Traveling the globe for business it is important to get to know local customs and to understand local traditions. If you’re an American and naturally reach for a cold beer at the end of the day you may be seriously out of fashion in some counties around the world. Likewise if you’re a wine loving Italian (apparently most are according to recent statistics) then you may be sorely out of luck in some African and Asian countries.
Because it is important to respect the preferences of your hosts we’ve assembled these great cheat sheets to show you which alcoholic drinks are the favorites in which countries. There’s not a lot of surprises here but this is still great information to have for anyone wanting to make a good impression abroad. Oh yeah, also always remember to try the local drink unless it is snake whiskey in Taiwan. You’ll just have to trust us on this one.
Wine
Not surprisingly wine is the most popular beverage of choice in Europe by far. In Italy, 65.6% of the alcohol consumed is wine, in France it’s 56.4%, and in Portugal it’s 55.5%. It’s also a popular drink in Uruguay (59.9%) and Argentina (48%). While many Asians love fine wine the concept of drinking it daily, like in Europe, really hasn’t caught on.
Beer
Now beer is a whole other story. Some Asian countries LOVE beer. Surprisingly, beer is the most popular alcoholic drink in Yemen and Bhutan, where it’s the only type of alcohol consumed. It’s also the most popular drink in Vietnam (97.3%), Namibia (96.7%), Indonesia (84.5%), Myanmar (82.6%), and Mexico (75.7%). We can attest Namiba, a former German colony, makes great beer.
Spirits
And of course spirits are popular across much of Asia including China where they’re still the most preferred type of alcoholic drink. Gambei!
