Oh Yes, It's Ladies Night |Abu Dhabi

‘Oh yes, it’s ladies night and the feeling’s right. Oh yes it’s ladies night, oh what a night‘ Kool and the Gang

I am feeling very delicate today! In fact that is an understatement! In the words of my two sons ‘I am Hanging’! Why am I feeling this dreadful on a Tuesday morning, you may ask? Quite simply, it was self-inflicted, no sympathy required, its due to overindulgence with one too many free drinks on a Monday night, enjoying one of Abu Dhabi’s most popular expat traditions Ladies Night.

Last night’s entertainment followed a lovely Chinese meal in the Noodle Box restaurant, located in the Yas Viceroy Hotel, accompanied by a rather nice bottle of Italian Merlot. We naturally gravitated towards the Ladies Night in the Viceroy’s Rush bar (it’s the only nightclub in the world to be situated over a F1 track) lured by the offer of complimentary beverages. All good intentions of moderation go out the window when the words ‘free’ and ‘drink’ are in the same sentence.

The somewhat sexist phenomenon of the Ladies Night is a popular choice here in the capital with the female expat community. Ladies can enjoy a variety of free drinks every night somewhere in the capital, varying from a glass of bubbles to house spirits and cocktails. Other establishments have special deals such as 5 cocktails for 5 dirhams (that’s about a £1) or wear something pink for a selection of pink drinks, the choices are endless and everyone has their favourite spot!

One of the myths about coming to visit or live in this region is that it’s ‘dry’ as in no alcohol permitted and while this is true for some places, the UAE tolerates drinking under a set of guidelines for expats to adhere to, including obtaining a liquor licence. This licence permits you to purchase alcohol from liquor shops (no alcohol available in supermarkets or malls), store and consume it at home as well as drink in bars, restaurants and hotels.

We have definitely enjoyed a cocktail or two since living here and love taking visitors out on the town to enjoy all the fantastic hospitality this region has to offer. One of my favourites is the Mojito night at the Havana Bar in the Emirates Palace Hotel or a cheeky Expresso Martini at the dizzy heights of Ray’s Bar on the 62nd floor of the Etihad Towers Hotel.

Another great expat tradition here is the Friday Brunch. Four hours of great food with a variety of alcoholic beverages thrown in, its messy, very messy but I will leave that until another post.