to think you shouldn't take your drink back home with you after a party

[zerominuszero]

We hosted an England game party last night and everyone who came brought beer, as you'd expect for what was a very boozy affair. One friend of ours, known for his lack of etiquette, brought a bottle of wine. Slightly odd, as no one was drinking wine, including him: he drank our beers (and ate our food) all night. This morning I realised that at the end of the night, he took his unopened bottle of wine back home with him. I am amazed: surely drink you present at a party becomes the property of the hosts, even if it doesn't get drunk? Or am I being a little harsh?

I'm not actually going to mention it to him, it's just that he's gone down further in my estimation.

Feel free to give opinions.

What a twat.

Oh dear. I seem to be the only one!

You don't take specifically to drink it yourself Sag, it's a gift for the hostess to thank her for her hospitiality!

Well thanks for saying that's what the Scots do. You might be getting mixed up with the Hogamny tradition of going round the doors and offering your friends and neighbours a whisky from your bottle. Not rude at all.

I'm sure it's waht some English and Welsh do too! Just ungracious people really, whatever their nationality.

My sister in law once contributed a sachet of instant custard (the just add water stuff ) to the Christmas lunch offerings at my house. Unsurprisingly I didn't use it, and she took that home too. Mind you, she was welcome to it.

I'm Scottish and I have never encountered it. I would think it rude.

Family parties/gatherings at my house I would provide wine and beers...plus soft drinks and mixers. My sister, aunt and some friends will bring a bottle of whatever spirit they plan on drinking. They are happy to share this with anybody else who fancies a nip.

In the very unlikely event of any of their vodka, brandy or whisky being left at the end of the night then they will take it home with them. This suits me because I have nowhere to store half drunk bottles of Cinzano!!

North East Scotland. I would never dream of taking home a bottle of wine however...but not sure why there is a distinction?

Fellatio - no because we don't have that kind of party.gathering. its all v casual. ANd its usually bring your own alcohol all the time.

Maybe my friends and I are all rude. At least we are all together though

Another Scot here who would consider taking booze home from a party exceptionally rude - I've genuinely never seen this happen.

All you Scots who have encountered this - are you on the East coast by any chance? Or Aberdeen?

WhereYouLeftIt - did you see my post? North East Scotland...not quite as far up as Aberdeen!!

The poor fella just hasn't been brought up right. Probably goes to the toilet when it's his round at the pub. Someone has to tell him though, as he'll have a reputation as a tightarse developing. The rule is, what you bring, you leave.

However, to avoid looking like a tightarse host, I always open the gifted bottle as soon as the guest presents it, so that it is surely going to be used. Hiding the bottle away, unopened, until the guests leave is almost (but not quite) as bad form as a guest taking their bottle home.

I am Scottish and have NEVER heard of this.

Another Scot here who would never dream taking my booze back home with me, and I genuinely don't know anyone who would.

another scot who would leave any wine or beers. Might be a bit different if someone'sbrought a bottle of whiskey or whatever and only a little has been used. And actually reports generally show that scots on average spend more for wedding presents etc, buying drinks on night outs. So the whole 'tight' thing is a myth. Also, when you went to a scottish person's house to visit you would usually have been offered a little purvey - from sandwiches, cakes, biscuits etc. Not joking - but often in england your lucky to be offered a digestive - don't get me started on net curtains!

That's weird. Would never dream of taking back a bottle I'd brought to a party.

I did commit some sort of faux pas at a party once where I thought we were drinking whatever wine was open, so helped myself to the open bottle in the fridge (as the hostess said), and got told off by some beeeeatches ladies that that particular bottle was 'theirs' and I should drink what I'd brought.

I do think it's rude and would leave behind wine or beer definitely.
However I do sometimes like a G and T and would take my bottle of Bombay sapphire home! I usually only do that when drinking with close friends though and sometimes we drain the bottle anyway

Oh, can I canvas opinion? I went to a party recently ( there were seven of us, so not a big party) and I brought a bottle of wine, half a bottle of amaretto and half a bottle of calvados. When I left, I left the wine and the amaretto (I'd only brought it cause my friend said he was going to buy some and I told him I'd bring mine, so he didn't have to) but I took the calvados home. No one but me had been drinking it, and I only brought it because I had picked France in the Eurovision (was a Eurovision party) and I had to bring French things. Was that rude? It's not like I took all my alcohol back, and the hosts don't really drink calvados, so it would have been wasted. I have been wondering if it was rude though.

Re the Scottish posts - are people getting confused with Hogmanay when it's not uncommon for folk to roam the houses with a v lovely bottle of malt and take it from house to house (giving the impression of 'removing' their drink when they leave). As a Scot I have NEVER in 20 odd years of going to dinners/parties seen anyone going home with their unused bottle of wine/bers. Tis deeply odd.

Another Scot here who would never DREAM of taking booze home! (let's face it, at most of our parties the night isn't over anyway until every last drop if booze has been seen off!)

Mrs chemist I think that's perfectly ok!

MrsChemist: No, definitely not rude, that's a very different situation. To me, it's all about whether someone's actions come with good intentions. You clearly had good intentions at that event, whereas my friend I suspect was motivated purely by... I don't know... tightness, I suppose.

Someone else said that we should haven opened the wine immediately.... I take the point, but for some reason no one was in the mood for wine that night, including me. Not sure why as we normally drink quite a lot of wine. The thing that really confused me is that why our friend brought wine when he knew that he only wanted to drink beer. That aspect of it is especially bizarre.

It is rude.
Don't invite him again

Here in Dubai we accept that people will turn up with half an opened bottle or box of wine and take any remaining alcohol home again. Count yourselves lucky that you can simply buy more at the corner shop whenever you want .