Drinking is a really great way to get to interact with locals. I’ve had many memorable experiences at the local watering holes!

While visiting breweries and brew halls around Munich & Cologne Germany, my brother and I met many friendly Germans at pretty much every stop. They were happy to tell us about their favorite  brew and explain the different types of beers.
My wife and I had a similar experience at a bar in Bratislava, Slovakia. We stopped into a local place and were immediately offered a shot of the local beverage. (I can’t remember the name of it at this point) We ended up hanging out with the group and eventually moved on to another bar with them. This made our experience so much more interesting and we got to learn a bit about them. We found out that Bratislavans love Chuck Norris and liked NYC’s “chief” at the time Rudy Giuliani. (When they first told us they liked our chief, we thought they were referring to a famous chef!)

Here is the list of World’s Best Booze by Lonely Planet:

1. Sake, Japan
2. Guinness, Ireland
3. Beer, Belgium
4. Absinther, Czech Republic
5. Burgundy wine, France
6. Caipiroska, Brazil
7. Becherovka, Czech Republic
8. George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey, USA
9. Tequila, Mexico
10. Vodka, Poland

To read about each beverage on the list, read the full Lonely Planet article here.