fuzz2050

I'm not quite sure this belongs in the touring subforum, but in my mind, one of the essential parts of bike touring is that little nip of Scotch while sitting around a campfire at night. I know others have their own beverage preferences, so let's hear them.

If I'm in good company, the Bruichladdich 10 is great. It's also peated enough to dissuade uninitiated Scotch drinkers, so more for me.

I'm also partial to the Bulleit Rye whiskey which is fantastic for it's price, and reasonably widely available.

Firetngguy

Ah, a quiet evening by the fire with my hands wrapped around a mug of Four Roses Single Barrel. Life doesn't get any better than that.

fietsbob

I drop in to the Pub and have a few rounds with the Locals, if they don't Ignore visitors.

Sightseeing, Did take the Tour at Bushmills in NI, but not the Jameson's in Dublin.

Didn't see any Distillers visitors centres on Islay.

Kortrijk Belgium has a Pub in the Hostel.. Prague put up travelers in a place upstairs,
next to a Pub.

Not so much the drinking, .. as the social meeting place.. since I've never toured but Solo,
you have to go meet the locals as you pass thru their towns.

The beverages and where you are, when you have them are part of the journey ..

Offered a Schnapps along the Rhine , Orange colored Gin in Delft on the NL Queen's birthday .

Czech Budweis in the city of that name.. Scotch Single malt, in the Highlands.
and so forth..

Newspaperguy

I'm a non-drinker, so I don't think about an alcoholic beverage on the road. On a cool evening, I'll put on the tea. If I'm near a town where I can get a bit of milk, then I'll have regular tea with milk. Otherwise, it's going to be herbal tea or a flavoured tea. There's something relaxing about having a cup of tea while reflecting on the day's events.

axolotl

It depends where I'm touring. Nothing is better than a Singha beer in Thailand and some delicious Thai food after a day touring there. Or a beer Lao in Laos. In Mexico, my favorite brew is cerveza Montejo. It's a Yucatecan beer which isn't always easy to find outside of southern Mexico. For a daytime drink in Mexico, I'm partial to a papaya licuado. It's a delicious mixture of fresh papaya, milk, vanilla, and a bit of sugar. You can get other fruits, too. Mexican hot chocolate (ALWAYS made with cinnamon) is a great morning drink. Young coconut juice is a very refreshing drink which I've had both in Asia and Latin America. Malaysia has some wonderful fruit juices. They mix your fresh fruit of choice with some chopped ice and a little pit of sugar, and whirl it all in a blender. Starfruit and jackfruit were both quite good.

Western Flyer 

I refuse to carry any alcohol containing beverage for more than an hour before the day’s end. Therefore I most often spend the evening “dry.” But if there is a halfway decent beer at a mini-mart close to my campsite I’ll pick up a pint. There are a couple of brands of drinkable single serving wines that better grocery stores often stock. I’ll buy a full bottle of local wine if I know there will be some fellow cyclists to share it with.

But my beverage of choice is tea, three cups of tea, green tea and if I can find it top of the line three tip spring harvest green tea. Dark chocolate, EVO, local honey and green tea are the only food stuffs I always leave home with and try to always have in my food cooler on top of my front rack. Three cups in the morning to wake up, hydrate for the road and cleanse any ethanol still lingering in my body. If I buy lunch and fresh brewed unsweetened ice tea is available I get a large glass and won’t refuse a refill. In the evening it is three more cups of green tea again to rehydrate and ward off cramps, enjoy with dinner and to savor watching the sunset. Needless to say I go through a lot of denatured alcohol boiling water and I don't regret it.

staehpj1

I drink very little alcohol when on tour. I might get a bottle of wine to have with dinner once in a while if there is someone to share it with. That said I have definitely done tours with no alcohol consumption other than that burned in the stove.

12bar

A nice glass of Royal Salute makes for a great nightcap around the camp fire or jus settling down in the tent.

robow

I too being a non drinker tend to gravitate towards tea or even a hot chocolate if chilly, but when I really want to cut loose, I'll treat myself to a real Coke or real Pepsi and not the diet crap that I drink at all other times. (Boring I know)

Thulsadoom

Coffee with a healthy double shot of bourbon in it for a morning wakeup.

I usually mix a few shots of Patron into each of my bottles of Gatorade for the days ride.

I usually end the day with a pint of Beam with Guinness chasers.

Wait.....no, that's not right. But I do have a bottle of wine with the evening meal occasionally. Merlot or Pinot noir. Something dark and red.

MichaelW

I really like a wee dram at the end of the day but rarely pack any on tour.
I usually brew up a big mug of green tea as I'm pitching the tent, for rehydration and relaxation. Last thing at night it was usually a packet of instant chocky drink.
In Slovenia I was offered some of "grampa's slivoca, a home-made peach brandy that I was still tasting 3 days later.
In Ireland, I regarded my pints of Guinness as high-energy drinks.

chefisaac

Do you happen to have a picture of your set up with the food cooler on your bike? Interested in seeing how it is set up.

koolerb

Wow,,, some exotic locals in this thread. I've led a sheltered cycling life. You guys have me thinking I need to take a bike vacation.

Carbonfiberboy 

If I have lunch or dinner in an establishment that serves decent beer on tap, then I'll have a glass. Otherwise, nothing.

LeeG

Favorite?
it's the setting

Quiet
mint tea or 16oz can of Coors
doesn't matter

Maybe even chocolate milk, gag

Machka 

Breakfast = Coffee

The rest of the day I like Coke Zero, water, fruit juice, iced tea, Orangina, occasionally tea ... whatever I'm thirsty for, and whatever the convenience store or grocery store has.

xilios

We always take a thermos of tea when we leave in the morning. It's great for our second breakfast and lunch. I find using a thermos is quicker and I don't have to break out the stove and make some on the road.
In the evening we do like our bottle of wine or a couple of beers if we can find some and we're in the mood.

Newspaperguy

I've thought about the thermos, but I don't want to pack the extra weight. If I'm on a road with no services, I'll have water during the day. Otherwise, I have been known to stop in at a coffee shop for a hot or cold beverage, depending on the day. (Coffee shops are also great places to stop and sit for a while if it's raining heavily outside. After a reasonable break, the rain has usually subsided or stopped entirely.)

Clarabelle

Beer, preferably something amber.

DropBarFan

Sounds good eh? Tried Laphroaig once & liked it though the single malts have gotten pricey. OTOH after a touring day I'm usually pretty tired & the endorphins make me pretty relaxed; once on the Blue Ridge Parkway I was so tired I could barely finish my yummy ham dinner at the Peaks of Otter restaurant. While riding I stop to get a jumbo coffee, sometimes the cup fits nicely into a bottle cage & sipping gives a little caffeine boost. I read an article about the old Tour de France cyclists (back when the race had super-long stages) who would sometimes spike their tea/water whatever with a bit of brandy.

fuzz2050

Out of curiosity, and because it's topical, how do you make coffee on tour? I have my home set-up down pretty well, but it does involve lots of tools that I don't want to bring on tour (I've considered a french press, but the thermometer is too much).

I still haven't found a good way to get a good cup of coffee to go, aside from stopping by a local cafe. Actually, depending on the location, the local cafe is a great idea; I've had fantastic coffee, great food, interesting conversations with the locals, and good advice all out of a coffee break. The only problem is that it does get in the way of the cycling...

MichaelW

I think we really need to open a new thread on this topic: how to prepare a great cup of coffee without all that cycling getting in the way.

mtnbud

Excellent advice!

indyfabz

I drank "Quatro Rosas" bourbon when touring in Andalucia. I think it was the same just branded for Spain.

I usually drink wine, however.

indyfabz

While touring in Montana last year we had a very hard time finding a good cup of coffee other than in Missoula and Butte. If you can see the bottom of the mug, it's not coffee.

We usually carry pre-ground La Colombe with us and a combination plastic French press/mug. Boil water and that's it. The vessel keps it hot even on cold morning. On shorter trips, we might take some Via from Starbucks, although it's not my favorite.