Like any Antipodean far from home (Australian, not New Zealand, just for the record) I was curious to find my compatriots and hear the stories of how they ended up here.

Far right: CANZA president Richard York

Joint celebrations of Australia Day and Waitangi Day at the Kempinski Hybernska Hotel Prague in the Old Town provided the perfect occasion and so that’s where I was on Feb. 10, joined by over 100 others.

One of the highlights of the evening was the chance to sample Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Bellvale wines, a Victorian label. Winemaker and viticulturalist John Ellis presented the wines in person as guests enjoyed the Gippsland tipple (Gippsland is in coastal Victoria, South East Australia, for the non-Aussies playing at home).

One Italian guest commented that he didn’t even know Australia was a prominent wine-producer. Of course when everywhere else in the world is physically closer than Australia why would you look there for wine when you have so much quality produce right on your doorstep? The Bellvale selection was well received and I’m sure most would agree that wine from your homeland has a special taste you can’t really find anywhere else.

For more coverage of the event read the full story here.

Bartender and co-owner Isaac Starobin

Adam the Californian, and Isaac the New Yorker had been living and traveling in the Czech Republic for years before deciding to go into business and try their hand at the bar biz in Prague. “We were insistent we weren’t going to be another expat bar, but you know what we’re two Americans in Prague, what did we think was going to happen?” Isaac jokes.

L to R: Adam Sweet, Maria the barmaid, Isaac Starobin.

About 70 percent of the clientele is made up of expats, but they still bring in Czech patrons, which is something to be said for any expat-run establishment.

Dirty Dog specializes in cocktails and has an array of classics as well as originals that the owners created, the originals of which are delightfully and satirically named. The “Hurricane Isaac” is a twist on the original hurricane, the famed Bourbon Street tipple, inspired by Isaac’s years living in New Orleans. There’s also the “Red Headed Slut”, a shooter comprised of Jagermeister, Peach Liquor and cranberry juice, and then to take it just one step further there’s the “Lindsay Lohan”: a red headed slut with coke! The beverages are mixed up with a perfect combination of industry knowledge, flair and charisma: just don’t refer to these bartenders as “mixologists”: pretension ain’t their style!

The lovely barmaid Maria

The hollow, dimly lit bar is cool and very European, a place where half the night escapes you without your permission! If you drop by on a Wednesday night, as I did, you’re in for a treat with karaoke taking over the intimate space and transforming it into a lively, buzzing den of ‘80s hits and modern ballads.

The guys have all kinds of special events going on year-round and it’s definitely worth checking their website or just dropping in for a drink (or two…or three…)

Dirty Dog bar is located at: Vinohradská 1720/102  130 00, Praha-Vinohrady, Czech Republic.

For more information visit: www.dirtydogbar.cz

The Full Moon Fever: one of the bar's most popular rum cocktails

The potent green liquor was the tipple of choice for many a 19^th century artist, poet and bohemian, including Vincent Van Gogh, who cut off his ear during an absinthe-fueled bender, Oscar Wilde, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemmingway and plenty more.

While still illegal in many countries, absinthe was first used for medicinal purposes, mainly as a military medicine back in the day. It contains a psychoactive neurotoxin called thujone, made from wormwoord. However, the level of thujone in today’s absinthe ranges between 1.5mg/litre to 10mg/litre, which is the maximum legal limit due to European legislation, so it won’t have the same effect as its early counterpart, which means you shouldn’t be at any great risk of taking to your ear with a machete.

Before venturing out into Prague’s bars to sample the nation’s signature tipple, we present some classic recipes for those of you playing at home.

The Czech Absinthe ritual:

1 shot absinthe

1 tsp brown sugar

1 shot water

Pour 3/4 of a full shot of absinthe in a small tumbler.

Put a brown sugar cube on a spoon with holes in it and rest it on the rim of the sundae glass. Pour the remaining 1/4 of the shot of absinthe onto the brown sugar cube, light the brown sugar on fire (put the flame under the spoon). Let the flame burn for a minute while the brown sugar drips into the glass and caramelizes.

Stir the caramelized sugar into the glass.

Add the water to the glass, stir again and serve.

Hemingway

1 shot Absinthe Original

champagne

Pour absinthe into flute glass over ice. Top up with champagne.

Absinthe Minded
3 shots Bombay Sapphire gin

½ shot Absinthe Original

½ shot Grand Marnier orange liqueur

dry vermouth

1 orange peel

Chill 1 cocktail glass. In a mixing glass with ice, pour gin and absinthe, and stir. In your cocktail glass, roll 1/2 a shot of dry vermouth and throw away the excess. Strain other ingredients into cocktail glass and float 1/2 shot of Grand Marnier over top. Garnish with orange peel.

In a city with just over a million people, Prague’s expat scene is a bit like the Disneyland ride, with little flickers of cultural stereotypes and perceptions that are highly entertaining to drift through.

Having visited an Irish bar, attempted to visit an Australian bar (I’ve since been told that the former owner moved back to Sydney, thus the reason for its closure) I thought I should move onto the United States.

Restaurace Jáma is just a few minutes walking distance from Wenceslas square, but is kind of tucked down a side street and is completely inconspicuous. As you enter inside you step down into a foyer, before entering the main restaurant. The little glimmers of Americanisms greet you at first sight though: a gum-ball machine, a Foosball table and framed photos of US celebs, the most patriotic being Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson naked, wrapped in the American flag (ironically she’s actually Canadian).

The décor really reflects the restaurant / diner’s early ‘90s inception, mainly through the framed posters that adorn every wall, paying homage to pop bands, Baywatch, and curvy models of the ‘90s (including a bikini ad featuring Rachel Hunter, which we all know can’t be recent since she hasn’t modeled or been relevant since Rod Stewart gave her the flick). There’s even a “best pub” award from the Prague Post readers, from 1999, hanging in the lobby. This should act as a testament to the pub’s popularity and success since our readers are clearly purveyors of good taste!

The place is kind of kitsch, but in a cool, laid back way, plus they play some good ol’ cheesy music that makes you feel like you could be in some small-town American diner.

It’s a big venue, and when I went on a Tuesday night it was pretty busy considering it was mid-week. Service is quick, there’s plenty of staff, everyone speaks English and the menu is also printed in English, which makes life easier for non-Czech speakers. They also have happy hour everyday from 4pm-6pm, which again, is a welcome gesture.

The food menu is typical American and pretty spot on with great Mexican food, a range of burgers and plenty of sides to choose from.

For the practical information I’ve no doubt overlooked visit: http://www.jamapub.cz

Inspired by the Woody Allen flick “Midnight in Paris” I decided to make Prague my muse and allow myself to wander its streets at midnight on a Saturday in the vague (albeit misguided) hope that this could possibly lead to the kind of prolific observations that would effortlessly translate to sparkling prose on a blog page. Either that or I’d witness some kind of shady activities outside the brothels, which would work equally well for our news section. All bases were covered.

So I set out, excited by the faint possibility of a metaphysical adventure, like the kind Owen Wilson repeatedly encounters throughout the movie. Unlike Mr Wilson, I wasn’t transported to a different era in which famous literary characters drink cocktails, attend lavish parties and never pick up a pen, but there was still a glimmer of the bizarre to be seen.

I wouldn’t describe Prague as a city that never sleeps but, like a hospital ward after lights out, there’s always someone who’s awake, not to mention a healthy handful of individuals in need of medication roaming around aimlessly. That said, you can very comfortably wander around Wenceslas square on your own, and there’s always enough normal people milling about for the whole “safety in numbers” rule to apply.

A walk just up and down Wenceslas square in the dead of night is quite varied in itself. Of course your global chains are buzzing and awake. Starbucks, possibly hopped up on too many Venti lattes, is the first insomniac you’ll meet, and surprisingly it’s always busy, night and day.

Insight #1: Not everyone here is off their rocker on absinthe and Pilsner; some people drink coffee. Who knew?

The next night-cat is the Thai massage and beauty parlor. That’s not a euphemism for something more sinister, though I could understand why a Thai massage parlor that’s open late might invite such assumptions. Late at night there were still people to be seen, sitting in the window, with their feet in fish-tanks with fish nibbling at their feet.

Insight # 2: Some Thai massage parlors actually offer health and beauty services. Late at night. Again, who knew?

The next item is something every city has their own version of, but I think Prague does particularly well here. Those little kiosk/stands selling deep-fried anything seem operate round the clock, serving up sausages and every possible variation of a deep fried potato. The ingenious part is that they’re licensed and sell beer and basic spirits, so they’re not just the late-night spot people hit up after a big night out, they’re where a big night out continues after everything else closes.

Insight # 3: The entrepreneurial vendor lives on in Central Europe.

The end of the strip is where it gets a little seedier, though despite Prague’s reputation I’ve yet to witness a single stag-do taking place. Perhaps that’s due to the winter weather; we all know English tourists aren’t going to travel for rain, cold and darkness when they can get that at home. There are plenty of bars catering almost exclusively to bachelor parties though. I can’t offer an explanation as to what’s behind the doors of “the gate to hell” bar, but from the looks of it there’s definitely some really messed up mannequins in there. This place could probably reconsider their approach to luring in walk-in customers since this looks less like a place you’d walk into and more a scenario you’d flee from after making a pact to take whatever just happened to your grave…

Insight #4: Something seedy is always just around the corner.

And to cap off our midnight tour of the city we have one of Prague’s many casinos, lit up like Vegas, oblivious to time, with only the street cleaners lingering around.

I can’t promise an after-dark walk through the city will transport you to another world by Woody Allen standards, but you will get a glimpse into some strange nocturnal activities, which is always a good way to see a new city.

As part of my research for one of this week’s business stories on new licensing laws for gambling parlors in Prague (referred to in Czech as “hernas”) I found myself in a herna bar on Monday night, sipping beer with my colleague. I’ll admit this wasn’t strictly work or research but after interviewing people and writing about these bars for days on end I felt I should see one live in the flesh.

It’s important to note that these gambling dens are treated with the highest disregard in the Czech Republic. The new law that was implemented just this month now allows municipalities to control the licenses and so far the unanimous decision is to close all of them down as quickly as possible.

These are the kinds of places you definitely shouldn’t walk into alone as a tourist. They’re seedy, the atmosphere is tense and there are all kinds of shady characters to be found there. I was instructed by my colleague to keep my Diane Von Furstenberg satchel very close by my side as leering locals eyed us suspiciously as soon as we sat down.

The first herna bar we tried to get into was a lot like a mini casino, located next to Florenc metro stop. Lit up slot machines, various card tables and a bar were set up in a surprisingly neat, clean fashion, however non-gamblers were not welcome we were informed. Being located at the major bus station I imagine they get plenty of people who want to kill time drinking but not spend much money and they’ve finally cracked down on it.

So we went into another nearby bar, which was uncharacteristically island themed (and by that I mean the bar was beneath a Tiki Hut and everything else was generic and mainstream). This place was a more discreet version of a herna bar with slot machines in separate rooms and just an open doorway, a glimpse of what was inside and a glittering jackpot sign to lure patrons. I suppose those bar-flies who felt the Tiki Hut was an adequate enough device to transport them to a Caribbean paradise might be put off by slot machines in open view!

No matter where you are these kinds of places generally serve the same purpose. There are people who go there to actually gamble, then there’s everyone else who goes there as a last resort when all of the regular bars shut and you’re craving one more for the road.

There are plenty of these places around Prague offering cheap beer and basic spirits. A word of advice: don’t worry so much about keeping your eyes on the prize; just keep your hand on your bag for many an artful dodger abounds.

So readers, please accept my sincerest apologies. I hoped to bring you a whimsical story filled with Fosters-swilling Aussie caricatures, perhaps some Crocodile Dundee references and even a pub brawl if I could manage it, but alas ‘twas not to be.

I figured I would find the same level of entertainment and cultural stereotypes at the city’s main Irish bar, and so I tried my luck there on Sunday afternoon.

Rocky O’Reillys Irish Pub and Restaurant, in Prague 1, has that cosy, dimly lit atmosphere that makes you forget where you actually are, an endearing quality in a bar, I find. Once inside there are no windows and the darkness is only really illuminated by a roasting open fire and the glimmer of plasma screen televisions broadcasting football, rugby and cricket. Scenes like these are often more intoxicating than the drinks they serve for you truly lose track of time, and become completely disoriented by your surroundings.

Perhaps on a weekend night it might encompass the stereotype of a rowdy Irish bar, but for a Sunday session it’s relaxed, and chilled out, though still quite busy. The clientele is mostly Western tourists and the bar serves up drinks to accommodate this: Guinness, Kilkenny, Fosters, and most other tipples that a thirsty western traveler is missing from home.

This July will mark the pub’s ten year anniversary, manager Jana Ivčičová tells me. The Irish owners have a couple of other Irish bars spread across the city, with Rocky O’Reillys being the biggest.

While the Irish tourists have slowed, due to the recession, the pub still has an influx of tourists from the UK and the rest of Europe, especially depending on which football games are being shown. The sports broadcasts influence a big portion of the pub’s patronage, Ivčičová says.

For a cosy corner where you can pay in pounds or euros, find a beverage from back home, and kick back in the homely décor and relaxed atmosphere, Rocky O’Reillys is a good place to start.

Rocky O’Reillys is on Stepanska Street, Prague 1, just up the street from the Radisson hotel.

For more information visit: http://www.rockyoreillys.cz/

This must be part of the beauty of tourist and expat cities; there’s always at least one person who settles in an unknown land and wants to recreate a little piece of home for fellow globe-trotters and folk consumed by wanderlust. Thus the international theme bars are born.

It’s funny how travelers happily leave everything behind in their homeland, traipse halfway across the world only to arrive somewhere new and be immediately drawn to anything old that reminds them of home. Sometimes it’s only in small doses, but nonetheless nostalgia makes everything taste sweeter.

It’s also quite remarkable how when traveling in foreign territories people find themselves instantly drawn to their compatriots, often people they wouldn’t give the time of day if they were back in their homeland. In a new, unknown context suddenly you have so much in common with these people (although generally it’s just a similar accent, the same colored passport, and a mutual enjoyment of drinking). Regardless, that sense of camaraderie brings great comfort when you’re slightly homesick. I can recall the best Australia Day celebration I ever had was a barbecue in Santiago, where a facebook group for Aussies in Chile united 30 complete strangers in a hotel terrace for what ended up being a hilarious 14-hour drinking binge involving Australian Flag temporary tattoos, vegemite (of course), Australian music (as in typical/tragic Australian artists, not aboriginal tribal ballads) and our other national pastime; alcohol.

As a newbie to Prague (I arrived here almost two weeks ago, from London, and before that Melbourne, where I hail from) I plan to begin my tour of the city’s international bars with a little taste of home at “Fat Boy’s Bar”; an Australian owned and themed bar that, according to their website, is considered to be Australia’s unofficial embassy. Considering how much we collectively loathe administration, it’s probably befitting and necessary that our embassy would have Fosters beer on tap.

My mind is already buzzing with questions; will this Aussie bar resemble the interior of a Walkabout Bar (the Australian themed bars in the UK, all decked out in yellow and gold with boomerangs and framed Steve Irwin photos on the wall)? Which era of Australia will it be themed around (these kinds of bars generally pick one time period and run with it; I’m desperately hoping for ‘80s)? And will it really be filled to the brim with beer-swilling Aussies?

Only time will tell; I’ll report back on Monday.

By Laura Burgoine

As I stepped out onto the Prague Hilton’s terrace ice-bar I couldn’t help but feel that I wasn’t really in Prague. The scene that lay before me was more like a stereotypical recreation of the bohemian city and was essentially just a rooftop bar with a token amount of fake snow, ice sculptures and more faux fur accessories than a Dr. Zhivago dress rehearsal.

The occasion was the launch of Slovak vodka label, Double Cross, and to be fair they did go all out. A lavish seafood buffet of impossibly delicious delicacies spread across the Sky bar, while a table of decadent desserts in tiny, chic glassware was spectacularly arranged, so much so that you didn’t want to ruin the formation.

Waiters dressed in long cloaks, brandished of course with various alcohol brand names, handed out white fleece blankets to guests, who incidentally stayed warm by simultaneously becoming free walking advertisements for Taittinger! The bartenders were, without a doubt, the best dressed, comically clad in all-black and accessorized with white fur hats and white gloves, almost creating a mime artist effect as they camouflaged against the dark night sky and free-poured cocktails into shot glasses hollowed out of bricks of ice.

An MC, adorned in a cloak and clinging to a microphone, sauntered through the crowd trying to rouse up some energy and excitement. He had clearly been gargling a few of the samples from behind the bar, but you would expect nothing less at a party dedicated entirely to hard liquor.

The crowds lapped up the vodka cocktails, of which there were about nine different varieties. While they were really no more than basic mixers; vodka and Red Bull, vodka and cranberry juice, even I’ll admit once you dress anything up in a glass made from ice it does become a lot more impressive. Three drinks in and I too became mesmerized by the idea of glassware that simultaneously chills your drink and then melts the evidence into oblivion.

Media was buzzing at the event, moreso than the crowd, with more than two different camera crews filming the – kind of anti-climactic – event that was an ice-sculpture being carved; the rate of the ice melting meant the sculpture, which I think was meant to be a woman (it was hard to tell), grew more and more indecipherable as the minutes passed to the point that it was almost a slushie machine, which in fact probably would have been a bigger crowd pleaser.

While it was lavish, the event itself was kind of a flat scene, showy, stale and unimaginative with plenty of men in suits and what one can assume were ‘ladies of the night’ circulating. But then again socialites and parties that attract the types of people who would go to the opening of an envelope is what most people associate the Hilton name with.

Prague Hilton is undoubtedly a beautiful venue and the view from the top of the terrace bar is spectacular. However, novelty ice bars, particularly in cities that have authentic snow, are kind of uninventive. On the plus side, there’s something to be said about a party that, at the end of the night, literally melts away leaving no trace.

An evening of tribute to Václav Havel will take place at Lucerna Dec. 23

Lucerna used to be partly owned by Havel and is now owned by his former sister-in-law Dagmar Havlova. Now, it will be fully dedicated to a night featuring a number of bands including the legendary The Plastic People of the Universe playing in tribute to Havel. In addition, Havel’s play The Garden Party will be staged, and documentaries about Havel will be screened. In the Marble Hall cafe in Lucerna, photos featuring Havel will be displayed from photographers that followed Havel through his life, including

The event will go from 5:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m, and admission is free, though capacity is limited to 4,000 people, and there are no tickets left to reserve a space. However, those who could not reserve tickets may still have a chance to get in if capacity allows, and a large screen in Wenceslas Square will broadcast the performances.

What: Tribute to Václav Havel

Where: Lucerna Palác, Štěpánská 61

Cost: Free

More information: http://www.poctavh.cz/