There’s just some drinks we tend to associate with one place, like margaritas and sandy beaches or whisky with Scotland. Our own little town, St Andrews, also has it’s very own unique drinks that you’d really only drink in St Andrews, because when you have that drink, it’s an evocatively special experience. Okay, we’re probably exaggerating a bit on that, but it’s still good to know that this unique little place has a few drinks that are synonymous with it.
Have you tried these yet? Because if you haven’t, you should order one (or many more) of these on your next night out:
1. Pablo
Photo courtesy of @intiguaman on Instagram
Ask any St Andrews student and they’ll tell you they have a special place for pablos in their heart. I, for one, was introduced to them by some older friends within my first week at university, and that introduction is something I’ll never forget. For some reason, pablos just don’t seem to exist outside of St Andrews (at least not in the USA), and I honestly don’t know why.
If you haven’t been introduced, ask any bartender at literally any bar in town and they’ll whip this beauty up for you. If you’re trying your own hand at making it, you’ll need VK (WKD works as well) and two shots of vodka. P.S., our favorite color happens to be blue.
2. Gin & Tonic
Photo courtesy of @thehamptonsocial on Instagram
Yeah, you can find gin & tonics in lots of places outside of St Andrews, but that doesn’t make this drink less endearing to us students. You can find your coursemates, friends, and foes chugging this stuff at every pub and bar from Aikman’s to the Vic on any given night. Personally, I find that nothing works just as well as a classic G&T to get the night going. Is it gin o’clock yet?
Got some extra gin? Try making these fun St Andrews inspired cocktails that will literally rock your entire life. We also have our own distillery, the Eden Mill, which is only 10 minutes away and even rents its property from the University. Take a trip there one day and enjoy sampling their “Golf Gin”, which kind of literally has golf clubs in it (insane but an incredibly delicious gin).
3. Messy Bomb
Photo courtesy of @alyshhh4 on Instagram
Messy bombs are both messy, and the bomb, but that’s not why we like them so much. The broke student’s version of the jaeger bomb, they may be the same price as getting a shot of vodka, or tequila at the Union, but doesn’t it just sound much more fun to get a messy bomb? We’ll definitely say cheers to that. But wait! The fun doesn’t end there–try this amazing Jell-O shot recipe that tastes like a dream.
4. Pimms
Photo courtesy of @switchlifestylerestaurant on Instagram
As students, we’re simple people with simple pleasures. Living in one of the (shiver) coldest, (sigh) wettest, and (cry) windiest places in the world, on the limited amount of nice, sunny, somewhat warm days, we enjoy garden parties and revel at how beautiful Scotland looks when it’s not aggressively winding. Best saved for August/September or May/June days, Pimms are our way of enjoying the fine weather in typical St Andrews style.
5. Champagne
Photo courtesy of @brownhotevents on Instagram
St Andrews students can be found grabbing champagne at the entrance of every ball from their first Kate Kennedy Opening Ball to their last Graduation Ball. Whether or not the champagne’s good, we’d rather not disclose. If you can’t stand the taste of cheap champagne, here’s something we’ve got that’ll help. But from a FS sponsored by Veuve Clicquot to the scandalous champagne prank video that went viral a few years ago, champagne and St Andrews are now and will forever be linked together.
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Amen.