The Local Watering Hole

Pop Culture

In this day and age, it doesn&#39;t hurt to be too careful. That is why many bars have &quot;safeword drinks&quot; to protect their guests. Feel unsafe or need a helping hand? Say the name of this uncommon or fake drink and a bartender will come to the rescue. Here are a few stories from both bartenders and patrons when a helping hand was desperately needed in local pub

15 Stories About Hero Bartenders & Safeword Drinks That Saved People From A Scary Situation At A Bar

General

Damon Davis

A deep look at the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems.

Alcohol Through the Ages

Food History

The history of presidential drinking starts with George Washington, who actually had the largest whiskey distillery in America at the time. Since then, the US has had presidents who drank bottles of wine, gallons of beer, every manner of whiskey - and sometimes, nothing at all. Some presidents drank staggering amounts, while others barely took a sip in office.

Presidential cocktails have included Washington&#39;s insanely strong &quot;Fish House Punch,&quot; JFK&#39;s daiquiris, and Lyndon Johnson&#39;s bottomless cup of Cutty Sark and soda. American presidents have enjoyed the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/countries-with-the-best-wine/ranker-travel?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best wines in the world</a> and bathtub gin, Chinese grain alcohol and homemade beer, bourbon for breakfast and lonely belts of scotch.

Here is your chance to rank every American president by their taste in alcohol. Did they like the good stuff, or were they teetotalling scolds - or even worse, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/american-history-of-alcohol-choices/genevieve-carlton" target="_blank">raging alcoholics</a>?

George Washington

U.S. Presidents &amp; the Booze They Drank, Ranked

Politician

U.S. Presidents & the Booze They Drank, Ranked

Mike Rothschild

Trending on Ranker

Wise prophet&nbsp;Homer Simpson <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUVwR0rw5fk" target="_blank">famously described alcohol</a> as &quot;the cause of and solution to all of life's problems&quot; and it turns out he's kind of right.&nbsp;Alcohol isn't just a mostly overpriced social lubricant at best (and horribly destructive and addictive poison at worst);&nbsp;&nbsp;it actually played a huge role in the daily routine of almost every man, woman,&nbsp;and child in early America.&nbsp;&nbsp;The drinking habits in early America shaped the country into what it is today, for better or for worse. Take a look back in time with this list and check out all of the old laws, resourceful criminals, and fearless leaders that changed our boozy history.&nbsp;

The Insane True Story Behind America's History with Alcohol

10 Fascinating Facts About Early American Booze Consumption

Rachel Souerbry

Alcohol

Many adults have stories from nights out that will live on forever. But, bartenders witness these &quot;legendary&quot; nights from a totally different perspective. Reddit user&nbsp;u/<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/m5vkhb/bartenders_of_reddit_what_is_the_weirdest_thing/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web2x&amp;context=3" target="_blank">Adexiss</a> asked: &quot;Bartenders of reddit, what is the weirdest thing that you have ever witnessed at your job?&quot; and the responses had us waving for the check.

17 Bizarre Stories From Bartenders Who Deserve An Extra Tip

Brian Roque

The history of alcohol in America, from colonial cider drinkers to prohibition hooch smugglers, shows the lengths Americans went for their booze. Some cowboys were said to be so desperate at the saloons they threw back a mixture of gin and strychnine, while some speculate that the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in winter because they <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-early-american-booze-consumption/rachel-souerbry" target="_blank">ran out of beer</a>. In the late 19th century, Americans flocked to bars to try new, exciting cocktails, while German immigrants popularized a new style of beer.&nbsp;

The American history of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-top-shelf-alcohol-brands/ranker-shopping" target="_blank">alcohol</a> is also the history of trying to control drinking. When cider&#39;s popularity threatened the temperance movement, abstainers burned down apple orchards. And when tequila smugglers crossed the Mexican border during Prohibition, the Prohibition Bureau tracked down their mules. The biggest crisis of George Washington&#39;s presidency came when the new government tried to tax whiskey. American drinking habits may have changed, but America&#39;s love of booze hasn&#39;t.

What Kind Of Booze Were Americans Getting Drunk On Through History?

What Booze Were Americans Getting Drunk On Through History?

Genevieve Carlton

Just because someone is fictional, deceased, or an entire universe doesn't stop Ranker from tossing them into Battle Royale-type tournaments against their worthiest foes.

Choose Your Fighter

Old Stuff

History overflows with heavy drinkers. What would happen if some of them went up against each other in an all-night drinking competition? Who would be the victor? That&#39;s for you to decide.

To make an educated judgment, it&#39;s important to get to know the stats and drinking styles of history&#39;s most notorious alcohol enthusiasts. Some were binge drinkers; some drank a little bit a lot of the time. In any case, all were&nbsp;well practiced in the art of holding their liquor, and alcohol had an impact on their life, celebrity, image, and work.&nbsp;

Like everything else in history, context is always important. Drinking cultures have changed dramatically over the last few dozen centuries, from the ancient Mediterranean - whose populations by and large drank alcohol like water - to the short-lived Prohibition of 1920s America. So some figures, such as&nbsp;Alexander the Great, came from cultures that measured a man&#39;s worth by his ability to drink, while others - i.e. Ulysses S. Grant and his bourgeois Victorian world - saw alcohol as a shameful dark demon&nbsp;to be wrestled with.

Choose your booze champion and vote up the historical figures you think would be the last man or woman standing at the end of a night of drinking.

Which Historical Figure Would Win In An All-Night Drinking Competition?

Person

Setareh Janda

People who grew up in the 1990s may feel some nostalgia when thinking about Surge, Shark Bites, or other <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-greatest-discontinued-1990s-foods-and-beverages/brian-gilmore" target="_blank">discontinued foods from the &#39;90s</a>&nbsp;- and those of a certain age will remember Zima. The clear malt beverage was a huge hit when it debuted in 1993, but it wasn&#39;t long before Zima&nbsp;became&nbsp;a pop-culture punchline. Using an extreme marketing campaign directed toward&nbsp;young American men, the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/coors-brewing-company-beer/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Coors Brewing Company</a> took advantage of the craze for clear products to target consumers who wanted alternatives to beer, wine coolers, and hard liquor. The company believed these people would enjoy the citrusy&nbsp;beverage.

Zima was among the first mainstream &quot;malternatives,&quot; paving the way for other notable bottled drinks, including Smirnoff Ice and Mike&#39;s Hard Lemonade. Coors spent millions on advertising in its attempt to attract young men toward&nbsp;the product. However, not many liked the taste, and many men didn&#39;t consider it manly enough to give their approval. Coors tried to rebrand Zima several times, but American consumers were largely uninterested, and it was discontinued in the US in 2008. Nostalgia kept it in many consumers&#39; minds, however, and re-releases proved people would buy it, even if they joked about drinking it at the same time. So why do people still remember Zima? The drink may not have won over consumers with its taste, but its influence on both alcohol and internet marketing are still seen today.

For A Brief Moment In The '90s, Zima Was Popular - Until People Tasted It

What Happened To Zima, The '90s Drink That Was Popular Until People Tasted It

Erin McCann

Beer knurds: What are your favorite brews? Vote on these lists to rank everything from the tastiest IPAs to the best brands to bring to a party to the greatest bartenders in film & TV.

Here's to Beer!

List of beer companies and famous beer breweries around the world, ranked by connoisseurs and casual fans. Forget liquors and wines -- beer is the treat of people who really enjoy alcohol. Whether you're enjoying a dark and soothing stout or a bright and hoppy IPA, drinking beer is truly the best way to relax. Beer is made with a variety of hops, barley, wheat and, of course, water -- with the occasional infusion of different herbs, spices, and even chocolate to change the flavor. Common beer types are IPAs, ambers, lagers, wheat beers, pale ales, stouts, and red ales. No two beers are alike, and no two beer drinkers will ever be able to agree about which flavor is best and why. All of the companies on this list manufacture at least one type of great beer and several make many types of beers. So what do you think of our list?

Lagunitas Brewing Company

The Top Beer Companies

Company

Top Beer Companies | List of Best Breweries

Bottoms Up

Wine is fine. Beer brings cheer. Water is good for you. But let's get serious: after a long day, you want the good stuff.

Liquor's Quicker

Vodka

Vodka is one of the&nbsp;best liquors&nbsp;out there, for a variety of reasons. Some love its bitter, subtle tastes. If you&#39;re watching your caloric intake, vodka is one of the lowest calorie liquors. And, not to mention, it&#39;s potent. All vodka must be a minimum of 37.5% alcohol to be considered vodka by European standards, but most traditional vodkas are 40% alcohol (AKA -&nbsp;80 proof). If you&#39;re a lover of this Russian alcohol, you&#39;re probably on the hunt for a good vodka brand as your go-to.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Vodkas have distinct flavors related to how they&#39;re produced. Some vodkas are produced from grains such as sorghum, corn, rye or wheat. Others are made from potatoes, molasses, soybeans, grapes, rice, or sugar beets. This affects the flavor, as does the rest of the process.&nbsp;After harvesting ingredients,&nbsp;they are&nbsp;then placed in a still and filtered a set number of times. The amount of time changes the taste, as do any flavors added during this process.&nbsp;

Since all of these factors come into play, different kinds of vodka have different tastes. Popular providers all think they have the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-tasting-vodka/bottoms-up?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best tasting vodka</a>, but which <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-top-shelf-alcohol-brands/ranker-shopping?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">top shelf brands</a> are actually telling the truth?&nbsp;Here, you can help fellow vodka lovers identify the best of the best.&nbsp;Ask yourself - which vodka should you spend your money on? Should you go with a flavored vodka, like the varieties produced by Svedka, Pinnacle, SKYY, and Smirnoff? Or maybe a more traditional vodka like Belvedere, Friis, Sobieski or Grey Goose?

This list is to help determine the highest quality vodka - through votes from&nbsp;Ranker users who have actually imbibed!&nbsp;Featuring vodka names from all over the world, these vodka rankings have them all! Vote up your favorite and vote down the vodka names&nbsp;that just miss the mark. And if it&rsquo;s vodka&rsquo;s tasty cousin whiskey you crave, check out these lists&nbsp;of the <a href="/list/best-bourbon-brands/bottoms-up">best bourbon brands</a> and <a href="/list/best-scotch-brands/bottoms-up">best scotch brands</a>.

&nbsp;

The Best Vodka Brands

Best Vodka Brands | List of Top Types of Vodka

Ranker Community

Lists of the craziest, most memorable things that ever happened on stage during music concerts and performances.

Live Music or Bust

Music History

Rock &#39;n&#39; roll goes hand in hand with debauchery -&nbsp;that is&nbsp;until someone can&#39;t play guitar or remember the words. It&#39;s not entirely surprising that some of your favorite rock stars might have indulged a bit too much before hitting the stage over the years, but sometimes things go too far and make for some very uncomfortable performances. Other times they can lead to <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/rockstars-die-on-stage/sean-kelly" target="_blank">tragic experiences</a>.

Whether the artists themselves had substance use problems at the time, most&nbsp;of the drunkest performances in history come mostly from bands who were known to party a bit too hard. Others are certainly surprising.

Let&#39;s take a look at times performers tipped a few too many before hitting the stage.

The 12 Drunkest Musical Performances In History

Band/Musician

Sean Kelly

Funny

There are plenty of people who (normally) drink responsibly&nbsp;at weekend parties and bar crawls with friends that will surpass their limits at least once in their lives. Accidents happen, excitement gets the best of everyone, and next thing they know - oops - they&#39;re cutoff! The bartender is closing the tab and calling a cab.&nbsp;

It can be embarrassing, but those who share their stories below managed to find some humor in the moment, and, at the very least, got a great story to tell out of it!

People Share Their Wildest Stories Of Getting Cut Off In Bars, And It's Chaos

Linda Meyers

Loose lips sink ships, but so does too much liquor. In a <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/g31cur/what_terrifying_confession_has_someone_told_you/?sort=top" target="_blank">recent subreddit</a>, people are sharing the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/horrifying-confession-stories/jessika-gilbert" target="_blank">deep, dark secrets</a> that were revealed to them while the other person was intoxicated. From marrying the wrong person to identity theft, these confessions are sobering, to say the least. Here is a small sampling of the shared drunk confessions. Vote up the confession that was best left unheard.&nbsp;

20 People Share The Most Shocking Drunken Confessions

20 People Share Shocking Drunk Confessions From Friends

Erin Maxwell

<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/bartender-holiday-stories/linda-meyers" target="_blank">Bartender stories</a>&nbsp;are the best. Since they deal with such a wide variety of people under some of the strangest circumstances, everyone who&#39;s worked in a bar is bound to come out of it with a wild tale at some point. From belligerent drunkards to inebriated&nbsp;imbeciles, hilarious hijinks to absolute horror stories, here are stories of bartenders who finally had enough, and had to cut off their customers from downing any more drinks before things got even more out of hand!

Bartenders Tell The Wildest Stories Of When They Had To Cut Someone Off

<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-beer-brands/bottoms-up">Beer</a> is more than just a beverage. The history of beer dates back thousands of years, and it has helped shape the course of civilization. At times, beer has even <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/how-beer-changed-history/steve-wright">saved lives</a>. There are so many amazing facts about beer that you probably don't know - and they'll definitely&nbsp;give you a deeper appreciation for this magical elixir.Beer is made up of barley, hops, yeast, and water. All variations of beer are derived from this basic formula, from the darkest stout to the lightest pilsner. Sometimes other grains, such as wheat, are used instead of barley, and sometimes additional &quot;adjuncts&quot; (like fruit, chocolate, or coffee) are added, but the basic process is still the same: brew, ferment, and drink.Exactly how beer was invented is unknown, though it is generally considered to have developed alongside <a href="http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/who-invented-beer">cereal agriculture</a>. Grains are staple crops&nbsp;and can grow in more varied climates than grapes. As such, the means to make beer was more widely available than <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/how-wine-changed-the-world/laura-allan">wine</a>.Before sanitation was properly understood, beer was often used as a replacement for water. Because the water is boiled during the brewing process, any harmful bacteria present in the water is killed. The low alcohol content acts as an additional preservative and it could be transported on ships where it was impossible to keep clean water. For these reasons, beer played a large part in the spread of civilization across the globe. Where humans explored, beer followed. Check out more surprising beer facts below.

Crazy Facts About the History of Beer

Christopher Myers

poll

The best tasting light beers voted by the Ranker community. Many beer enthusiasts despise light beers, but this list proves that light beers do have fans. &nbsp;People watching their&nbsp;weight often give up the beverage altogether, thinking there are few good light beers, especially if they aren't fans of the best tasting domestic beers. However, low-calorie American beers are not the only option. Some of the best light beers in the world are light European lagers, like Amstel Light or Becks. Then there are the flavorful Japanese light beers by Sapporo and Kiran, and even low-calorie beers from Mexico and Canada, from <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-beer-brand-names?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">popular beer brands</a> like Corona and Labatt.&nbsp;Check out this crowdranked&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-beer-brand-names?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">list of beers</a> and you may discover one that tastes great and fits your diet. If don't see your favorite &quot;lite&quot; beer on this list, go ahead and add it so that your favorite brewer gets in the rankings. Cheers!

The Best Tasting Light Beers

Beer

Absinthe, AKA the green fairy, has been a popular spirit for centuries, though it was banned in the U.S. and much of Europe in the early 1900s. Now, great absinthe companies can be found all over the world.What great companies will you find on this best absinthe brands list? Pernod Absinthe was extremely popular before the absinthe ban, and has seen a resurgence since the spirit became legal again in the U.S. in 2007. Pernod is produced in Marseille, France and was founded all the way back in 1805. Vieux Pontarlier is another good absinthe brand.Marilyn Manson created his own variation of this popular spirit, which he dubbed Mansinthe. Other good brand names that appear on this top absinthe brands list include Absinthe Antitoxin, C.F. Berger, and Blues Cat Absinthe.Which absinthe brand is your favorite? Vote up the best, most reliable absinthe brand names below, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comment section.&nbsp;

The Best Absinthe Brands

Absinthe Brands | List of Absinthe Brand Names

Alcohol lists at Ranker - The ultimate source for hundreds of alcohol lists and rankings

Alcohol lists on Ranker

Round-ups of memes and macros almost as old as the Internet.

Classic Memes You Need to See

There's nothing quite like alcohol. It lifts us up to our highest peaks and causes some of the lowest moments of our lives. We love it, but can't trust it (and take absolutely no responsibility for anything we do under its influence. So, in all its glory, everyone's closest friend, here is the best of the Scumbag Alcohol meme. 

The Very Best of the Scumbag Alcohol Meme

Robert Wabash

Internet

The "You Are Drunk" meme features various animals, objects or plants either in places where they really should not be or performing actions that are very unusual. These are usually hilarious stand-alone pictures in of themselves, but attributing the characteristic of being drunk to them elevates the humor to a whole other level. Anthropomorphizing something like a house and calling it drunk because of poor craftsmanship is just funny for some reason. Calling a piano drunk because it's up in a tree is really damn funny too. I don't know why but the "Piano, You Are Drunk" or the "Bruce, You Are Drunk" or even the "Tree, You Are Drunk" viral photos are just great single images. They started out as viral images on places like Reddit, 9Gag (I know, they actually contributed to something for once) and 4Chan and eventually graduated as a whole way to characterize an object, animal or plant in a picture that seems to be in a completely ridiculous situation. So here, in one place, are the greatest "You Are Drunk" posts on the internet (so far).Be sure to check out Ranker's other lists like the 25 Greatest Internet Memes of 2010.

The Very Best of the &quot;You Are Drunk&quot; Meme

Made from fermented grain mash, whiskey (or whisky, or bourbon or scotch or whatever) is one of the most popular, most delicious liquors in the world.

For the Love of Whiskey

Whiskey is a very distinct tasting liquor. Since it is made in a burnt wooden cask, it is given a smokey head. Some consider whiskey to be one of the truest forms of alcohol. Whiskey is an alcoholic beverage that is made from combining water and a mash of grains. The mash can be different combinations of barley, rye, wheat or corn. Whatever is used gives the whiskey a different flavor. It is then placed in a wooden cask that is made out of burnt oak and left to age and ferment. However long it is left in the cask is also going to change the taste of the whiskey. Since all of these factors come into play, each whiskey producer comes up with a whiskey that taste slightly different from another's. This leaves the drinker with many varying options to consider when trying to choose which whiskey is the right one for them. Should they go with the lighter and smoother Canadian whiskey like Canadian Club, Crown Royal or Black Velvet? How about a fuller American blend like Jack Daniels, Knob Creek or Maker's Mark? This list is to help determine which whiskey is the best tasting out there through votes from the Ranker users. Please note that It includes all types of whiskey, but you can also vote on the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-bourbon-brands/bottoms-up">best bourbon</a> and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-scotch-brands/bottoms-up">top scotch brands</a>. Vote up your favorite and vote down the ones that just miss the mark.

Maker's Mark

Straight Up: These Are the World's Best Whiskeys

The Best Tasting Whiskey

Best Tasting Whiskey From Around the World, Ranked

Lists about drinking alcohol for people who love drinking alcohol.

Drinking, Drunk, Drunks

Look, you watch enough of a show, you get to know the characters. Maybe you even care about them. Maybe you even love them. Or hate them. Or want to read tons of lists about them.

The People in Your TV

Entertainment

&quot;The problem with some people is that when they aren't drunk they're sober.&quot; ﻿&nbsp; &nbsp;--William Butler Yeats.﻿ These are some of our favorite, most lovable TV drunks. Famous drunks: cartoon characters, ad men, a shoe salesman, even a kindergarten teacher – they are all proof that it's OK to enjoy the results of a good fermentation process. This list of alcoholic TV characters includes some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-tv-characters-of-all-time">greatest TV characters of all time</a>, because hey, boozehounds are people too. Vote for your favorite drunk TV characters and see if you recognize all of the TV alcoholics on this list.&nbsp;

Bender

The Most Lovable TV Alcoholics

TV Character

Best TV Alcoholics | List of Most Lovable Fictional Drunks

Allison Robinson

Robert Downey Jr.

Morgan Freeman

Hugh Jackman

Lists of our favorite celebrities and public figures who give just about everyone the warm fuzzies.

Wonderful People We All Love

If given the opportunity to sit down for a beer with any famous male figure, which famous men would you most want to get a drink with? Similar to the <a href="/list/famous-women-you_d-want-to-have-a-beer-with/greg">list of celebrity women you'd want to have a drink with</a>&nbsp;you're not picking these guys because you want to get them drunk and see where the night goes. &nbsp;You're choosing who out of all the interesting famous people on the planet would be your ultimate pick to grab a beer with -- famous actors, directors, politicians, athletes, and even billionaires could all be great choices. (If the celeb you most want to hang out with doesn't drink, <a href="http://jezebel.com/everybody-wants-to-drink-beer-with-the-wrong-famous-peo-1696183663">that's cool</a>. They can order a non-alcoholic beer!)You have to consider, when picking who you'd want at the barstool next to you, the things you're going to talk about, likability, things you would have in common (do you like the same sports teams, movies, food are you from the same state), fun personality, most down to earth and who would make the best drinking buddy. &nbsp;Do not focus solely on looks.This list of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/americas-boyfriend-2018/celebrity-lists" target="_blank">cool famous men</a> ranges from politicians like Bill Clinton, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/comedians?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">comedic actors</a> like <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-7-greatest-_real_-bill-murray-stories-ever-told/kristin-wong?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Bill Murray</a> and Will Ferrell who you're sure to be thoroughly entertained by and have some good laughs with, record breaking athletes and notorious Hollywood bad boys like Colin Farrell. &nbsp;&nbsp;