Next time you’re on your travels and don’t want another beer, have a look into some of these local brews.
1) Seagull wine
Originally created by the Inuit people of the Arctic Circle, this one stands as a testament to humankind’s unswerving determination to become inebriated when consistently confronted with mind-numbing bleakness (during winter in the Arctic Circle, there is no sunlight).
To make this drink, simply find a dead seagull and stuff it in a bottle, then pour in some water and leave it in the sun.
Priceless advice for any budding Eskimos out there, or even just some hard-up university students.
Just beware The Seagull’s Revenge the next morning.
2) Pizza Beer
The brainchild of Tom and Athena Seefurth in Illinois, this drink rolls two of our favorite past times into one. Made primarily from tomato, basil and garlic, it’s as close as you’re going to get to a liquefied pizza without putting your meat feast in a blender.
Not quite sure how they make it, they’re not telling, but you could always give it a go, George’s Marvellous Medicine-style.
3) Unagi nobori
Produced by the Japanese Tobacco Company and marketed as a Summer-thirst quencher, this drink consists primarily of eel extract and not much else.
Happily, it comes in distinctive yellow bottles, which should be easy to find if you happen upon a supermarket during your holiday.
Alternatively, find some eels and puree them.
I know, it’s a delicacy in Japan, but it makes the list based purely on the faces I can imagine my friends pulling if they were forced to try it.
4) Mice Wine
Adding another to the ‘dead animal stuffed in bottle’ list, we have mice wine.
A popular drink in China and Korea, you can make this extraordinarily strong tipple by drowning baby mice (maximum three days old, to avoid fur) in a vat of rice wine. Then you plug it up and forget about it for a year, just in time for Christmas 2013.
Traditionally it’s said to cure a whole host of ailments. Except your screaming conscience of course.
5) Placenta 400000
Not quite sure who came up with this one, as I was writing in the dark and I was scared enough at the thought of it.
This concoction is Japanese and it contains pig placenta, which has apparent regenerative properties.
I can only imagine that the people who buy this A) Don’t know what a placenta is, or B) really, really don’t want to die.
And as for what the 40000 stands for, I can only imagine it’s the amount of hours to be spent on the toilet afterwards.
Who knows, I could be wrong. Give it a try and report back. These would certainly go down in history as the strangest souvenirs to bring home, so bear that in mind!
Having a drink on holiday is one of those simple pleasures we take for granted. Change it up and try one of the above, what’s the worst that could happen?
Anyone looking for the downright bizarre beverages may not find them in luxury hotels so try and get off the beaten track if you are really intent on this kind of experience.
What are some of the strangest drinks you’ve ever tried?
Author Byline: Sam Beddall is an enthusiastic blogger with a passion for food and drink. He writes for Hotelopia and also spends his time writing film and music reviews, when not otherwise stuffed or intoxicated.
