The drinking age in the UK is 18, and I am 20…so I am bound to have a drink from time to time…to time…to time. I am in no means a regular drinker, so coming to London has really expanded my horizons and allowed me to try drinks I normally wouldn’t.
So what is it like to go out in London? Going out for a drink here doesn’t necessarily mean wearing high heels, red lipstick, and a short clubbing dress. Grab your coat and casually head to the nearest pub for some greasy appetizers and a pint, or hit up a local bar for a cocktail two-for-one deal for £7. Just like New York, there are many places to choose from–dance clubs, jazz clubs, comedy clubs, tapas bars, pubs, etc. The young and the old go out, so I rarely look like the youngest one in the bars. Luckily, I live in a neighborhood full of activity during the weekends, so there aren’t too many issues with bars closing early. People usually go out around 9 or 10 here, which seems early in comparison to New York.
This weekend, my friends and I headed to a bar with over 100 specialty cocktails to choose from. I spent about twenty minutes trying to decide what to order. Beers are often heavy, so I wanted to try something that wasn’t as filling. That is when I took a chance and ordered the classic Carrie Bradshaw cocktail–a cosmopolitan. It may not taste like there’s very much alcohol in it, but trust me there is. My other favorite girlie drinks are piña coladas, Bailey lattes, strawberry & lime cider, sex on the beach drinks, and strawberry daiquiris.
When I first came to London, I wanted to get in touch with my Irish heritage and ordered many pints of Guinness. Pint after pint, I eventually decided to venture on to other beers. One of my favorite things to do on a Thursday or Friday night is head to a pub and sample the English and Irish beers fresh from the tap. The food in England may not be the best (with the exception of Indian cuisine) but the Brits and the Irish sure do know how to make a nice brew. It is so fun to go to a pub when a football (soccer) match is going on–things get a little more rowdy and therefore interesting.
At first I was giddy, awkward, and weird about going up to the bar and asking the bartender for a drink. I remember one of my first nights here seeing a girl drinking wine in our resident hall lobby and thinking, “Oh my gosh, she is going to get caught by an RA!” Going out for a casual drink once in awhile has now become second nature to me. I must enjoy it while I can–when it’s time to go back to the states, I will have to wait until November to enjoy a shaken cosmo in a bar again.