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Molson Canadian

Whenever the Canadian Prime Minister wins a beer bet with the U.S. president, he is rewarded with a case of Molson Canadian. Losers must hand over a case of Yuengling (the oldest brewery in the United States).

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In May, 2011, only minutes after Prime Minister Stephen Harper learned he had received his much-coveted parliamentary majority, he had a bottle of celebratory champagne thrust into his hands by jubilant staffers. Self-described as “not much of a drinker,” Mr. Harper popped the cork – and then passed it on. He reluctantly took a quick swig after it had circled around the room, but received only a mouthful of bubbly.

“So much for my wild side. That’s as wild as it got,” he told a press conference the next morning.

Meanwhile, across Canada that same morning, there were dozens – if not hundreds – of Tory, Grit, Bloc, NDP and Green politicos who woke up with some kind of hangover.

“One thing that I know for certain is that people on [Parliament Hill] work incredibly hard — but they drink incredibly hard,” said Sonny Juane, a managing partner with York Entertainment, owner of a network of Ottawa bars.

The capital’s geography is telling. There are at least 40 bars, pubs, taverns and nightclubs within easy walking distance of Parliament Hill — with dozens more across the downtown and over the bridge in Gatineau. And with Parliament reopening on Monday, the city’s many beer-slingers, bartenders, and servers are all eagerly preparing for the return of their most reliable customer base.