THE 10 BEST PITTSBURGH DRINKING EXPERIENCES

In naming Pittsburgh one of the “10 Best Drinking Cities in America Right Now,” a trio of possibly drunk writers from the Thrillist website said their criteria involved more than just solid bars. Every city has those.

“Great drinking cities treat imbibing as a way of life, a rallying cry that can be heard at tailgates, festivals, concerts and on the wayward Tuesday night. They’re cities that pack a wealth of different kinds of drinking experiences into a space that’s easily navigable and endlessly explorable.”

Sounds like they’re talking about Pittsburgh in that intro. But in the paragraph of description that followed our ranking at No. 8, they referenced only bars, in general (South Side, Shadyside or Lawrenceville) and a few specific ones that you see recycled on such lists (”Butterjoin” [sic], Spirit, “many great rooftop bars like Sienna Mercato” [pictured] and ... Gooski’s).

This Thrillistical missed so many of our spirited charms that we decided to type into the void with a list of our own. Not best bars, because this region has WAY too many of them. Not even best breweries, which their list didn’t even mention — a whiff called out by Michael Ruben, who tweeted that “our craft beer scene ... smokes most of the places on their list. Otherwise, lists are fun and meant to create debate. This works.”

Herewith, in that spirit of debatable fun, and in conjunction with Pittsburgh Libations Week, our list of:

The 10 Best Drinking Experiences in and around Pittsburgh Right Now!

1. Ethnic clubs. We’ve got breweries, wineries, cideries, meaderies, distilleries, moonshineries, speakeasies, tiki bars, beer halls, pub crawls, brew tours, booze cruises, beer fests, Beer Barge, dive bars, Drinking Partners and Happy Half Hours. One thing that Pittsburgh still has that a lot of places don’t is an abundance of old-school ethnic clubs. They’re like bars, only you pay a nominal membership fee to get in and the drinks are cheaper. And there are ways around the membership, such as the Roaming Social Club, which regularly takes likeminded explorers behind otherwise closed doors to sample traditions ranging from Bulgarian slivovitz to Serbian beer. But my pick for one such bar where you must figure out how to have a drink, preferably a glass of rare Andechs monastery beer: the little-changed-indecades basement Rathskeller at the North Side Teutonia Mannerchor.

2. The airport. Whether you’re on your way in or on your way out, Pittsburgh International Airport is becoming a much more fun place to drink, and not just at those cubby hole

Members of the Mannerchor German Club enjoy a round at the Rathskeller bar during an event at the Deutschtown neighborhood private club on the North Side.

From left, Brothers Brenden Bator of Utica, N.Y., Nate Bator of Syracuse, N.Y. and Justin Bator of Ava, N.Y. gather with other family members for a toast and shot Sept. 30 during a Steelers tailgate outside Heinz Field on the North Shore.