Drinks with Friends

I have never been out to drinks before considering that I am not yet at the American legal drinking age of 21. The practice also seems more common in the UK, where in the US I feel it would be more likely to hang out with friends at home than at a bar.

Tonight, our British friend Beth invited the four of us out for drinks. We first went to the White Horse, a family-friendly pub chain that we have gone to several times for dinner because it is within walking distance of our flat. The pub has a bar of pale wood and many tables in varying shapes. When we arrived there were several families with children eating dinner.  

I am still not comfortable enough with drinking alcohol to order something for myself, but Libby, Amy, Caitlin and Beth all got drinks. Caitlin and Libby had the winter version of Rekorderlig cider, a blend of apple, cinnamon, and vanilla flavors. I tried the cider and it tasted close to American apple cider with only a hint of alcohol coming through.

We sat and talked for over an hour about topics ranging from the Presidential Election to our trip to Beth's house in two weeks. Flipping through the drink menu to see the Christmas drink specials caused Beth to ask if we had ever tried the glittery version of J2O, a popular fruit drink originally designed to target people at clubs and pubs who were not drinking. None of us had ever tried any of the J2O flavors, nor drank anything with a shimmer before.

Beth kindly offered to buy one for us to taste. The drink comes in a bottle the same size as a beer bottle. The liquid inside was a cranberry or wine shade of red, and it shimmered. It was so pretty, reminding me of some types of nail polish. It tasted very good as well, like cranberries and grapes (I am not sure what flavor it actually was).

At 8:30 pm we rode the bus to the St. Clements Street stop to visit the Half Moon Pub where it was supposedly karaoke night. The pub was small, arranged in an "L" shape with a stage with a young man playing guitar. The lights were dimmed and all of the tables occupied.

Instead of standing waiting awkwardly for a table, we chose to walk up the street to the Angel and Greyhound Pub. Caitlin, Amy and I went there on Tuesday night for dinner and found it to be a slightly higher tier of pub. By this I mean that it did not smell strange, there was enough light to see comfortably, and a majority of the customers were older than university age. I felt much more comfortable here than in the dim confines of the Half Moon.

Beth got a small bowl of marinated olives and garlic while Libby, Caitlin and Amy got glasses of warm Winter Rekorderlig. All the tables here were full as well (I did not expect it to be so busy on a Thursday night) so we sat at a table on the back porch. The porch was actually really nice with round wooden tables and planters that would hold flowers in the summer. I was comfortable in my jacket and scarf even though the temperature was in the high 40s Fahrenheit. I guess I am just adjusted to the cold now and I do not feel it like I did when I arrived in September.

Glass of warm cider

The warm cider tasted just like apple juice, the alcohol taste even more faint than we drunk cold. I did enjoy the sips I had and I might order some for myself next time we go out for drinks.

At about 11:00 pm we decided to call it a night and head back to our warm flats. There were few people on the bus that late so we got seats in the very front on the top floor. It always feels a little like you are on a roller-coaster from that vantage point. We of course had to take pictures acting silly, pretending to actually be riding on the theme park ride.

Now I am off to bed, but I will leave you with the best quote of the day:

"I look like a horse in headlights" - Amy