The first thing we did once arriving in Luang Prabang was rent some bikes and visit the Snake Whiskey man of Luang Prabang.
He makes some mean Mekong moonshine. Very mean, very intense and very strong like the sign suggests, allegedly giving you strength and courage.
If you’re into extremely strong drinks, and don’t mind risking your life drinking a plethora of poisonous things you’d never want to encounter in the wilderness, I suggest you visit him and “give it a shot.”
This snake whiskey concoction has cobra, other snakes, scorpions, weird centipedes, and all sorts of other creepy crawlies. Basically anything that is poisonous, he finds and crams into these jugs and lets it ferment.
It was a special Valentine’s Day treat.
The whiskey burned my mouth, my throat, and my stomach. The burning sensation set up camp in my stomach for a while, until I gave a huge burp, breathing out fire like a dragon. I then hobbled back onto my bike and continued to weave through town, passing locals setting up for the night markets as the sun started to set.
It is essential to be confident when bike riding through the streets of Southeast Asia as cars and scooters will weave around you at all times. This aggressive bike riding on my part is where the courage from the snake whiskey came in handy.
In the evenings in Luang Prabang, the night markets come alive. There are endless upon endless and rows upon rows of market stalls, all laid out on the ground. I particularly enjoyed the food markets where you could grab a heaping pile of delicious food for only a dollar.
After dinner the shopping would begin, and by default, so would the haggling. I’ve learned that locals do expect a good haggle, and use a calculator to communicate back and forth.
Oh my goodness, you were so brave to try that shot!! Sounds like a great night! Thanks for sharing!
I won’t be trying it again anytime soon, that’s for sure! :P
Your excellent writing tells the Whiskey Shot story in a very humorous way!
Thanks, Marilyn :P
Amazing photos as usual… but the uniqueness in your blog comes through your knack for capturing your experiences so vividly, making us all feel as if we were there with you, downing that shot with bravery (and disgust). You definitely deserve to be Freshly Pressed – more than once! :)
Why thank you! Ahhh Freshly Pressed . . . one can dream!
Alright, this is something I have to try before I die. Moonshine is always such a fantastic wait of getting familiar with the local culture, whether you’re in Appalachia, Lisbon or Asia. It’s also a nice common bond among travelers, at least those who drink. Kudos to you for giving it a go and I hope it’s my turn soon!
Thank you, Dave! As the experienced and adventurous food writer you are, you would love the experience of Snake Whiskey! ;)
If you can drink that, you’re officially part of the community!
;) I sure felt like it!
That whisky sounds lethal – think I’d give it a miss! On the other hand, all that food looks amazing…
It tasted pretty lethal, too.
That table of food looks mouthwatering! Do you have a favorite Lao dish?
I like it all! I liked piling everything on top of my plate and mixing it all together. So delicious.
Wow… you are brave. That is some potent alcohol and doesn’t look to great. Way to go, I’m sure the creator of that whiskey was proud to have you try.
The snake whiskey man sure looked to enjoy passing around shots from his homemade concoction!
I really enjoyed the views of the night market!! And that moonshine sounds very overpowering, wow!
Almost overpowering enough to knock me over on my bike afterward!
60% alcohol???? Wow. I’d still try it too lol
;)
Hahaha still trying to picture you tossing that tuk tuk. I’ve heard about this snake whiskey but for some reason always considered it one of those traveller legends that just grow as they get passed on. Incredible that you actually tried it and lived to tell the tale!
The snake whiskey man has been there for years handing out his snake whiskey to willing travelers. I imagine he will be for years to come.
Wow…. I dont think I would have tasted that snake shot! But the rest of the food in the market looks delicious. And the video said it all!
I didn’t think I was going to try it either. But it was Valentine’s Day, so I thought why the heck not! Cheers to me.
We’ve tried snake whiskey in Vietnam, that was mean indeed!
They say it’s good for a man’s… virility! Ha ha ha!
It’s, for sure, an easy way to get drunk! Pfiouh! Don’t know how they can drink that!
I’ve heard of some other bold delicacies you can find in Vietnam to drink!
Very brave to try those shots
;)
Congrats on having the guts to try that! 60° alcohol… that’s strong! Luang Prabang is amazing, we loved it!
I loved Luang Prabang as well <3
Yikes. When I was in Luang Prabang (just published an article about it yesterday on our blog) I tried rice schnapps and took some picture of the snake and scorpion whiskey but I didn´t try it. It looked awful. :D
The rice schnapps was very strong too and it was interesting how they make it.
It does look pretty awful! But at 50 cents a shot, I thought It’d be worth a try. Plus the snake whiskey man is so adorable.
Whiskey is my poison (no pun intended) of choice when it comes to liquor so this sounds wildly exciting to try!! I’m sure it did burn and bite (not doing this intentionally, I swear). Thanks for sharing and I’ll add this to my Laos list!
I love your puns, even if they weren’t intentional haha! Glad you’re open to trying it!
I somehow missed the snake whiskey when I was in Luang Prabang. Perhaps next time, though I’m not sure if my stomach can handle it.
It’s pretty rough at first ;)
Nope you can keep that snake whiskey and get me a spot near that food! That looks delicious!
It’s especially delicious after downing that shot!
I am not a fan of creepy crawlies. Just looking at all those snakes crammed up in those jars gave me chills, but it looks like the snake whiskey shot is something you cannot miss when visiting Laos. I commend you on your courage and hope I have the same when I eventually make it to Laos one day!
PS. The line about burping out fire like a dragon literally made me laugh out loud. The guy sitting next to me at Starbucks right now officially thinks I’m crazy haha
Haha – awesome! Thank you for your comment ;)
UGGGHG you are so like my husband he drinks, eats and taste everything LOL!! Everywhere we go he finds that local fire water -and the nastiest things for us to eat – and it always makes me want to throw up! LOL YUCK – but I guess we all just keep trying it . It looks like a fun day!
There were still tons of things I had turned down in SE Asia: tarantulas, other spiders, scorpions, worms, etc, etc. Just couldn’t do it.
Nice! Not sure I’d be brave enough for 60% alcohol but the food looks great!
;)
You’ve got some guts, girl! I’m not sure how into this I would be but hey, if I could throw a tuk tuk into the river maybe its worth a shot! (I love all the puns you can make with this post, too!) I’ll keep it in mind for the next time I head to Laos. Thanks, Alli!
Thank you, Jessica!