Isvekata!

Last night Laura and I were flipping through channels and happened upon a show called 'Three Sheets' on the Fine Living network. The show follows a guy as he travels from country to country and learns about the various forms of alcohol they have there, and their customs. We're kinda interested when we hear his next destination: Lithuania! The home-country of the Kelmelis clan! So of course we had to watch.

It was pretty fun - they have a liquor called 999 (three nines) that blends 27 different ingredients together to create a strong blend of vodka. For centuries, it was also used as a medicine to cure stomach ailments.

Later he visited a spot where they make a 50 proof mead and the guy who owns the place accepts regular arm-wrestling challenges from his patrons. He even has a full padded table set up where he'll fight person after person. Evidently he's the strongest man in town and has yet to loose a match. I should buff up and head out there... show him a thing or two.

But the most bizarre stop came when he started looking for the strongest mead in the country. He found it at another bar. I wish I could remember the name of it, but it's a 150 proof mead. He found a local band to drink it with and he was down before the band even seemed to notice. I guess they build up a tolerance for it or something.

He also took a tour through some of the religious aspects. Formerly being a pagan country, Lithuania had several different gods and goddesses people could pray to about beer, wine and liquor. They even had a stone out in the middle of the city that was dedicated to one of them. People head over there to drink and pour out some to the god for good luck and fortune.