Everyone knows that Israeli people love to party! And what’s a better way to start a party than a bunch of booze?
Israel actually has a really interesting drinking culture. It’s not about the quantity but about the quality. It seems that in general, Israelis don’t get completely hammered most of the time, however they definitely have an interesting selection of different flavors that will take our taste buds on a beautiful journey!
In this post, we will cover the most popular local drinks in Israel, and take a glimpse into the Israeli drinking culture.
Are you ready? Let’s dive in!
Local Craft Beer
Surprisingly, as opposed to what you’d expect from a beach resort country, cocktails aren’t very popular here. Beers, however, are where it’s at!
Israelis love to drink beer, and beer is by far the most popular drink you will find in bars around the country.
As mentioned, Israeli’s typically don’t drink as much as you’d expect, and they look for quality when shopping for their drinks (as well as a decent price, but that goes without saying here). That’s probably the reason why for such a small country there’s such a huge collection of different craft beers, local breweries, and even many bars and hostels that are selling their own home brew stuff!
Local Israeli beers can take on lots of different forms and tastes. You have the classic Goldstar, which is the local classic that everyone loves. But I personally recommend checking out more “niche” beers and get exposed to as much new flavors as you can while you visit.
A few recommendations that you should definitely try:
Shoshana – A 4.7% mint flavored beer whose taste reminds lemon sprite. Some people love it, some people hate it. Non the less it’s refreshing, and I personally think it’s worth a try to find out if it’s a bullseye for you.
Malka – A local beer brand that is produced in the Galilee region, in north of Israel. This is a local brand that will truly show you what Israeli beer is all about.
Alexander – Known for its fresh unfiltered taste. It’s actually the only Israeli beer brand that won the gold star for it’s Sweet Stout in the European Beer Star competition, and ranked silver and bronze for many different categories.1
Jems – Personally my favorite of the bunch. Its taste is really classic and what you’d expect to get when you order a beer. Not too bitter, not too sweet, and extremely refreshing! It’s a really fun brand of beer to drink.
Shandy – A weaker “fruit” beer that goes amazingly with food and is insanely refreshing. If you’re a guy and you get caught drinking this beer you might get laughed at a little bit, but overall if you have ever experienced the taste of their flavored beer it would definitely be worth it!
Local Israeli Wine
Interesting fact – Wine has been produced in the land of Israel since biblical times, and to this day Israel has a blooming wine industry. It’s actually an interesting story.
It seems that the wine production in this part of the world had a lot of ups and downs. From being extremely popular to basically non-existent under so many different conquerors of the land over the years.
However, it seems that the passion towards wine just keeps pushing through and the wine production always comes back swinging!
It is was actually very recently that the wine industry here bloomed once again. Around 40 years ago in the 1980s there were barely any wineries around, not to mention that those who were, focused on boiled kosher wines and didn’t really consider the quality.
Nowadays there are more than 300 wineries in this small country, that produce excellent flavors of not only wines, but also a variety of liqueurs.2
I personally don’t drink wine that often, so I don’t have specific brands to recommend. However, during my travels around the country I once went into a winery tour and was blown away by the variety and taste of the local produce.
I really recommend going on a wine tour if you’re traveling here and want to experience the wine culture in the most authentic way possible.
Tubi 60
This is actually an Israeli invention, and not only that, it’s from my hometown of Haifa!
Tubi 60 is a local Israeli 40% hard liquor that cannot be explained in simple words. It’s sweet and sour, reminds of a mixture of lemon and ginger with some spices, however no one actually knows what’s exactly in it.
It’s probably the weirdest tasting alcoholic drink I’ve tasted. It gives you a happy buzzy feeling and a somewhat mellow hangover. It’s pretty hard to write this and explain what it is if I’m being honest. It really tastes different than anything else I have ever tried in my life!
Tubi 60 is slowly becoming more and more known worldwide, and you can also get it in the US, Hungary, Norway and recently in Germany.3
If you want to try a truly local alcoholic beverage, not an Israeli beer or Israeli wine, but a whole new invention of alcohol that is completely different than anything you had before, you have to try this sometime.
I personally recommend it with pineapple juice or with carbonated lemonade with mint, however the creators of Tubi say that the best way to drink it, is cold shots of pure Tubi. I’ll let you decide this one ????
Arak
This one isn’t a purely Israeli drink, however it’s impossible to talk about Israeli alcoholic drinks without mentioning Arak.
Arak in the Middle East is like Rakia in the Balkans – people may argue all day and all night long, but when it comes to their drink, they all share a deep love and agreement. (Maybe that’s how we should solve the conflicts in the Middle East?).
So, what the hell is this drink anyway? It’s a really strong hard liquor (40-50%), that is made of anise and has some similarities to the taste of liquorice. The drink is usually consumed mixed with other things. Israelis like to mix it with lemonade and mint, or grape juice, while in other countries it is also popular to mix it with water. Mixed with water, it becomes milk white, which is quite unusual to see.
You can also take shots of pure Arak, but beware, that shit goes right through you. I personally found that Arak is one of those things that you will either love and crave for, or hate and stay as far from as possible.
I guess the only way to find out is to try it ????
(Side note: yes, I’m totally trying to get you hammered on your visit!)
Conclusion
Israel is quite an interesting country when it comes to alcohol. We prioritize quality over quantity, and we like to keep things interesting by trying out subtle new ways to enjoy our drinks.
We keep it fresh with crazy wild cards like Tubi, we get fucked up with Arak mixed with lemonade and mint, and we relax in the evening with a glass of local wine. However, at the end of the day, we always come back to our beers. And thinking about it, that’s probably the reason why we’re so bad at getting drunk.
I hope you enjoyed this post and I’ll see you in the next one!
The first time I ever left the borders of my country was when I was 19 for a short 3 day visit to Cyprus. Two years later I’ve been to 13 countries already and I want more! Traveling is truly the most eye opening and mind expanding experience I can think of. I have a love for teaching and self improvement, and sharing my thoughts about travel seems like the best way to combine those passions.
