Exploring the boozy world of alcohol from the fermentation and distillation of liquors to the local beer selection. By booze Hound blogger Allan Wilson.
‘Lao Khao’, or ‘White Spirit’, as it translates in English, is a popular and potent rice whisky synonymous with Isaan as well as alcoholism in the rural parts of Thailand. And it is an alcohol that is widely available throughout all of Thailand, where it is sold by the bottle from pretty much every store …
The most exciting part of travel for me is turning up to a brand new destination, walking into the local corner shop and browsing the booze and through the years I have systematically trolled through a hell of a lot of them. I honestly hope this doesn’t make me sound like a full on alco …
Location: the remote island of Perhentian Besar, South China Sea, religiously Muslim and alcohol comes scarce, if at all. It has been two dry days now and desperation is kicking in. I scour the island in hope of even the quickest of drams. Stumbling on a sandy beach cove on the west coast I find a …
Travelling in Asia you will likely cross paths with Palm Wine at some point and in my travels I’ve boozed my own fair share; from coconut arrack cocktails in Sri Lanka to Tuba and Lambanog in the Philippines. Palm Wine, or Toddy as it is known in Myanmar, is a potent alcohol made from the …
For living in Southeast Asia it has never been a problem eating for a dollar – the real challenge here is getting drunk for a dollar and it can be done. My preferred method is Yaa Dong Street Liquor an alcohol so strong the bravest of booze hounds will take a hammering. A potent concoction …
Today I was at a loose end. Fanfan working through the previous night meant I was left tiptoeing round the condo and as always I end up at the pool to ‘work’. A couple work beers down and I find myself relaxing on the pool edge overlooking local life on the street below. The day …
By lazy calculations I find from Bangkok it can be cheaper flying to Langkawi for a holiday than to southern Thai islands by bus or train. At least it can be for boozers. This can be done by offsetting the cost of flights with cheap alcohol at Langkawi Duty Free. Langkawi is a booze paradise. …
Where I come from Carlsberg Special Brew is synonymous with park bench and back alley boozing. It tastes like “rocket fuel” and is branded a drink for drunks due to its hefty 8.8% alcohol content. It is hard to find higher in the UK. In Malaysia Carlsberg Special Brew is tame. An average beer. Drink …
Clothes, notebook, passport, toiletries, liquor. A repetitive routine for every journey. Hard liquor being last on the list but no less a travel essential than the previous. Purchase from the nearest 7/11 for land travel or in-flight beverages during air travel. Hard liquor makes the travelling part of travel a whole lot easier. This goes …
Beers just aren’t overly exciting in Asia and it is rare to find a beer that interests me. An aspect of Asia which has failed to entice me. While people rave of Beer Lao (Laos) it fails to excite me. Maybe it is Beer Lao t-shirts which puts me off. Every time I drink Beer Lao …