Foreign Objects

Drinking advice for the tipsy traveler

By TYLER BALLIET

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The basics of drinking abroad are similar to those of your native land: Pour some kind of liquor down the hatch and try not to embarrass yourself too much. From here, the challenge of local customs gets more complicated—bottles covered in words you don't understand and the eternal quest for a decent watering hole. Here are some tips for drinking wine, meeting locals and potentially learning something.

COME PREPARED

Buy a guidebook and at least read it on the plane beforehand. Learn about the dinner/drinking/clubbing routine and make the proper arrangements. There is something to be said for winging it, but it sucks to be stuck in Buenos Aires without a dinner reservation on a Friday night and end up at their equivalent of Applebee's. If you're in a major city, buy a Time Out guide (printed in English) to find the cool bars and restaurants ahead of time.

DO AS THE ROMANS

The first thing you should learn in any new language is how to say, "I'll have what they're having." In the Basque region of Spain they pour a lightly bubbly white wine called Txacoli from an arms distance into tumblers. In Paris, if you order an unspecified glass of red, you'll probably get a wine from Beaujolais or Loire Valley. You can find these wines in the US, but locals consume the bulk of them. If you kick it where the locals do and pay attention to what they drink, you'll find some cool stuff.

WHEN IN DOUBT

Find an English/Irish pub. Pub culture has crossed the globe, and even if none of the employees speak English, you'll still be able to get a decent pint. When you're tired of traveling, or just sick of drinking wine, settle in for some fish and chips with a pint. Relax, you're among friends.

THE PRICE OF GLOBALIZATION

Due to the international marketplace, wine prices generally do not drop as you get closer to the wineries. So when you're perusing a wine shop in Portugal, bottles priced over US $20 will be roughly the same price back home. Most "expensive booze" is exported and available to the global economy. Remember this if you plan to bring wine back as a gift. If it's a nice bottle, you might be able to find it at your corner store.

TSA/CUSTOMS REGULATIONS

US Customs Regulation only allows 1 liter of alcohol to be brought into the country tax-free. You can bring as much as you want, but you will have to pay a tariff and most likely wait in a long line. US domestic airlines do not allow any liquids over 3 ounces, so when making a connecting flight, make sure those bottles of Château Lafite are tucked safely in your checked luggage.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: THESECONDGLASS.COM