When in Sweden, drink cider

Just a short post about drinking and going out in Sweden.

First of all, one of the things that I had to get used to being Danish and all, was the way people went out. They go to a private party, then (around 11pm) they go to a bar, and then when the bar closes at 2am they go to a private after party. This might be completely normal all over the world, except from Denmark where we go to a private party, go to a bar at some point no earlier than 2am and stumble home when we realize that we're out of money. Don't be surprised if this happens at, say, 8am. Anyways, this was supposed to be about Sweden.

Well, a very Swedish thing to drink at a bar is cider. It is very sweet, not at all like English cider. More like soda, but with alcohol. The most famous brand is probably Rekorderlig - they make cider with a bunch of different flavours, not only apple and pear, but I know they have some with elderflower and berries and other things, too.

All beverages with more than 3,5% alcohol must be bought in Systembolaget, where you have to be at least 20 years old to take home an overpriced bottle of joy :) However, as soon as you are 18 years old you can brew your own (up to 20%!).

Should you be in the mood for something without any alcohol, Sweden has a quite overwhelming selection of carbonated water with taste, without sugar and sweetener. My personal favourite is Loka, just because the bubbles are nice and soft. Like cider, this comes in a wide range of flavours, go for what you think sounds good.

Last but not least, I've heard stories about how Americans dislike Coca-Cola when it's made in Sweden since the water tastes different. And that an Australian brewery once tried to brew beer in Sweden but they gave up because they couldn't get it to taste right.
I don't know if any of this is true, but to me the tap water tastes just fine, don't be afraid to drink it :)