As a genuine shoestringer... how do you feel about free shots in hostels or bars?
Posted by lucapal1@reddit | Shoestring | View on Reddit | 43 comments
Have you been offered free shots or drinks by the staff? Did you always say yes?
If it hasn't happened yet... would you accept or decline? Why?
SalamancaVice@reddit
Background story for context;
Fifth tourist dies after suspected 'tainted drinks' in Laos
Fake-alcohol deaths highlight SE Asia's methanol problem
TL;DR - Bootleg alcohol laced with methanol is often given away to tourists in Laos and other backpacker destinations as part of pub/bar crawls
zapratoshi_Miyamotsk@reddit
I lived in Bangkok for like 4 years… The amount of Americans drinking what i call “snake fluid” is insane… Formaldehyde, ethanol, and snek.
WanderingGirl5@reddit
Hell no. You don’t know these people and you don’t if they’ve altered your drink in a bad way. Never.
Glittering_Panda_329@reddit
Usually yes. I have never had issues. In saying that, I also don’t drink much these days so it depends if I feel like drinking which isn’t often nowadays. But I think I’ll think about 3 times before saying yes now after what’s happened to those poor girls :(
Silver-Arm@reddit
Before this week: Hell Yes!!
Now: No.
Glittering_Panda_329@reddit
Is this because of what happened to the Australian girls in Asia? So so sad.
Substantial_Can7549@reddit
What a terrible outcome for those young people.. i personally never have had free shots, etc, at a hostel. .. hopefully, now everyone is more aware of the risks.
BigFatAbacus@reddit
I went to a bar in Benidorm which gave a free drink if you sucked off the dildo they kept behind the bar.
Safe to say that dildo was very well sucked while I was there!
knotdjuan@reddit
I was raped by a hostel worker in Costa Rica after free drinks. I over drank and couldn’t stand/fight back. Next day I was hella ashamed as a female hostel worker was talking shit about the dirt and blood in my sheets. Now I only drink with people I feel very safe with(family and close friends).
permanentlytiredAF@reddit
Ugh I am so sorry that happened to you. It wasn’t your fault and you don’t deserve to feel ashamed for something that happened against your will. Drinking too much doesn’t change that. The hostel worker who did that was a predator. Shame on the woman for talking shit about the state of your room (which was a literal crime scene) rather than having empathy. I hope you’re doing well these days.
EdSheeransucksass@reddit
Did the recent headlines out of Laos prompt you to ask this? 😆
After reading that shit, no. Unless I can see the bottle it's coming out of, and it has to be a recognizable western brand, like Jamieson's.
Several_Ad_8363@reddit
A western brand is more likely to be fake than a local one over there. What do you think is safer arrest-wise and more profitable, faking the product of some people 10000 miles away in Ireland or faking the brand that has the local atrong/rich men behind it?
MoneyPranks@reddit
I’ve read that in some Caribbean beach destinations the bars refill empty liquor bottles with bootlegged liquor purchased from cheap suppliers. Actually, the two times I got corn liquor from the moonshine man in Washington, DC, it came in random liquor bottles.
fluxocity@reddit
Yeah, I ordered local whisky and makers mark on the beach in Puerto Morelos and there was no difference between the two. It’s a world wide phenomenon. I’ve heard of refilling bottles in pubs with cheap product since I started drinking in high school
TheNorbster@reddit
The bar I worked in did this too. Baccardi, disarono, Malibu, greygoose and Johnny red all got refilled
NotMyInternet@reddit
Honestly, I don’t think I’d trust it even if it was a recognizable western brand. Labels can be counterfeited and bottles can be refilled.
Willing-Layer-4977@reddit
I remember a Laos wedding party with Johnny walker black label bottles filed with local Lao Lao. No shame at all. Just used tape to keep the bottle and label intact and re use over and over again….
lucapal1@reddit (OP)
Of course,I read about it.A terrible situation for those affected and for their families.
FineSupplements@reddit
Unless I see I see the brand new bottle opened and poured in front of me, FAK NO! I love my organs and personal belongings too much. Double FAK NO! If I was a woman
whydidyouruinmypizza@reddit
I took full advantage of this when travelling in South East Asia on and off from 2012-2016. These days it’s a hard no. Shits changed. If I was offered Lao Lao, Arrak, Lambanog or similar and locals were drinking it with me then I would still have some due to the pride locals feel around their own spirits, I feel they would be a safer option than taking shots of unregulated vodka etc.
Jjang-ee-ya@reddit
Don't want alcohol to begin with. It's a waste of time.
Beaver_Bac@reddit
That's a definite no. can't get any harder on that pass. I like having all of my organs
NY10@reddit
Do welcome drinks count? I take that all the time lol…. Hey, it’s free after all I suppose
Foamy-lizard@reddit
I didnt drink when I traveled alone - if I did it was with friends I was visiting and usually at a place they frequent so they knew the people working there.
Jenny441980@reddit
In Europe yes. Anywhere else, no,
Not_High_Maintenance@reddit
God no! Why would anyone?
saymimi@reddit
hell no.
Bitter-Check9960@reddit
never.. ever … nobody can be that stupid
CR7futbol@reddit
i'm in se asia now and stay in hostels (i guess not the party ones?) very often, and have never done a pub crawl. maybe i'm not the target of this question, but no, i probably wouldn't take the shot. i went to a mad monkey hostel once and got a shot voucher at check-in, i used it for orange juice instead. something about 'if it's too good to be true, it probably is'
platweasel@reddit
Yeah, many hostels and bars I visited whilst travelling SE Asia a few years ago did this, and I always took them and had a great time - whether it was free shots, rice wine, beer etc.
HippyGrrrl@reddit
I don’t drink booze.
MuskiePride3@reddit
It absolutely depends on the situation. Frankfurt I was at the bar which was outrageously slow with 2 friends and the bartender gave us about 3 free each.
If it’s a country im not familiar with and can’t see the bottle then I’m not drinking it.
Use common sense.
itscurt@reddit
Especially pub crawls there are tens of free shots given out all night, but looks like methanol poisoning is only common in dirt poor countries and in those places you should be able to afford top shelf for pennies on the dollar
Gorgonite2024@reddit
Agreed. Also, poor countries tend to have much hotter climates and that alone would put me off. Alcohol and heat is a bad combo...
sockmaster666@reddit
I’ve stopped drinking when I turned 25. Well I still drank a bit here and there up until 27 when I completely just stopped. Just don’t like it anymore. But yeah, terrible situations all around.
pazhiloy_starchok@reddit
I've tried a fair amount of local liquors/infusions offered in hotel/bar lobbies, and there is one thing to be aware of: if it tastes and drinks like lemonade it hits really hard later. Sadly I learned this the hard way
seamallowance@reddit
Did you get that lesson over and over, like I have? I never seem to learn.
pazhiloy_starchok@reddit
I keep making the same mistake every time, just to remind myself of how fun it can be
TheElusiveRabbitD@reddit
Hell yeah! I've met some really amazing people that way. Life's too short to be scared of everything. Enjoy it before it's gone!
stateofyou@reddit
Depends on the place and country
DiBalls@reddit
No
jmes_c@reddit
I think it depends where it is to be honest. I also don’t really see the point in them
lucapal1@reddit (OP)
I have done so quite a lot of times during my travels.
The places where I was offered free alcohol the most times were probably Georgia (on arrival at the hostel or guesthouse) and some parts of Eastern Europe.
In bars,SE Asia for sure.