event where every player drinks one shot of beer every minute. Each shot contains 1.5 fluid ounces , for a total of 90 fl. oz. of consumption during the power hour. For purposes of blood alcohol content, this amount of beer is equivalent to...

     - A drinking spree which involves one shot of beer every minute for 60 consecutive minutes.
  • Flask
    Hip flask
    A hip flask is a thin flask for holding a distilled beverage; its size and shape are suited to a trouser pocket.-Description:Hip flasks were traditionally made of pewter, silver, or even glass, though most modern flasks are made from stainless steel. Some come with small cups to make sharing...

     - a concealable container designed to hold a small amount of liquor in a pocket

See also

  • Alcoholic beverage
    Alcoholic beverage
    An alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains ethanol . Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits....

  • Bartending
    Bartender
    A bartender serves beverages behind a bar in a bar, pub, tavern or similar establishment...

  • Beer festival
    Beer festival
    A Beer Festival is an organised event during which a variety of beers are available for tasting and purchase. Beer festivals are held in a number of countries...

  • Binge drinking
    Binge drinking
    Binge drinking is the modern definition of drinking alcoholic beverages with the primary intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time. It is a kind of purposeful drinking style that is popular in several countries worldwide, and overlaps somewhat...

  • Distilled beverage
    Distilled beverage
    A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirits is a drinkable liquid containing ethanol that is produced by means of distilling fermented grain, fruit, or vegetables.This excludes undistilled fermented beverages such as beer and wine, and often the term hard liquor is used to contrast distilled beverages...

  • Dive bar
    Dive bar
    A dive bar, or dive, is a downmarket drinking establishment frequented by a poor or working class clientele.- Etymology :The term “dive” dates from London in the 19th century, when young men wanted a livelier place in which to spend their afternoons than the gentlemen’s clubs frequented by their...

  • List of alcohol-related topics
  • Party
    Party
    A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, and recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well....


External links


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