Blog of Leonid Mamchenkov

Yesterday I heard the story of toasting origins.  It sounded interesting, but somewhat unrealistic.  It turned out to be true:

The practice of toasting originated in Ancient Greece, at a time when fear of poisoning was a significant concern. To put guests at ease, the host would pour the guests’ wine from a common decanter, take the first drink to demonstrate its safety, then raise his cup to the guests and invite them to drink in good health.

Curing hangovers is one of the most popular issues to talk and read about ever. I did my part of the research too, but it was as helpful as for everyone else. The fact is, if you’ve got yourself a nice hangover, there isn’t much you can do to get rid of it. You can make it slightly easier on you, by choosing to follow one of the billion advices.

Luckily, I found something better. In stead fighting the hangover, I simply prevent it. It turned out to work much better, and simplier too. How do I do it? Two simple steps.

1. Try not to mix different drinks. If there is no choice, than always drink the stronger one next. In other words - if you have to drink both beer and vodka, than drink beer first, and than follow it up with vodka. This way you won’t get as drunk, and you won’t have as terrible of the hangover in the morning. But this step is a minor one compared to the next.
2. Drink lots (and I really mean LOTS) of water before going to bed. The more water you drink, the better you will feel in the morning. Dihydration is the main component of the hangover, and you can’t fix it while you’re sleeping. So, just take care of it before you go to sleep, and the water you drank will last you through the night.

That’s it. These are basically the only two things I care about when I drink alcohol. And I haven’t had a hangover in years now. Except that one time, when I didn’t have any water before falling in bed. And that was one of the most horrible days of my life.

Yesterday, I had more than half a litter of vodka (with friends and food). When I came back home, I think I drank up the whole plastic bottle (1.5L) of water. Five hours later when I went for a walk with Maxim, I didn’t feel a thing. Like I wasn’t even drinking the day before. It was so good that it actually felt weird.

Ok, guys, you gonna love this! I have totally accidentally found the first BEER SHOP in Cyprus! Not only that - it is in Limassol too! Is there still anyone out there who thinks that Limassol is not totally the best city in Cyprus? I guess not…

Anyway, the shop is totally cool. I am writing this post in hope that they will have enough business to stay alive for years to come. There is a great variety of beers in the shop. And I mean a really great variety. They have cans, bottles, and drafts from Cyprus, Greece, Germany, Belgium, Holland, UK, India, and some other countries. I couldn’t count all the brands and kinds of beer that they have, but I am sure they offer well over 40 products.

Additionally, you can buy anything related to beer - glasses, pints, mugs, and tankarts. Nuts and other finger food. Accessories. Gift packages. I can’teven name everything they have.

While in the shop, you can ask for assistance from the two guys who work there (and look like they own the place). There is also a printed guide into different kinds of beer that they have. Business cards and printed bookmarklet can be taken out too.

The shop has opened about one and a half month ago, so they didn’t manage to create a website just yet. But they booked the domain already (at least it’s printed on the business cards) - www.AllAboutBeer.net.

Here is all the information from the business card (I don’t have a scanner):

All About Beer
Sissifou & Ammochostou Str.
3075 Limassol - Cyprus
Tel. 25732007
Fax. 25732008
e-mail: info (at) allaboutbeer.net
www.allaboutbeer.net

Finding the shop is very easy. It is next to Ermes Appolo (ex-Woolworth). If you will turn towards Ermes from the Makariou III Avenue and look to your left across the Ermes parking, you will see the All About Beer shop on the parallel street (perpendicular to Makariou III avenue, next to Ermes parking space). Give them a call if you get lost, but it is really easy to find.

Now, if you will excuse me, I’m going to enjoy a bottle of Kwak…