If we could choose to do anything for the rest of our lives, it would be to travel the world, taking in the culture, food and, most importantly, the booze at local watering holes. Yes, we just finished marathoning our PVRed episodes of Anthony Bourdain’s now defunct No Reservations and have been plotting out the next five or so years to ensure that we will have our own travel show.
England – Gin
Clearly the most notorious
drink is not the be-all and end-all of wherever you’re visiting. You wouldn’t
go to Canada and assume everyone is glugging down Canadian whiskey; Canadians
are probably jammed in some sports bar with a liter of beer and the hockey game
on full volume.
Same goes for England;
just substitute “hockey”
with “football.”
If you’re traveling to
England and you really want to enjoy a classic gin & tonic instead of
watching a fighting match with an Addicks, there are a few places of note you
can stop into, but we really enjoy the City of
London Distillery. Patrons can choose between distillery tours of
small-batch artisan gin, a class and in-depth tour with the Master Distiller.
Or, if you want to go straight for the gin, go to their C.O.L.D. bar which
has over 175 gin products on their menu. It would be safe to call the City of
London Distillery a certified gin joint.
Lima, Peru – Pisco
Lima has become the secret
hipster hangout for South America, and, like our own hipsters, Peru’s younger
generation is reinventing the pisco cocktail. You won’t have any trouble
finding a pisco sour on the menu. If you want the real deal, head to Brujas De
Cachiche, one of the first bars in town to pick up on the trend and reintroduce
the grape brandy to their cocktail menu, and they show no signs of stopping.
You’ll find new drinks daily on their menu and the bartenders are more than
happy to test out your own twist on how this brandy should be served.
France - Champagne
While we usually steer
clear of hotel bars
while traveling, in France,
the hotel bar is an inevitability.Le Dokhan’s Bar,
the City of Light's first champagne bar,
may sound intimidating, however, it is anything but. Run by the best sommeliers
in France, Le Dokhan's Bar selects three champagnes a week to spotlight on
their menu and offers more than 60 champagnes by the bottle and five by the
glass. They also have a great degustation menu that can be paired with either
caviar or chocolate.
Located a mere five
minutes away from a postcard-perfect view of the Eiffel Tower, you’re going to
want to remember this spot if you’re traveling with a lover.
Tokyo - Japanese Whiskey
If it’s Japanese whiskey
you want, you'll find your pleasure at the Zoetrope, in
Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. If you have no knowledge of the liquor, the
Zoetrope's a great starting point, and if you’re an aficionado, this place is
heaven on earth.
With over 300 bottles
behind the bar ranging from well-known labels like Suntory to single-cask
offerings you’ve never even heard of, this dimly-lit little hole-in-the-wall
might just be the world's best location to hunker down for a few hours. Be
warned that this isn’t the type of joint where you can talk the barkeep’s ear
off; the staff's more interested in watching the silent film projections on the
wall. But if the owner is around, ask to see his replica of Masataka
Taketsuru’s diary from Scotland or the functional zoetrope they keep under the
bar.
Edinburgh - Scotch Whiskey
While all of Edinburgh is
pretty much a fully functional pub, make sure to stumble into the newly opened
pub The Black Cat at
least once during your trip. Unlike other places on our list, The Black Cat
doesn’t really scream whiskey bar, but it’s fully stocked with around 200
hand-selected Scottish whiskies as well as some great local brews and ciders.
It’s located on Rose Street, which is a pub crawl magnet for tourists, so it
may be tricky to land a table. But there's nothing wrong with a stiff drink at
the bar while you wait.
