Top 10 social ways to team bond over drinks

By Simon Nichols

Selecting the right drinks for a session of team bonding can be tricky so here is our favourite top 10, have a read and see if anything takes your fancy... cheers!

1. Wine Tasting

There are so many types of wine, styles of wine, and wines from various countries and regions, so no matter how many tastings you have been to there is always something new to learn and enjoy.

As a group you will be able to bond as you move from white wine, to rose and to red wine, from sparkling wines and dessert wines. You can travel the world trying wines from France, Italy, and Spain to new world wines from Chile, South Africa, and Australia as well as trying wines from lesser-known growing locations such as Georgia, Lebanon, and Cape Verde.

You team will love a trip to a vineyard or winery, as well as a wine cellar, or even just in the office at the end of the day.

2. Cocktail making masterclass

As new spirits and mixers enter the alcohol market, and knowledge of global drinks increases the range of cocktails is ever expanding. Consumer tastes are ever changing and demanding more from their favourite cocktails.

Treat your team to a session with a mixologist or cocktail expert and learn about not just how to make cocktails but also to understand the alcohol that goes into them, and how taste combinations can be best utilized.

3. Beer Bike or Boat

Take the opportunity to escape the office and take your team out on a beer-based adventure! Many urban areas are seeing the expansion of beer bikes – where your team will be guided by a local tour guide and are tasked with helping to power the vehicle whilst sharing a few beers on the journey.

If you are lucky to be close to water, many locations such as London, Amsterdam, and Prague have beer boats – where your team will be guided around the river or canal whilst enjoying a few beers, or perhaps even being skilled in the art of craft beers.

5. A tour of a brewery

The last 10-20 years has seen the growth of craft beer makers, and many breweries have realised the benefit of having brewery tours and opening their own bar or taproom.

Your team will love the chance to go behind the scenes of a craft brewery and see the brewing process in action and get educated in all thing’s beer from a beer expert.

Once the tour and education are over, your group can sit down and sample some of the locally brewed beers and put some of their newfound knowledge to the test.

6. Whisky Pairing

The image of whisky being drunk by old men in a smoke-filled room is now something of the past, and whisky is rapidly catching up to wine and beer as a beverage that can be matched to various foods.

Whisky (or whiskey) is distilled in many parts of the world including Japan; and the unique conditions and processes are helping to create an ever-wider range of whisky flavours, providing the opportunity for your team to try with some amazing foods.

7. Visit a distillery

Many distillers have seen the growth of brewery tours and are also opening their doors to the public, giving many people the first opportunity to see the distilling process in action.

There are many amazing traditional distilleries in parts of remote Scotland and Ireland; but the rise of the craft distillery has seen many smaller scale operations open in urban areas, giving city workers the chance to finish work early and bond over a few drinks and talk from a distillery expert.

Look out for tours of distillery’s in your local area, perhaps you can learn about whisky, gin, vodka, rum, or even tequila.

9. Beer tasting

Beer has gone through a revolution in the past decade with the rise of craft breweries creating some fantastic IPAs, stouts, saisons, pale ales, and white beers.

As each brewery creates unique flavours from a range of ingredients and brewing processes, it means the range of beers on the market is ever growing.

Beers from around the world are now available in most shops, so your team will appreciate a visit to a local taproom, pub, or bar – you can even get a beer expert to visit your workplace.

10. Cider tasting

Many people put cider and beer in the same category, but the actual process of making cider is closer to the process of making wine but using apples rather than grapes.

Like beer, cider is going through a renaissance as craft producers are creating new and exciting styles of cider.

Parts of the UK (especially in the Southwest) are famous for making cider, and this has led to parts of the old British Commonwealth such as Australia and New Zealand in becoming large producers of cider, as well as a rich tradition of cider making in Spain and France.

Your team will love the chance to see a new side of cider, and bond over a few drinks.