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For me, alcohol is not about getting drunk, but about art. When I prepare a new drink, I feel like an artist. But the artist is not only about smearing paints at random, it is also about culture and history.
Therefore, in honor of the New Year, I want to share stories with you. I have always wondered: how are things with New Year’s treats in other countries, what do they drink at the festive table in Europe, America or in Asian countries?
How to celebrate the New Year in Europe
A few years ago I had to celebrate the New Year with friends in Germany. I have always considered the Germans great beer and vodka lovers.
New Year’s Eve pleasantly surprised me with the traditional drink with which the Germans celebrate Christmas and New Year. It turned out to be a delicious mulled wine (hot wine), made from dry red merlot with the addition of lemon zest and spicy spices.
It turns out that the inhabitants of Germany start drinking this drink from the end of November to create a Christmas mood. This period they call “the time of mulled wine.”
And then I became interested: what New Year’s drinks are served on the table in other countries of the world?
I talked with people who have visited different parts of the world, searched for information in different sources and learned a lot of interesting things.
Mulled wine, so beloved by the Germans, is incredibly popular in the Scandinavian countries. They call him glogg. It differs from the German drink in a different set of spices.
Considering that prohibition is rampant in Finland and Sweden, there is a non-alcoholic option, the basis of which is not wine, but currant or grape juice. Hot Finnish guys are happy to use it too.
Tart warming mulled wine is also very popular in Holland and Austria. They even drink it right on the street, like coffee, eating donuts.
Champagne and champagne are expectedly presented on the festive table of the French – a drink made from wine, spices, champagne and fruits.
In Ireland and Luxembourg, the New Year is celebrated with wine, in most cases, home-made wine.
In the UK, a special Christmas punch wassail is prepared, the name of which comes from the Old English language and translates as “be healthy.”
How surprised I was to learn that in some countries during the Christmas and New Year holidays, drinks made from milk are put on the table! For example, in the Netherlands, slem is highly respected – a milkshake with the addition of dried fruits and spices.
How to celebrate the New Year in African countries
New Year’s customs of African countries are based on the traditions brought by the colonialists. Since there is no champagne in Africa, it is successfully replaced by homemade beer.
They begin to insist on it a month before the holiday, so that by the New Year it just came up. Then pour it into a large jug and serve it to the table.
Wealthy Africans can afford wine for a holiday, which is in short supply on the continent and is very expensive.
What do they drink on New Year’s Eve in America
I recently learned that milky New Year’s drinks are popular not only in the Netherlands. I was always sure that real Americans prefer whiskey.
But no – during the Christmas and New Year period, residents of the United States and Canada drink eggnog – a kind of eggnog made from cream and raw eggs. Initially, ale served as the basis of this drink, then rum, and only in the XNUMXth century the alcohol in the cocktail was replaced by milk.
A similar New Year’s drink is also popular in the countries of the South American continent: Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico.
In Chile, a milkshake for the Christmas table is called cola de mono (“monkey’s tail”). For its preparation, cream is mixed with rum or brandy, coffee, spices, vanillin and nuts are added. Drink cold.
Mexicans, in addition to the creamy drink, prepare Ponche Navideño for the New Year – a punch consisting of dried fruits, citrus fruits, apples, sugar cane and hawthorn.
The basis is cognac, rum or tequila. Drink hot right on the street. Fruit punches are also served on New Year’s Eve in Guatemala and Jamaica.
How to celebrate New Year in Asia
Not so long ago I had to go on a business trip to China. Of course, I could not help asking how the best friends of Russians celebrate the arrival of the New Year.
Knowing that the Chinese almost never drink alcohol, I was not surprised that the main drink of festive meals is green tea. Women can afford some plum wine, while men treat themselves to rice alcoholic drinks.
In Thailand and India, according to tradition, alcohol is banned on New Year’s Eve. The local population perfectly manages juices and soda.
Having got a little acquainted with the festive alcohol of different countries, I thought that in Russia there should be traditional drinks with which our ancestors celebrated the arrival of the New Year.
The most popular treat was sbiten, which was made from honey and spices. There was almost no alcohol on the tables. Kissels, vzvara and kvass were on the tables.
It would be nice to revive the old New Year and Christmas traditions on our tables. Do you want to try sbiten? Or have you already tried?