Theres a good chance I'll be going to Canada tommarow eh (questions about drinking)
 

I wasn't sure if this should go into traveling or not, so if mods feel it should be there then feel free to move it, I just figured I'm not really asking questions about Canada itself.

Some friends and myself might be driving up to Montreal tommarow, depending on whether or not my friend gets 'Get up Kids' tickets today. Now I've had many a beers here in the U.S and I've had some mixed drinks too, but seeing as how I'm 18 I havn't done all that much drinking. We re defineatly gonna hit the bars and clubs in Montreal. I just want to know what are some drinks I should try since I can buy whatever I want? And also is there anything I should know about going to bars that isn't really common knowledge unless you go to them.

Can't go wrong with beer, especially Canadian beer. Alexander Keiths and Moosehead are both fine examples.
As for mixed drinks, there are so many to choose from. The first mixed drink I really enjoyed was the Black Russian. It's made with Kahula and Vodka. Most drinks with Vodka are a good place to start, since it's pretty neutral-flavoured.
The only other advice I can give you is bring ID, but I'm sure you already knew that.

Paralyzer. Mmm.

hmm, on of my friends was telling me... his fav canadian drink is: canadian red bull (not carbonated and in a smaller can), pour that into a cup, then take a shot glass of jagermeister, drop into the red bull cup and chug it! he says you almost get high from it and its really funny to watch your friends drunk and hyper at the same time!

Sounds like... not a very good time.

Try things like rum and coke (a personal favorite, and it just makes the coke taste kinda sweeter), jack and coke, gin and tonic, whiskey sour (mmmmmm), and the like. Or, if you are a hardcore alcoholic that loves bourbon (like me :D), go for the bourbon, on the rocks :D

It may be a moot point anyways--someone needs to clarify this, I may be wrong, but I thought you had to be 19 in Canada to drink.

It varies from province to province, in Quebec, drinking age is 18. In Ontario, it's 19. Bars are open an hour later in Quebec as well (until 3am). I live in Ontario, but I'm 10 minutes from Quebec. All the kids here make a run for the border at age 18 (or earlier).

19 in most provinces...it is 18 in Quebec.

Also try a good Canadian Whiskey. :D

Just don't get hammered and wake up with a Mountie.

Damn, I thought I was going to be the first Canadian to burst your bubble :)

Drinking age in all provinces but Quebec is 19.
(But who wants to go there anyways?)





Just kidding, beautiful province. Please don't ban me.

Alberta and Manitoba are 18 too. Pretty much alternates across the country. BC=19, AB=18, SK=19, MN=18, ON=19, QC=19, Maritimes... well I'm not sure. I was in bars in Newfoundland and later in Halifax when I was 18, but I never had my id checked. I assumed it was 18.

You can almost never go wrong with beer. Quebec is special. You can buy beer at the gas station. You can't anywhere else in Canada that I've been to.

In my experience, "Canadian" redbull is no different from any other. It is definatly carbonated, but the cans are small. I think they all are. I have had a few nights of redbull-vodkas. Depending on the situation it's great, but I've outgrown it (works nicely if you don't mind a drunken caffiene stimulant overload in a club thats almost a rave). I have a friend that has a perfect record of picking up or getting in a fight whenever we used to drink it.

Montreal, like most places, has stupidly expensive drinks in the bars/strip clubs. Be prepared to shell out 5 bucks a beer (granted, $CND). I was really surprised the first time I went to the bar and found out just how expensive it would be to get drunk.

I drink gin and tonic almost exclusivly when I'm out. Doesn't fill you up like beer, it isn't too sweet (like most mixed drinks are by the 3rd round), and is still drinkable in high ratios. Double gin and tonic is a short little ice filled bar glass= perfect.

If you do buy a mixed drink, don't stir it much (flat is bad) and after the inital 'once around the glass stir', I take out the straw. I don't know if there is a real reason why: I was once firmly directed by a scary biker type that "straws are for fags and women". It was prudent, at the time, to take his idea to heart. But I don't drink out of a straw when I mix drinks at home either.

Bossnass hit the nail on the head about legal drinking ages in Canada: they alternate from province to province.

As for what to drink, try Quebec beer. None of that Moosehead, Alexander Keiths stuff (sorry, Rockzilla). You'll be in Quebec, so try the local stuff. If it's a French name, it's probably from Unibroue, a top-notch brewer where I'm from. Try "La Fin du Monde" ("The End of the World" - 9% Alcohol) or "La Maudite" ("The Damned" - 8% alcohol) and get ready to party.

If you're looking for strip clubs, dress nice and check out Wanda's. In my opinion, it's Montreal's best titty bar. 3 floors, all the girls are hot, lap dances are not private and you can't touch, but it's still worth it. Bands on tour always go there. Also, try Chez Pare, which is where the Montreal Canadiens (go Habs!) go for some downtime. Same rules as Wanda's: dress nice, act nice. And for god's sake, don't put loonies (1$ coins) on the fucking stage. I've seen many Americans do this. As a matter of fact, don't put any bills on any stage. Strippers make their money with lap dances only. Drinks WILL be horribly expensive (by Canadian standards) and only common beer (Molson, Labatt) will be available, so stick to mixes, like a good White Russian (vodka/kaluha/milk - goes down smooth) or CC7 (Canadian Club whiskey and 7up).

For clubs, check out St-Laurent street. For concert venues, check any local free publications and head for St-Denis street. "Le Swimming" (St-Laurent) has great live music and pool. "Casa Del Popolo" (St-Denis) has great food and some live shows. Also, the Sala Rossa, right across the street, has more eclectic shows. Montreal is known for that stuff, so be sure to check it out.

I could go on and on, since I'm from there, so PM me if you want more.

Bob is bang on about the Quebequois beer... Pretty much anything from Unibrou is excellent. They are modelled after the Belgian style of brewing rather than German or English.

As for mixed drinks... the best: The Gimlet. One shot Gin. One shot Lime cordial. No ice. No fruit. No nonsense. This is the drink of choice for the down and out hard boiled type.

The best thing is they go down easy and then suddenly you feel like you've been smashed in the head with a truckload of limes...

Every American who visits Canada should have a Ceasar.

The clams make it tasty.

That sounds like a good time for me. I like their uniforms ;)