British Drinks

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Guide to UK Drink

It's not just types of food that are unique to Britian, but also drinks.  You will probably have heard off all the following drinks, but may not know exactly what they are. For example, walking into a British pub and asking for "a beer" will probably be met with: "Do you want a pint or half pint? Bitter or lager?". Read on to find out what your answers should be.   

Tea:

You may possibly have heard that we like our tea here in the UK…like it a lot. Well, you’d be right. The Brits drinking tea is one of those clichés which is definitely still true. Here at Foreign Students we are drinking tea right now.

When people refer to tea in the UK, they will almost always be referring to English Breakfast Tea, which is a hot black tea usually served with milk, and sometimes with sugar.

In Britain tea is perfect for any occasion and the answer to all problems. Need to wake yourself up? Have some tea. Need to calm your nerves? Have some tea. Meeting some friends? Have some tea. You get the idea.

Beer:

The other drink that we Brits are most often connected with is beer. In the UK traditional beer is different to anywhere else in the world. The drink that most nationalities would call beer is actually lager (like Carlsberg, Fosters, Stella etc). Whilst this is also drunk a lot in Britain, ‘real’ beer (bitter or ale) is far more traditional.

It is generally darker in colour, far less bubbly and served at room temperature or just below. There are literally hundreds of different brands of beer in the UK and every pub will have its own selection. It is of course alcoholic, though is usually only about 4-5% alcohol and served in pints. To get some impressed looks from old British men, try ordering a pint of bitter at an old fashioned English pub.     

Cider:   

Another alcoholic drink that is often drunk instead of beer in Britain is cider. This is a drink made from apples, and, like beer, served in pints or half pints. Some popular brands of cider that you may have heard of include Strongbow, Bulmers, Magners and Kopperberg.

You can get either 'dry' or 'sweet' cider, and each has its own unique taste. Whilst you can taste the apples, you are not necessarily going to like cider just because you like apple juice. There is also a variation of cider, called 'perry' which is made of pears rather than apples.

Both cider and perry are great in the summer, as they are served ice cold and are very refreshing on a hot day.  

Mulled wine:

Whilst regular red and white wine are drunk a lot in Britain there is one unusual type of 'wine' that is specifically British. Mulled wine is traditionally served at Christmas and is hugely popular in Britain. It has a unique flavour as it is made by heating red wine with a mixture of spices and fruit. People will usually make up quite a large quantity of the drink and then share it with their friends and family. It is perfect for cold winter nights and is often served with mince pies.  

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