European Beverages

[The Last Conformist]

Except for Coca Cola, which owns just about every other softdrink ever made, and Colombian coffee, which is usually quite good, I very rarely drink anything from the western Hemisphere, so I don't have much of an opinion on the actual question.

I generally prefer continental European beers to Scandinavian ones.

I like my coffee Swedish-addict-style; strong, hot, no sugar, no milk. I also like espresso.

The only drink containing neither alcohol nor caffeine I drink with any regularity is water.

 

[test_specimen]

Vodka - Russia (am I am not just saying that, its true.)

The one with maximum effect while minimum long term damage for me is Absolut (which is from Sweden). But Stolchinaya is an acceptable substitute.

Worst Vodka I ever drank: Finnlandia Cranberry. Gave me the worst sickness and hangover I ever had.

I am absolutely missing Belgium and to a lesser extend Holland here. Belgium makes 1000's and 1000's of "Special beers", all tasty (although I'm not so fond of it).
Holland brews a lot of high quality worldwide known pilseners (Heineken, Grolsch, Brand, Dommelsch, Amstel etc.).

Yeah, the only thing that saves France, beerwise, is that they import some Belgian beer. Don't know too many, but Heineken is good.

 

[Jurimax]

Heineken is Dutch.

Some special Belgian beers:
Leffe (my favourite), Chouffe, Kasteelbier, Verboden Vrucht, Oerbier, ...

Some normal Belgian beers:
Jupiler (my favourite), Maes Pils, Stella Artois, ...

Good beers from abroad:
Corona (Mexico)
Grolsch (The Netherlands)
Warsteiner (German)

Wine:
France wins hands down

'Stronger' drinks:
Bacardi Rum
Absolut Vodka

Coffee:
Douwe Egberts, Roode Pelikaan

Softdrinks:
Coca-Cola (regular, light, light lemon)

Greetz Jurimax

 

[Flak]

The best Orange Juice in the world is Florida Orange Juice. I've sampled orange juices from the Middle East all the way to California. There are definitely some good ones out there, but Florida fresh is the best I've had.

 

[test_specimen]

Heineken is Dutch.

Then I know even less about Belgian beer than I thought I would .

Stella Artois being the exception.

 

[BassDude726]

Question... I noticed someone referred to Coke as light and light lemon. Is it called "light" over there instead of "diet"? We have diet coke (my favorite drink of all time) and diet lemon coke, but nothing called light. BTW, I strongly reccommend diet vanilla coke. MMMmmm verry good.

 

[test_specimen]

Yes it's called "light". Haven't seen Vanilla diet/light yet.

 

[BassDude726]

While we're on the subject of coke flavors, what in the heck ever happened to cherry coke? I haven't seen it in years and am missing it terribly.

 

[test_specimen]

Some are here to stay, some not. There are also some burgers at McDonalds that had a 3 months time span, only to never return. Some are still M.I.A., but let's hope the best for the "Teriaki Burger" and off course the "Bigger BigMac" (who only recently disappeared again).

 

[Dr. Yoshi]

What do we use here? Sweet 'n Low? Yeah right. There is real sugar in softdrinks.

Actually American soft drinks use high fructrose corn syrup instead of cane sugar. Because corn syrup is sweeter than sugar, they can use less of it but the distinctive flavor of cane sugar is lost in the beverage. I think there are a few small soda companies in the US who still use cane sugar and the oldest Dr. Pepper bottling plant in Waco, Texas

 

[The Last Conformist]

Here it's called "Coca Cola Light". The bottles/cans are in inverted colours - red text on white background.

I don't drink it; part of my general avoidance of artificial sweeteners, and of all sorts of low-fat, low-cal or diet stuff. (Except for low-fat milk. I was raised on the stuff, and normal milk thus tastes "wrong" to me.)

 

[BassDude726]

Odd... diet coke here has a white and black scheme. I think American soft drinks started using Nutrasweet for a while after they got rid of regular sugar, but that was found to cause cancer so they changed it to some other artificial sweetener.

 

[Johann MacLeod]

i like making vannila coke myself with vannilla sryup.

 

[BassDude726]

I've never had European soda... do they have other flavors besides the obvious generic ones? (Coke-like dark cola, Sprite-like lemon-lime soda, Dr.Pepper/Mr.Pibb-like soda)?

 

[test_specimen]

There's "Almdudler".

 

[Ben E Gas]

Lately I've noticed a trend among Europeans that I know: refusal to admit that America makes any beverage as well as our European counterparts. I'll give you the beer, American beer is generally watered-down horse pee, .......

I love American beer. As well as all other beer.

 

[storealex]

I love beer and I think I've tasted more beer than most people.
- Ireland makes some really good beer (Kilkenny, Guinness and O'hara's Celtic Stout being my favorites, although you need to get used to the black stuff)
- Leffe from Belgium has a very special taste, the brown one is definitly my favorite, but the others are good too.
- Pilsner Urquell is probably the best "pilsner" type beer but beers such as Carlsberg comes very close to the same taste.
- Blonde du Mont Blanc is also good. Think it's Swiss or French.
- The best UK beer I've tasted so far in Newcastle Brown Ale.

But the Micro breweries are definitly my all time favorites. They're just hard to get your hands on most of the time...
________
Motorcycle Tires

 

[Immortal]

'Stronger' drinks:
Bacardi Rum
Absolut Vodka

Three words: Increase your medication.

Bacardi is absolut swill, I would sooner relive my days drinking 190 proof everclear. And that is saying a lot considering that stuff almost killed me!

Bombay is the best hard liquor Ive found. Tanqueray 50 is actually better, but that **** is expensive.

 

[Johann MacLeod]

I've never had European soda... do they have other flavors besides the obvious generic ones? (Coke-like dark cola, Sprite-like lemon-lime soda, Dr.Pepper/Mr.Pibb-like soda)?

irember in Sweden there is Flader-grape Fanta. which is elderberry flowers.

 

[Esckey]

Well I don't know about beer or anything first hand, but I have heard that some Canadian wine is right up there with the California wine.

The pop in Europe has never tasted right to me, don't know why I just never liked it much. But the european Ice Tea is the best. Hands down. Nestea, brisk and all the others can kiss there butts goodbye. The european stuff is damn near addictive.