What on earth have you been smoking? Ohh your Dutch...
You can almost taste the World Cup in the air, you can feel the excitement building in the nations bones, you can hear ill informed idiots suddenly thinking they know it all just because they read a story in a Sunday paper.
As we all know football is a game of two halves and a pint is made up of two halves – coincidence? Well we don’t think so and as a result here are another 16 fine drinks* relating to this year’s World Cup nations (the first 16 can be found here).
So get pouring, get cheering and get ready to make a fortune in tips if England make it all the way!!
*BarLifeUK cannot be held responsible if these drinks turn out to be shit – BarLifeUK Legal Team
GROUP E
Netherlands
Ahhh the Dutch, surely most supporters favourite ‘second’ team! The men in orange invented Total Football and still play with a joy and freedom that is better to watch than an Amsterdam shop window. They also have a history of mighty fine booze and the Heineken Brewery is one of the must see tourist attractions (providing you still can see of course), so it has to be:
Drink: Heineken
Denmark
The great Danes aren’t expected to do a whole lot this year and will do well to qualify from this tough group. It is also a close fight for best beer in this group and Denmark’s trademark brew is none less than Carlsberg.
Drink: Carlsberg
Japan
You have to have a bit of a soft spot for the Japanese, such enthusiasm should be rewarded and they do properly love their footy. They also love good drinks and more and more excellent bars are popping up across the country. When it comes to beer they wade in with the lovely Kirin and for the ladies look no further than some Midori
Drink: Kirin and Midori
Cameroon
Remember Roger Milla? The oldest bloke to score in a World Cup Finals? Well this drink has nothing to do with him at all. I know the Mojito is Cuban but bear with me! A lot of historians say it was invented by African slaves working the sugar cane fields of Cuba and Cameroon makes a killer Sugar Cane Wine so this, to me, makes perfect sense! The Cameroon Mojito
Mojito
30ml Rum
3 wedges fresh lime
12 fresh mint leaves
2 bar spoons sugar cane juice or sugar syrup
Soda water
Muddle together the mint and lime briefly in a Collins Glass, chuck in the rum and sugar syrup and give it another quick muddle. Half-fill glass with crushed ice. Give it a damn good stirring, top up with more crushed ice and add soda to fill. Garnish with a fresh sprig of mint.
GROUP F
Italy
The Italians care more about their hair than their football, which makes it even more depressing that they are still better than us. When it comes to booze they have given us some classics and if the sun is shining then break out a bottle of Tuaca and offer shots or even jugs of Tuscan Mules (Tuaca, Ginger Ale and fresh Lime juice)
Drink: Tuaca or Peroni
New Zealand
No this isn’t a late April fool’s joke, New Zealand really are in the World Cup. They are a crazy bunch with their bridge jumping and white water jet boating but probably the oddest thing they have given the world is Feijoa. Tried it? Tastes like Peter Stringfellow’s posing pouch. They did however give us 42 Below vodka and if you can find them some awesome beers
Drink: 42 Below & beer (try tracking down Monteiths or Speights)
Paraguay
Before I started this mission I didn’t know much about Paraguay…. I still don’t but I do know that their national drinks is a brewed beverage using dried leaves from the yerba tea plant called Mate (it does have more authentic sounding names but Mate works too and I can spell it!). You can’t get that here and quite frankly who wants a cup of tea when watching the football? Luckily for us they also make a rather nice beer.
Drink: Pilsen
Slovakia
Slovakia has always struck me as one of those words that is actually easier to say after a few beers – the slur helps the pronunciation. It appears they agree and have gone a step further in giving their nations favourite beer a name which follows the same rule.
Drink: Zlaty Bazant
GROUP G
Brazil
As a friend once exclaimed ‘Is there anything hotter than a girl in a tight Brazil footy top?’ Well no, in the same way there is nothing sadder than a 35 yo man dribbling at a 19 yo girl in a tight Brazilian footy top!! They also manage to liven up all world cups and any beach they come in contact with. They haven’t forgotten about booze either – this is an oldie but a goodie.
Drink: Caipirinha
60ml Cachaca (Sagatiba for example)
Half lime (wedged)
2 bar spoons white sugar
Muddle up the lime and sugar in the bottom of a shaker glass, add ice, shake like you’re doing the samba then chuck the whole lot into a rocks glass.
Ivory Coast
Whilst scratching my head about a drink for these folk I found myself humming Ebony & Ivory, then it hit me (I really shouldn’t call my wife ‘it’ that’s why she keeps hitting me!), a black a white shot. Mini Guinness. Excellent!
Drink: Mini Guinness
Grab a shot glass, fill it with 2/3rds Kaluha and then top up with Bailey’s!
North Korea
I’ll be honest all my Korea knowledge was used up in my South Korea drink so I thought I would just put in a favourite cocktail of mine, at random, picked out of a hat, any relation the name has to racial stereotypes about eating habits is purely coincidental…… The Salty Dog like the martini creates arguments about ratios that can go on forever. Personally I use one part gin (gin NOT vodka) and 2 parts grapefruit juice – ohh and a martini glass!!
Drink: Salty Dog
30ml Gin
60ml Grapefruit Juice
Lime wedge
Salt
Rim the glass edge using the lime and salt. Shake the gin and grapefruit with ice and fine strain into the chilled and rimmed martini glass. Perhaps offer a discount for anyone who can Cane Nine!!!
Portugal
Let’s face it, 11 bow legged toddlers on a bouncy castle covered in baby oil have got more chance of staying upright for 90 minutes than the Portuguese football team. Chief of the jelly legs is The Winker Christiano Ronaldo. As for beer well it has to be their best selling brew Sagres.
Drink: Sagres
GROUP H
Chile
The good people of Chile have become one of the major exporters of wine across the world when no-one was looking. As a result why not celebrate Chile’s games by offer a bottle of lovely Chilean white wine and 4 glasses to groups. Remembering to serve it Chilled!!!!
Drink: Chilean White Wine
Honduras
Honduras in the WC reminds me of Jamaica in the bobsleigh, unfortunately I can’t remember the end of Cool Runnings so I have no idea if this bodes well for them or not. I did however learn that the fantastic Rum which is Flor de Cana is made in Honduras as well as Nicaragua! So grab a shot and enjoy.
Drink: Flor de Cana
Spain
Spain always remind me of England, a fantastic league with fantastic teams full of foreigners! Just like England they will probably flatter to deceive. As for booze nothing says Spain like Sangria and there is very few drinks in the world easier to bulk pre-prepare. So make the Sangria mix the night before ideally (minus the club soda) and store in fridge. Serve it in jugs to groups. Alternatively grab a few palates of Estrella beer and relax.
Drink: Sangria or Estrella
Switzerland
I have never understood Switzerland – everyone hides their money there yet their army defends itself with a Scouts prized possession, although I guess their horses would never go lame! Anyway ignoring this security issue Switzerland is very bling and in the world of spirits surely the most bling thing has to be Goldschlager. Also it turns out that despite Goldschlager being produced in Italy these days has its roots in Switzerland!
Drink: Goldschlager
So there we are at the end of the list and I must say I learnt a lot about the worlds drinking habits researching this one. It seems that booze like football can bring the world together, then bad jokes in search of a cheap laugh can ruin it for everyone!!
I hope that this inspires you to make the most out of this years World Cup and I’ll have a Union Jack!
If you missed the first half of this extravaganza check them out here.
Popularity: 9% [?]
To celebrate the launch of
Ovi maps and to help get customers in the mood this footbal season, Drinksin has partnered with
Nokia to bring the
‘Footy Pubs 2010’ application to
Nokia’s new navigation optimised phones.
Footy Pubs 2010, launching 1st June will help you plan where to watch the World Cup, by leading you directly to pubs nearby showing matches nearby using GPS technology and Ovi maps.
To promote this summer’s football season, Nokia and Drinksin have also partnered with Phones4U, the UK’s fastest growing independent mobile phone retailer with more than 440 stores nationwide for a football focused poster campaign across all Phones4U outlets.
Jaime Keenan of Drinksin, interviewed David Murray-Hundley, Drinksin CEO to talk about the partnership and understand a little more on how the partnership will benefit Nokia’s and Drinksin’s customers.
Why have Drinksin and Nokia decided to partner on this application?
It’s a win for both sides. We had already developed Footy Pubs 2010 as an iPhone app and were keen to explore other areas of the market, so Nokia was a great choice, considering how many phone units in the world Nokia have. For Nokia it was about the data we were able to provide and the app fitting in nicely with the launch of Ovi Maps on the Ovi Store, whilst also being a great product to boost traffic around the World Cup.
Tell us a little more about the app?
In simple terms, it finds your location and then gives you a list of bars and the matches they are showing. Or you can look for a particular match and it will find a bar nearest to you. Also helps you find your way to the pub. Keep thinking we should have an app that also helps find your way home, if alcoholic beverages are your choice for a football game. It also works in its own right after World Cup fever has ended.
What are the benefits of the partnership for Drinksin?
Coverage. We have in the last 6 months really built up our traffic and now its time to really start delivering benefits to our users and the bar community. So Nokia opens up a whole new window for us and I’m very excited to be associated with the brand.
Times are tough in the drinks industry right now, with unprecedented pub closures across the country. How can the Nokia and Drinksin partnership benefit the on-trade?
It’s about people in pubs and sometimes the right pubs, so I think being able to almost create an experience for a user before they even get to the pub is great. Being able to allow pubs to push what they are doing, not just on a sandwich board in the street but in a way that modern users want to find information means they will get new visibility.
How do you see the Nokia Drinksin partnership evolving in the future?
We are talking about a number of options. Would like to work with Nokia on some off our non-UK specific ideas and also some ideas around Rugby, Ozzie rules football etc.
The location based space is very exciting right now, what does Drinksin offer that makes it different?
We actually do something with it. I get frustrated that everyone goes on about it and the app tells me, I am here!! Well I already knew that, what I want to know is where are my options and how do I get there.
Any exciting football related stories to tell us on a final note?
I am rubbish at football. This is a fact well known to a lot of people. I once met Pele in a bar in Monte Carlo and challenged him to a game of kick about in casino square. Obviously he didn’t take me up my offer, but then introduced me to at the time some very famous football players. I had no idea who they were until the next day, when someone told me. He was a nice guy, we shared some drinks and that’s the only story I have.
Popularity: 10% [?]
In less than 3 weeks the greatest sporting competition in the world kicks off and I’m not talking about the Rotterham Working Men’s Club annual Badger Baiting extravaganza. No I’m talking about the FIFA World Cup.
Whether you are a big footy pub or just an avid pub visitor, you can guarantee that conversations in your local pub will quickly change from Clegg and Cameron to Rooney and Ronaldo.
A strange thing happens during the World Cup (besides Croydon becoming more dangerous than Bagdad), peoples nationalism suddenly comes to the fore. You quickly find out that your favourite brummy accented barmaid was born in Italy or your regular Man Utd supporting friend’s mum was born in Holland and is low and behold a crazed fan of the men in orange.
As a result it can be time to capitalise on these nationalistic leanings, and on the occasion of the World Cup in general, so BarLifeUK has come up with a World Cup of Drinks (if Walkers Crisps can do it then so can we!) – no country is left untouched. So watch the specials board get dusted off and during each game see specials from the countries playing, people love to get into the spirit (or beer) of things.
GROUP A
South Africa
The host nation will be looking to feed off the home advantage to cause an upset or two, failing that they can always sit back with Castle Lager and Biltong. As for a national drink? Well it doesn’t get more South African than Amarula Cream and it is going to keep the ladies happy (it’s a bit like Bailey’s).
Drink: Amarula Cream
Mexico
Whilst their football team may not be the team they once were their Tequila just keeps getting better. So when the men in green are on your screen head for a bottle of….. Tequila! Whether it is the classic shot with lime and salt or your feeling more adventurous with a Margarita go crazy.
Drink: Tequila
Uruguay
This one is a bit tougher but Uruguay has two preferences when it comes to booze. The first is a local drink known as medio y medio which is a mix of White wine and champagne, they also love cider based punches so feel free to go down either of those routes. We would however suggest that you stick with either White wine or normal cider!
Drink: White wine or cider
France
Well let’s face it besides maybe Germany there is no-one we would rather beat in the final 
than France. Everyone is gonna think champagne so why disappoint but you can always give Absinthe a go! Or of course chuck a frog, garlic and onions in a blender and whizz away!!
Drink: Champagne or Absinthe
GROUP B
Argentina
So they cheat right? And they have long girly hair! On the plus side they do great steaks and have hugely successful beer called Quilmes which comes in a bottle to match their footy kit and is easily orderable on-line.
Drink: Quilmes
Nigeria
Right? Nigeria? It’s a mainly Muslim country you see so they aren’t too keen on alcohol. They do however have a soft spot for Ginger Beer and with a couple of excellent Alcoholic Ginger Beers on the market these days give them a go.
Drink: Alcoholic Ginger Beer
South Korea
It is becoming tradition in the World Cup nowadays that an Asian country does well, is this Koreas turn? As for drinking you might think they strain the juice from dogs but in fact they do a very nice local brew called Soju. The chances are you won’t be able to get that easily but it is basically a potato vodka so get your hands on that instead.
Drink: Potato Vodka (or Soju if you can)
Greece
Let’s assume for the purposes of this exercise that they can afford the flight to South Africa and move on! You say Greece you think Ouzo. You say Ouzo you think first holiday with your mates and a rather embarrassing incident with an ‘off duty’ policeman (or is that just me?). Either way everyone has an Ouzo memory.
Drink: Ouzo
GROUP C
England
We’ve searched high and low and yet haven’t been able to find a drink which tastes like disappointment and crumbling dreams, if we had it would be here. It doesn’t get more English than a pint of ale or a gin and tonic but if you do want to push the boat out here is a very patriotic and easy cocktail for you to make.
Drink: Ale, Gin OR Union Jack Cocktial
Union Jack Cocktail
45ml gin
20ml sloe gin
1/2 tsp grenadine syrup
Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a martini glass. Go on garnish it with a mini union jack flag – you know you want to
USA
They are still learning how to play a game that is over in just 1.5 hours but they’re getting better. Their beers may not be the worlds best but their whiskies are up there. If you’re gonna push an American beer then Budweiser have a lot of World Cup clout and as for whiskey well you can’t go wrong with Bourbon (or Jack Daniels!).
Drink: Budweiser or Bourbon
Algeria
Not the home of great drinks or great football, but who knows what they could do to England? Being a Muslim country booze is a bit thin on the ground so being as their second language is French and they do drink beer – Kronenbourg 1664 will do for now!
Drink: Kronenbourg 1664
Slovenia
You may not know this but Slovenia have a great history of brandy making which they call žganje (they have a honey brandy called medica don’t you know!). So in a nod to some of the more refined clientele let’s give Brandy a go (maybe get some cigars in to match with it?).
Drink: Brandy
GROUP D
Germany
Ahhh the old enemy, not the team of the 80’s but they’re still German so let’s go get them. As far as a drink goes they are famed for their Herbal Liqueurs like Jagermeister and in a nod to the war you could always have Jager Bombs! If you’re not feeling that politically incorrect then take your pick from an amazing array of beer.
Drink: Jager Bomb or good german beer
Australia
Ahhh our friends from down under – hate their cricket team, love their foo
tball team. As for their booze? Everyone knows Fosters and Bundaburg Rum and there is nothing wrong with either but if you want to be a bit more adventeurous ask your Landlord to get hold of Coopers Beer.
Drink: Coopers (or Fosters) and Bundy
Serbia
Not a lot to work with here folks but they are well known for producing a wide variety of flavoured Brandies called Rajika. It might be tricky to track down the real stuff but I bet your Landlord has a bottle of fruit brandy knocking round the pub somewhere. Ask him/her to dust it down and get it on that specials board.
Drink: Fruit Brandy
Ghana
The Ghanaian’s football team could be the ones to do a Cameroon this year but did you know they make some really good gin’s? No neither did we but it’s true so let’s celebrate with a good old Gin & Tonic.
Drink: G&T
Groups E – H next week.
Article provided to Drinksin from BarlifeUK. The homepage of the Pub and Bar Community
Popularity: 15% [?]
