Drinking and Nightlife in the Philippines

Drinking and Nightlife in the Philippines

Metro Manila is home to many bars, watering holes, and karaoke sites. Popular places include Makati (particularly the Glorietta and Greenbelt areas), Ortigas Metrowalk, and Eastwood in Libis. Other big cities such as Cebu City and Davao also have areas where the nightlife is centered. Establishments serve the usual hard and soft drinks typical of bars elsewhere. Note that Filipinos rarely consume alcohol by itself. They would normally have what is called as "pulutan" or bar chow alongside their drinks which is like the equivalent of tapas. At the least, this would consist of mixed nuts but selections of grilled meats and seafood are not uncommon food alongside the customary drinks. When having a party, Filipinos enjoy drinking round-robin style using a common glass. One is supposed to drink bottoms-up before passing the glass to the next person. This custom is known as "tagayan" and one person usually volunteers to pour the drink.

Beer is perhaps the most common form of alcohol consumed in bars. San Miguel Beer is the dominant local brand with several variants such as Light, Dry, Strong Ice and their flagship variant Pale Pilsen. Budweiser, Heineken and Corona can also be found in upscale bars. Rhum and "ginebra" which is the local form of gin are commonly available forms of hard liquor. Indigenous forms of liquor are lambanog and tuba which are both derived from coconut sap. Tuba is fermented from the coconut sap and though tuba itself can be drunk, it is also distilled to take the form of lambanog. Lambanog is now being marketed widely both locally and internationally in its base form as well as in several flavored variants such as mango, bubble gum and blueberry.

Alcohol is extremely cheap in the Philippines (and probably cheapest in the whole of Asia). For a bottle of San Miguel bought at a 7-11 or Mini-Stop, a bottle would costs about PhP20-PhP30 (About USD 0.50). For top-end bars and clubs, a bottle would costs about PhP100.00-PhP200 (about USD 2.50-5.00). A bottle of 750ml Absolut Vodka at the supermarket would fetch a price of around PhP750.00 and a popular local rhum (especially amongst knowledgeable expats) Tanduay would get you just below PhP70.00 at a 24 hour convenience store in Makati (The Financial District).

Of course non-alcoholic drinks are also widely available in bars and other establishments. Don't miss:
* 'Calamansi Juice' - lemon juice made from small, local lemons called calamansi * 'Fresh Buko Juice'- juice extracted from young coconuts * 'Sago't Gulaman - a sweet drink of molasses, tapioca pearls and seaweed gelatin * 'Green mango shake- a fruit shake made of green or unripened mangoes, sugar, milk and ice(one of the best native drinks in the Philippines) * Taho - a sweet, warm soya snack usually served in the morning, with tapioca balls, soft tofu and caramelized syrup