10 great places to drink in other cultures

Drinking isn´t just about kicking back and relaxing – it also can provide a window into another culture. So says comedian and professional drinker Zane Lamprey, Fine Living Network host of Three Sheets and author of the new Three Sheets: Drinking Made Easy! 6 Continents, 15 Countries, 190 Drinks, and 1 Mean Hangover! (Villard, $15). He shares favorite drinking experiences with Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY. As for the morning after, he still hasn´t found an effective hangover cure. “I´ve done 52 different episodes, and I´m still looking.”

MAP: Zoom in on these drinking destinations
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Dublin
“The first thing I do when I get off the plane in Ireland is order a pint of Guinness,” Lamprey says. “It goes down smoother there.” The beer, he notes, is the most popular in the world. From Africa to the Caribbean, he´s been surprised that´s what locals prefer to drink. You can enjoy a pint in the Gravity Bar at the end of Dublin´s Guinness brewery tour, which runs about $18. guinness-storehouse.com

Scotland
Where else to drink Scotch than the British isle for which it´s named? “The holy grail for whiskey drinkers would be full of Scotch,” Lamprey says. “Whiskey was invented in Ireland, but the Scots perfected it.” He particularly likes the Quaich bar in the Craigellachie hotel in the town of Speyside, which stocks nearly 700 whiskies. oxfordhotelsandinns.com/OurHotels/Craigellachie

Brussels
“Any beer drinker who wants a beer experiences has to go to Belgium,” Lamprey says. He vaguely remembers visiting Delirium Café, a bar in Brussels with more than 2,000 beers. The bartender kept giving him samples of different brews; by the time he left, he figures he had consumed the equivalent of a 12−pack. deliriumcafe.be

Kyoto, Japan
Lamprey says any adventurous drinker needs to discover sake. The rice wine has hundreds of variations. “There are filtered sakes. There´s aged sake. There´s sake that bubbles like Champagne.” He sampled them all in Kyoto. kyoto.travel

Maui, Hawaii
The Aloha State came as a surprise to Lamprey. Instead of mai tais or piña coladas, he tells visitors to search out locally made spirits, like Pau Maui. “ It´s vodka made from pineapples right there in Maui, but it doesn't taste like pineapples. It just tastes like vodka.” He also likes Ocean Vodka, which is distilled using sea−water taken from 2,000 feet below the surface. visitmaui com

South Africa
Lamprey enjoys a homemade beer called umqombothi. Although it´s best home−brewed, you can buy it in cardboard cartons at stores. “I went to Cape Flats shantytown and drank with locals and had a great time.” Another surprise: Klippy and Coke, a mixed drink with local Klipdrift brandy and cola. southafrica.net

New Zealand
The country´s Pinot Noirs and Sauvignon Blancs have gotten lots of attention, and although Lamprey won´t turn down a nice glass of wine, he learned to love the whiskies in this former English colony settled by Scots. One discovery: Southerner Cream, a local spirit mixed with honey, cream and ginger. His favorite Kiwi drinking city? Queenstown. “It´s very small and a fun place to go.” newzealand.com

Champagne, France
Lamprey says Napoleon had it right about Champagne. “In victory, one deserves it; in defeat, one needs it.” He quickly embraced the region´s culture. “When you go out drinking, you don´t have a beer. You drink Champagne.” A favorite stop: the Mumm´s tour in Rheims, which costs about $13. mumm.com

Tequila, Mexico
The potent liquor is more than a spring break staple, Lamprey says. True tequila comes from the state of Jalisco and is made from blue agave. “Tequila sips like cognac. It´s great.” He suggests hitting tequila bars in Guadalajara, then catching the Tequila Express, an all-day train trip that visits distilleries and offers plenty of sampling time. “It´s a way to try those tequilas with someone else at the wheel.” Cost: about $100. tequilaexpress.com.mx

Krakow, Poland
Shortly after the Iron Curtain fell in 1990, Poland began producing ultra−premium vodkas. Lamprey recommends flavored ones. “Miodula is one of my prized possessions in my liquor cabinet,” he says. “It´s aged in oak barrels and infused with honey.” If you can´t make it to Krakow, he suggests wandering into a Polish bar in any American city and asking the bartender for a recommendation.

Drinking isn´t just about kicking back and relaxing – it also can provide a window into another culture. So says comedian and professional drinker Zane Lamprey, Fine Living Network host of Three Sheets and author of the new Three Sheets: Drinking Made Easy! 6 Continents, 15 Countries, 190 Drinks, and 1 Mean Hangover! (Villard, $15). As for the morning after, he still hasn´t found an effective hangover cure. “I´ve done 52 different episodes, and I´m still looking.”