alcohol
Dinner for one in 2012
The Brits have spent the end of year in a 'lull' whilst the Germans are going through 'new year's fatigue'. In their new year's addresses at least, Europe's Franco-German leaders warned us it won't be getting any better this new year
alcohol, cinema, christmas, germany, new year´s eve, united kingdom, television
Wine production in Georgia: ‘passport to civilised world’
If you are thinking of going on a wine-tasting holiday, skip the south of France and head to the Caucausus. Wine tourism and industry is booming in Georgia, as it is largely supported by the current government
alcohol, wine, exports, tbilisi, georgia, wine producer, culture
Pan-Slavism, Slovio and Polish the 'status symbol'
The Slavic languages all have their roots in Proto-Slavic. Since the twelfth century, however, they have drifted apart. One of them reached its zenith in the seventeenth century: Polish
alcohol, tower of babel, languages, esperanto, poland, russian federation, slovakia
cafebabel.com boys speak: what makes Europe’s twentysomething men happy
We girls probably think that macho attitudes, making money and succeeding are what make boys happy. After all, why is it so hard to get them to share on ‘happiness’? Apparently not. Winning a game, doing nothing, a tipple, the latest gadget, friends, girls - a pan-European select number of lads share what makes them smile – and why we girls are different. Vox-pop
alcohol, vox-pop, love, happiness, family, men and women, gender
Alcohol ban? Istanbul cafes versus Turkish authorities
This summer a new broom was sweeping clean the streets of Istanbul – as well as the country’s football and armed forces. Who’s wielding the broom? What ‘rubbish’ are they trying to get rid of? ‘Turkey eats dirt’ is cafebabel.com’s response to the summer ‘dust up’ by the Turkish authorities. The final in our three-part series: Turkey cracks down on those famously dangerous things, street cafes
alcohol, stamboul, the streets of europe, turkey, bar, ramadan, islam
Sherry, an English love story
One of the most typical European wines has to be 'vino de Jerez', a white wine fortified with brandy which is known as 'sherry' in the English-speaking world and 'Xérès' amongst French-speakers. The name comes from the vineyards near the town on the southern tip of Europe
German tourists in Scotland: Scotch malt at airport and haggis for breakfast
German holiday-makers come to Scotland for a variety of reasons: for a sip (or several) of the water of life, to trace the steps of history in crumbling, misty castles – or simply because the flights to Iceland were too expensive. Whatever their reasons, a German's visit to Caledonia is often shaped by a few key food and drink experiences. Musings of a Scottish tour guide
alcohol, germany, food, haggis, lifestyle, gastronomy, scotland
Berliners: foreigners, stop boozing on the cheap in our city!
In the Berlin borough of Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain people are celebrating for all it's worth. More and more tourists are cavorting in the cheap cocktail bars, the parks and in the streets. The locals are fed up and are stirring up opinion. Stag dos, pub crawls, behaving obnoxiously: is Berlin the new Mallorca?
alcohol, berlin, lifestyle, easyjet, berlin-kreuzberg, gentrification , travel
Nightlife, footie and crooning in Azerbaijan 2012: Baku calling
With Azerbaijan winning the eurovision song contest and celebrating 100 years of football with a visit from Blatter and Platini themselves, it has become clear to many Europeans that they have at best dangerous superficial knowledge of one part of Eurasia. The land-locked country in the Caucasus is approximately the equivalent in size and population to Portugal
alcohol, eurovision, lifestyle, azerbaijan, baku, sport, music
On St. Patrick's day, drink Poitín, the world’s strongest alcohol
You’ll often find it in a clear, unmarked glass bottle, innocently snuggled at the back of a neighbour’s fridge, but the real Poteen (pronounced 'putch-een') isn’t sold in any shop in Dublin. St. Patrick apparently brewed it, and few people in Ireland haven’t tasted this ultra-alcoholic brew, but the lethal concoction has been illegal here since 1661
alcohol, poteen, ireland, dublin, agriculture, england, yum nyam
Armenian brandy: soviet licks to elite entrepeneur kicks
You get a European and world champion arm-wrestler, a dollop of nineteenth century factory tradition, an anecdote with Stalin and Churchill, shake it all up and boom - the story of Armenia's second largest brandy factory, live, smooth and warm
More highs, fewer lies in Prague - the new Amsterdam?
15 grams of marijuana, five grams of hashish or even 1.5 grams of heroin. Thanks to a new law that came into effect on 1 January 2010, Czechs can stock up on drugs without fear of prosecution. The Czech Republic now has the most liberal drug laws in the whole of Europe, though its preventive measures still leave something to be desired
Mulled wine across Europe
Sugarloaves, Swedish punch and grog: how Europe drinks to stay warm in the chilly run up to christmas
alcohol, cinema, christmas, germany, northern eu, gastronomy, film
Party burnout in Paris, so go to Berlin
'Sssssh, go in quickly,' whispers the bouncer of the electro bar 4Elements on the Place de la Republique. The lights are out in the flat above. It is 11pm, a Saturday evening in Paris. The one-time nightlife mecca of Europe is turning into a sleepy little town, a trend that threatens to continue
alcohol, dance, underground, lifestyle, paris, phil stumpf, nightlife
‘Oysters’ vs. Coke: popular European hangover cures
Have a read of these European hangover cures - it might make you not want to drink again. From a Polish ‘bull shot’ to a James Bond-style ‘prairie oyster’ via a good old hair o’ the dog, the advice is to get concocting
Sweden straddle EU
Sweden's somewhere up there. But at the moment Europe's northern lights are somewhere kind of everywhere: take the eternal sandy or shock blonde ex-pat stereotype, the Swedish pirate political party which snatched a seat in the brand new European parliament in June, and the fact that the country is running the EU until the end of the year! Their political focus is on the crisis and the environment. Skål captain!
- Read the special edition Sweden straddle EU
- Why Swedes go next door to Denmark to buy alcohol
- Swedish Pirate Party MEP Christian Engström: ‘Europe is stronger than the US’
- Sweden's Cecilia Malmström: 'I'm a politician. It’s not my task to impose an identity on people'
- Swedish women, the ideal woman?
Calimotxo, Blonder Engel or Advocaat: European cocktails galore
What would the Coen brothers’ film 'The Big Lebowski' be without its revolting milk and vodka cocktails (White Russians)? Roundup of the zaniest European cocktails, plus a recipe for Poland's 'Mad Dog'
alcohol, recipe, best of cafebabel.com, summer, party, europe
British and French tourists behave badly
A cross-portrait of the two worst European performers, after two alarming reports published in August confirm an inconvenient truth
alcohol, greece, inghilterra, foreign office, statistics, reports, money
Drinking trademark Budweiser beer in Bohemia
Czech beer came to the world’s attention again in April after a century-old dispute with the US over the naming rights to its Budweiser beer was settled in a Luxembourg court
alcohol, beer, bohemia, copyright, consumption society, budweiser, health
Berlusconi's back
Add a dose of alcohol abuse and hail Europe’s volunteers and globalisation - it’s your latest news from Brussels
alcohol, umberto bossi, silvio berlusconi, italy, androulla vassiliou, belgium, europe
