Radical Escapes: avalanche of alcohol

Austrians appear to have concocted a drink for every part of the day ! These drinks are usually strongly alcoholic - and when drunk in the cold and thin mountain air, (which contains noticeably less oxygen) have double the effect on your head/body/dancing/walking/skiing/boarding…you have been warned ! It may be useful to remember some drinking etiquette. An Austrian considers it the height of bad manners to start a drink without first chinking glasses, looking each drinking partner in the eye (very important), and bidding, 'gesundheit' (good health) to each member of the drinking party.

Schnapps
this clear short is to Austria what Guinness is to Ireland & vodka is to Russia - a way of life. There are as many different kinds of schnapps in the mountains as there are, well…mountains ! A straightforward example is 'obstler'. If you prefer your gasoline a little sweeter, try, 'apfelschnapps' (flavoured with apples). Sweeter still (and a favourite with the ladies) is 'apfelkorn' & 'apfelsaur' made from distilled corn. Apfelkorn is sweet, apfelsaur is, you've guessed it, sour.
willys
a baby pear in a glass of schnapps. Chew the pear then wash it down.
gluwein
pronounced 'glue-vine') - basically mulled wine with added cinammon. Great if you're cold. Ideal on the mountain, but tend to be a little sickly after the first two…a favourite with the girls.
jagertee
(pronounced 'yayger-tea') - Quite literally 'hunters tea', this strong brew was designed to keep hunters warm as they roamed the alps looking for food. Today it keeps the menfolk warm as they roam the alps looking for the way down… Tea (without milk) is mixed with rum & schnapps to produce the best cure for a sore throat ever invented. Don't whatever you do have more than three. If you do, your legs won't work. And that's a promise.
jagermeister
(pronounced 'yayger-my-ster') - Another powerful herb-drink ( there's 19 of 'em in each tiny green bottle!). Originally quaffed as an after-dinner digestive aid (well it beats a glass of water and couple of 'Rennie', I guess) this concoction has, in recent years enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance - with young clubbers discovering its energy giving properties…course the 37% alcohol helps too.
valpolla
( pronounced 'Wuppala') - A local speciality involving coffee beans, sugar and 80% (yes 80%) rum. One good reason to go on the bar hop ( or maybe one good reason to avoid it…)
vodka bull
slightly sweeter than yer clear stuff - nice when drunk with a little Red Bull.
red hot bull
invented by your host Kirk. Red Bull & Red Vodka is steamed and whooshh! You're awake once more.
submarine/u-boat
consists of a glass of schnapps dropped into a large beer. Oh dear oh dear…
zillertal bier
from the valleys own brewery, made in Zell am Ziller (the next village). Clear, golden and frothy (what we'd call lager basically) - not bad either.
dunkel bier
dark and made from burnt hops - similar to a sweet tasting pint of Guinness. 'Das Swartzer' is the local dark beer.
weitzen bier
Wheat beer served cloudy and in a swirly glass that looks like the World Cup. Drinking Weitzen beer is the first step of a slippery slope of all things German (others include eating sausages with your bare hands, growing silly moustaches and pushing in at the front of the queue at chair-lifts) - beware…
weiss-sour
white Wine & Soda ; the Austrian spritzer.
lowren malz
if youre a SuperMalt fan, this one's for you. Available from the Spar on the High Street.
astoria still
carbonated (despite the word 'Still' on the label) mineral water.
energy drinks
Red Bull was invented in Austria and for my money is still the best, despite numerous copies which include Dark Dog, Pink Pig, Green Giraffe & Orange Ocelot ( only joking about the Ocelot but you get the picture). Can be expensive in the bars and on the mountain. So stock up in the Spar supermarket, where it's less than half the price and leave on your balcony to chill.
tap water
It is safe to drink the tap water. Indeed it is extremely pure, coming directly from high mountain springs it does not contain any chlorine or other additives …and is the perfect hang-over cure !