I was in London about 10 years ago - a loooong time ago. I seem to remember a light, fruity drink called "babysham". I think the fruit was pear. I really liked it - as I,too, am not a big beer drinker. Does anyone know if this is still around? Also, I seem to remember that ice was something we needed to ask for in our drinks. Is this still the case? Heading to Great Britain this summer and looking forward to seeing what has changed and what has remained the same ( like I would remeber!! ).

Hi Babycham is still around (it was VERY popular in the 60's and 70's but then went into the doldrums). It's a pear based sparkling drink - the 'cham' bit isn't a reference to champagne but to the chamois which became its mascot. It is/was considered very much a 'ladies' drink. I have to admit I have never seen anyone order Babycham for some considerable time.
Pubs will do you wine by the glass but this can be an expensive and the quality can be very hit and miss. Increasingly you can buy champagne by the glass as well.
Shandy is another drink that can be popular (a mixture of lemonade and lager) - personally I think it should be banned! Vile stuff.
A word of warning about cider - it can have a big alcoholic kick to it!
The drink-driving laws are very well publicised over here and most barmen won't be at all surprised if the 'man of the party' chooses soft drinks. There are also non-alcoholic lagers you can choose as well.

Som,eone above mentioned white russians.....just remember that sometimes drinks are made completely diioerent in other countries.

Guinness is used to top one off in Ireland and Coke was used in the owhite russians I had in London. It was not my taste as they were different from what I expected.

Alll bars have pineapple, grapefruit and cranberry these days.

Morgana:

Shandy is a mix of lemonade and lager? Shame. No wonder you think it's vile. Shandy is a mix of bitter (or bottled pale ale) with either lemonade or ginger beer (the stuff that comes in brown bottles, not ginger ale - the stuff people put into Scotch to make it approximate to drinkable).

Ginger beer shandy is, by far, the best thirst quencher known to man - or more often, woman. Nothing beats it after 10 miles or so walking on a hot day.

Lyoung:
By and large, of course you have to ask for ice in your drinks if that's what you want. If we wanted a glass full of ice, we'd ask for ice. Since we're asking - say - for a glass of white wine, that's what we expect to get.

Hmmmmm, shandy .....not convinced although you have made that ginger beer shandy sound quite attractive. I am afraid that 'lager shandy' is alive and well in Yorkshire. Breaks my heart to see lemonade poured into all that beautiful lager .......When I am Queen of England I am going to ban it!

Just had to butt in here because there's a lot of rubbish being talked about not being able to get vodka or anything that isn't beer based. I don't think I've EVER been in a pub in all my xx years that only serves beer.

There is a mountain of choice of drinks - from all spirits under the sun to juices, wines, fizzy drinks, alcopops and even (who'd have thought it) tea and coffee. Some pubs may be perplexed my your request for a white russian, but that really depends on the cocktail experience of the barman.

Kate
London

Ask for a white Russian in most pubs these days and they'll think you mean the bartender.

Pubs won't understand you if you ask for things like "white russian" "old fashioned" "manhattan" etc.

You will get any type of spirit that you would get in the US, with mixers eg fruit juices, coke etc. Plus a range of beers, usually lagers (what americans call "beer") Bitters (what we call beer) Cider (alcoholic, and I have no idea what a "soft cider" is) and Guiness/Stout.

HeatherH -

A great mixer for vodka is Bitter Lemon. It's a real dry citrus soda, but not heavily carbonated. I don't like oj, but I sometimes get a vodka fanta - Fanta orange soda.

Cider, as mentioned, is a great alternative. It does come sweet or dry - depending on the brand. And, the ones in England/Ireland don't taste anything like CiderJack and the others we get in the states. They're much cleaner tasting.

I was kind of surprised to see this post pop back up. I am definitely looking forward to trying some cider, though! We are leaving in 9 days (was VERY excited to enter the single-digit days!)!

Irish Cider is usually Bulmers and is sweet. English Cider is usually dry and taste sour to me. Kate is right that you can get anything in a pub including (in Ireland tea and coffee).

As for not knowing what a manhattan is these are "American" drinks from my experience and most of the younger crowd would not have a taste for this. A Martini is a totally different drink here (I think its just vermouth) and a name brand. Also there are cocktail bars or places that specialise in the more exotic drinks if that is what you after. Pubs are not cocktail bars although a few do cocktails.

I'll agree about the cider! I've found that pubs in very small Irish villages don't carry it, but everywhere else will have several brands to choose from.

I can't stand Guinness, but my rugby-playing husband seems to think it is amazing. :-P

Excuse me if I repeat anything that has already been said, cos I didn't read ALL the posts, sorry.

Try a Scrumpy Jack (cider) It's sweet and yummy.

Be very careful of British cider, it is very alcoholic and if you are not used to drinking you may get a little tipsy :-)

Morgana, just to be clear : the lemonade in a shandy isn't the lemonjuice-sugar-water summer drink, but something akin to Sprite or Seven-up. There used to be a pop drink called 'Hi-spot' which was often used to make a beer shandy. Ginger-ale (less sweet and more peppery outside of NA) is a close substitute when Gingerbeer cannot be found.

When I was a wee child, I used to love those coloured drink tablets that you dropped into a glass of cold water that fizzed up into an instant beverage. They were called "Fizzies" and came in all colours and flavours. Any one remember them ? Are they still available ?

A link to this was posted some time ago on another thread - but it's worth repeating :

http://www.sirc.org/publik/ptpintro.html

This is a guide to pub etiquette and is very interesting. Don't take it too seriously though - I'm sure the author's tongue is slightly in his cheek in some areas.

Pubs (esp in central london) are offering cocktails increasingly, but they'll normally let you know this is the case with signs and menus, if not then they probably wont be that pleased to have to make one for you! Also sometimes what we call a 'pub' is a bar really, and much less beer-orientated!

But as a devoted fan of "girly drinks" i assure you'll find many! very few of my friends drink beer and it's never considered stupid or sweet! malibu, vodka, its all standard in any decent bar. though i highly recommend you try our cider!

dont worry, it isn't all archaic ale houses, you'll be fine. have a great trip!

I'll never forget ordering a Bacardi cocktail on the rocks during our first trip to London in 1971. I got a shot of straight Bacardi rum on the rocks. I quickly learned that our names for drinks don't necesarily mean the same out of the US.
I'd like to add another vote for Scrumpy--it's delicious.
We leave 2 weeks from Monday, so I'll be enjoying my Scrumpy soon.

Surprised no one has mentioned one of my favorites...St. Clements. It's half orange juice and half lemonade. But remember lemonade in Britain is akin to 7-UP or Sprite.