Are the best countries in the world to live the best countries in the world to drink?

Are the best countries in the world to live the best countries in the world to drink?

This week Newsweek listed the top 100 countries to live in, but what would you drink in these countries? Newsweek did not use the national drink of each nation as part of the equation to decide what the best countries in the world are (instead they used things like quality of health care, education, economic competitiveness, and political environment – shush Newsweek – there’s another factor!). Here’s a list taking Newsweek’s top 10 countries while adding a little about their national drink.  Might this have skewed the results?

1. Finland

“The Finn will drink himself into forgetfulness, lose his money, horde, bridle, and return home poorer than a church rat.”
- Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin: Life’s Little Things (he visited Finland in 1886)

The Finns have a fondness for vodka (which they call viina) and their national brand Koskenkorva Viina (aka Kossu) is distilled from barley using a 200-step continuous distillation process after which they add spring water and a tiny bit of sugar. Finland is known for Finlandia Vodka – which is also distilled from barley, but it is distilled differently giving it a drier flavor profile. The Finns favorite cocktail is Salmiakki Koskenkorva, which is made by letting salt licorice steep in vodka for a couple of days. If you haven’t had salt licorice before – it is not a flavor that most people that didn’t grow up with it like, as it is a crazy combination of salt, anise, and ammonia.

Finns also like beer with the majority of the beer they brew being a pale lager. They also brew a juniper beer called Sahti which is brewed from rye or oat and is filtered through straw and juniper berries – it is one of the oldest continuous living traditions of beer making. Sounds delicious and impossible to try if you are not in Finland, supposedly there is only one place in the world to get it on draft and that’s in Sahtihaarika about 80 miles north of Helsinki.

One pint of lager in Finland costs $6.46 USD

2. Switzerland

A little unknown fact that Ovaltine originated in Switzerland where it is known by Ovomaltine. The Swiss also love rivella which is a carbonated soft drink made from milk whey. It was introduced to the American market in 2005, but was pulled soon afterward as it appears that none of us care that much for fizzy milk scraps. The Swiss also enjoy drinking wine and for such a small country they have quite a bit of wine production – most notably Riesling. And of course, absinthe’s birthplace is in Vald-de-Travers, which they began producing again in 2005 after a 96-year ban. I feel comfortable saying that Switzerland produces my favorite absinthe, Kübler.
Two little side notes to Switzerland – first they are seeing a resurgence of small micro-breweries and you only have to be 16 to legally buy wine and beer.

One pint of lager in Switzerland costs $5.12 USD

3. Sweden

The Swedes too are vodka drinkers, but they also have a love for aquavit (aquavit) which is a very high proof spirit distilled with caraway seeds and other flavors, typically fennel, dill, anise, and coriander. It is not sweet and typically involves involving a palate for it. The most popular vodka in Sweden is not Absolut (although you can find it everywhere – but I didn’t see as many flavors in Sweden as you can find in the States) but Renat, which is nearly impossible to find in the States. Swedes also like lager and are seeing a resurgence of microbreweries popping up.

Swedish Nightclubs vs. British Nightclubs (now you can see why the United Kingdom didn’t make the top 10)

One pint of lager in Sweden costs $6.95 USD

4. Australia -

Well, for the most part the Aussie is a beer drinker most likely enjoying a cold frosty Victoria Bitter (which they like to refer to as VB). Although most Australians claim that they don’t drink the chilled down piss they call Foster’s (a terrible hit amongst America’s refined Budweiser drinkers) Victoria Bitter is brewed by a subsidiary of Foster’s.
Australia is not nationally recognized for any distilled beverage, but when doing research on what they like to drink I did run across Tamborine Mountain Distillery which makes some really fascinating products – like a Turkish Delight liqueur (I assume it is pistachios and rose petals) and Mt. Michael’s Wort Herbal Schnapps which contains 50 different herbs, seeds, and spices as flavoring. I hope one day to visit there and to go tour their distillery – they are doing a lot of very interesting products.

One pint of lager in Australia costs $4.82 USD

5. Luxembourg

Luxembourgers tend to drink a lot of French wine along with Belgian and Dutch beer. Luxembourg has a long history of making wine, mostly on the north bank of the Moselle River. Luxembourg is known for its Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, and Gewürztraminer. The Luxembourgers are some of the highest consumers of alcohol and in 1993 they had the highest worldwide per capita of alcohol consumption in the world – equaling three beers a day for each citizen (regardless of their age). Alcohol is also typically cheaper in Luxembourg than most other countries in Europe.

One pint of lager in Luxembourg costs $3.80 USD

6. Norway

For the most part, the Norwegians are mostly beer drinkers – with pilsner (pils) being the most popular type. Norwegians also enjoy a little nip of aquavit (akevitt), which is often chased by a light beer. One aquavit worth trying is Linie Akevitt, which is aged in the hulls of ships that travel all the way from Norway to Australia and then circumnavigates the globe back to Norway. (You can actually purchase a bottle of this through Wally’s Wine – here’s the link)

Just like the rest of Scandinavia, Norway has very strict laws concerning the sale of alcohol and it is extremely expensive.

One pint of lager in Norway costs $9.84 USD

7. Canada

Canada has a lot to offer from a wide range of decent canned beers to a variety of easy drinking whiskies – but it appears that what Canada wants to be known for the is the Caesar, which must contain tomato juice and clams. Walter Chell invented the drink in 1969 and he also helped Mott’s create Clamato (which I find quite tasty – regardless of reading the scary-sounding ingredients on the side of the can). The Caesar typically also contains vodka, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco with a celery-salt rim garnished with a stalk of celery and a wedge of lime.

Otherwise, Canadians beer drinkers – but in an unfortunate turn of events, most of Canada’s three largest breweries have been acquired or have merged with large foreign companies: Labatt, Molson, and Sleeman. Moosehead is still entirely Canadian. Canada is also known for it’s easy sipping whiskies, which are typically fruitier and lighter than their American, Scotch, and Japanese counterparts. As Canada didn’t see prohibition on the same scale as the U.S., the Canadian whiskey market flourished during the U.S. prohibition from 1920 until 1933.

One pint of lager in Canada costs $4.87 USD

8. The Netherlands

The Dutch certainly like beer and although they mostly brew Pilsner, almost every brewery also produces a white beer and a bok. White beer is a barley/wheat top-fermented beer which traditionally is not brewed with hops alone but rather gruit, which is a combination of coriander, orange, hops, and bitter orange. White beers can sometimes be sour due to a presence of lactic acid. Bok is a strong lager brewed with a high amount of malt to give it a darker sweeter flavor. The Netherlands exports a higher percentage of its beer production than any other country in the world – which is the reason you are so familiar with the names, Heineken, Amstel, and Grolsch.
The Dutch are also known for their own style of gin, genever (aka jenever which comes from the Dutch term for juniper). Surprisingly, it doesn’t have nearly the juniper component to it that you find in London Dry Gins. Traditionally it was used as medicine. Bols Genever Gin is available on the U.S. market and if you get a chance – taste it. It is one of the oldest gin recipes and it’s interesting to see the path that gin has taken.

One pint of lager in Netherlands costs $2.77 USD

9. Japan

The Japanese love their Nihonshu, which we call sake. Sake is fermented and typically only contains four ingredients: rice water, koji (a type of mold to enhance fermentation) and yeast. It typically has an alcohol content around15%. Cheaper versions are called futshushu and use cheaper rice in fermentation. The better grades use sakamai rice, which is specifically grown for sake production. Perhaps one of of the most important steps in sake production is the first step of polishing the rice, which removes unwanted fats and proteins (which harm the flavor). Typically the more polished the rice is the better the sake will taste and the more expensive it will be. The water used in fermentation is very important and will influence the flavor of the sake significantly. Sake’s flavor can range from very dry and acidic with good minerality to sweeter and heavier. You will never find piping hot sake in Japan, rather if it is warmed it will be done so with warm water typically around 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The Japanese also consume quite a bit of lager with canned beer available in vending machines all around the country. The Japanese also produce a style of whiskey very similar to single-malt Scotch.

One pint of lager in Japan costs $5.23 USD

10. Denmark

The Danes like beer, most popular is a pale lager by the name of Tuborg. Carlsberg and Faxe make similar beer, which are also quite popular (not surprising however as Carlsberg bought out Tuborg almost 40 years ago). It is rare that you see a Dane drinking a foreign brew, although the microbrew is becoming popular among a younger set of Danes. Danish beer consumption per capita is the highest in Europe.

One pint of lager in Denmark costs $7.89 USD

I’m not sure where to move to now – although I’m pretty sure it won’t be to a beer country.

- Columbine Quillen
I am a mixologist bartender and this is my blog.

Tagged as: Absolut Vodka, and Sleeman, Australian Beer, bartender, Best countries in the world to drink, bols genever, Caesar, Canadian Beer, canadian whiskey, Carlsberg beer, clamato, Danish beer, Finlandia Vodka, Fosters, genever jin, How much does a beer cost in Australia, How much does a beer cost in Canada, How much does a beer cost in Denmark, How much does a beer cost in Finaldn, How much does a beer cost in Japan, How much does a beer cost in Luxembourg, How much does a beer cost in Netherlands, How much does a beer cost in Norway, How much does a beer cost in Sweden, How much does a beer cost in Switzerland, ihonshu, jenever gin, Koskenkorva Viina, Labatt, Luxembourg wine, mixologist blog, mixology blog, Molson, national drink of australia, national drink of Canada, national drink of Denmark, national drink of finland, national drink of Japan, national drink of Luxembourg, national drink of Netherlands, national drink of Norway, national drink of sweden, national drink of switzerland, Ovaltine, Renat Vodka, rice polishing, rivella, sake, Tamborine Mountain Distillery, Tuborg, Victoria Bitter, what is sake, What people drink around the world