Can Drunks Have Serious Conversations?

[ColGray]

It occurs to me that in the past and perhaps in the present lots of merchants would do business over a drink for two reasons. Inhibitions go down so people may speak the truth more resdily but also because people make rash descisions. If you were a merchant used to alcohol and you wanted to off load some cheap worthless item, what better way than to get your client drunk enough to think it a good idea. Reminds me of a friend who makes stupid internet purchases when drunk.
Also, although i don't drink much anymore, I seem to recall that ALL drunken conversations were serious, just not very coherant.

You cannot underestimate the level of inebriation great leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt regularly used. I remember reading a biography of Teddy Roosevelt that, at length, discussed the importance of being able to drink insane amounts of beer and liquor as table stakes for entering politics. Mores and expectations change over time, but, if the cultural expectations are one thing, then people act and enforce that expectation.

As of a decade ago, this was still the case if doing business in the Baltics: if you open a bottle of vodka, you finish a bottle of vodka. It's not just a "thing", it's culturally rude and insulting not to finish it. (Though, fun experiment: introduce someone who primarily drinks vodka to bourbon or whiskey and watch them the next morning. It. Is FUN!)

 

[psychotick]

Hi Guys,

Well since someone mention Churchill and drinking:

“A lady came up to me one day and said 'Sir! You are drunk', to which I replied 'I am drunk today madam, and tomorrow I shall be sober but you will still be ugly.”​

― Winston Churchill

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Vladd67]

When I was in the Sealed Knot I had many "serious" conversations after a session in the beer tent, usually whilst lying on my back in a field looking at the stars. We must have covered many subjects from world problems to the pitfalls of time travel regarding interfering in English civil war events.

 

[Vladd67]

You cannot underestimate the level of inebriation great leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt regularly used. I remember reading a biography of Teddy Roosevelt that, at length, discussed the importance of being able to drink insane amounts of beer and liquor as table stakes for entering politics. Mores and expectations change over time, but, if the cultural expectations are one thing, then people act and enforce that expectation.

As of a decade ago, this was still the case if doing business in the Baltics: if you open a bottle of vodka, you finish a bottle of vodka. It's not just a "thing", it's culturally rude and insulting not to finish it. (Though, fun experiment: introduce someone who primarily drinks vodka to bourbon or whiskey and watch them the next morning. It. Is FUN!)

 

[Fiberglass Cyborg]

You cannot underestimate the level of inebriation great leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt regularly used. I remember reading a biography of Teddy Roosevelt that, at length, discussed the importance of being able to drink insane amounts of beer and liquor as table stakes for entering politics. Mores and expectations change over time, but, if the cultural expectations are one thing, then people act and enforce that expectation.

As of a decade ago, this was still the case if doing business in the Baltics: if you open a bottle of vodka, you finish a bottle of vodka. It's not just a "thing", it's culturally rude and insulting not to finish it. (Though, fun experiment: introduce someone who primarily drinks vodka to bourbon or whiskey and watch them the next morning. It. Is FUN!)

I had a South Korean colleague who occasionally attempted to drink Scotch whiskey the same way he would soju. The morning after, we'd have to hide him away in a darkened room for a couple of hours and bring him regular glasses of water.

 

[ColGray]

I had a South Korean colleague who occasionally attempted to drink Scotch whiskey the same way he would soju. The morning after, we'd have to hide him away in a darkened room for a couple of hours and bring him regular glasses of water.

Oh no--that's just cruel! Isn't shoju like 25% ABV? Many standard bourbons are 40% and many high end bourbons are 50-55% ABV, so not only is it a less pure spirit, but it's also 2x the alcohol!

Recipe for a terrible time, followed by a second terrible time, followed by apologies for the previous two terrible times.

 

[THX1138]

Many standard bourbons are 40% and many high end bourbons are 50-55% ABV,

And lets not forget the difference between charcoal filtered and unfiltered spirits!

I'll take a 52% filtred Scotch over a 46% unfiltered any day. Granted, the unfiltered stuff tastes much better by far than the charcoal filtered stuff, but that small % of Head alcohol left in the final product packs a powerful long-lasting punch! (It has an oily type of texture in the mouth. The more the oily texture, the bigger the punch.) Some of the Islay's have a wee bit more in them.

 

[ColGray]

May I interest you in some acetone, good sir? No? What if i told you it was... aged acetone? I can assure you it was a very good year.

 

[THX1138]

I'm too blind to tell, so why not? Poor me a shot, my good man!

 

[Swank]

It is ashame that drinking is such a rare and exotic human activity that the OP couldn't experiment themselves