You can't go on a proper bender on cider as by the time you reach the third pub you'll spend the rest of the night going from toilet to toilet. Similar with these new trendy hipster 'craft beers' that are usually just boring IPAs overfilled with hops that just overwhelm you after you've had a few of them. Best to go with a steady bitter that isn't too cold or carbonated that goes down nice and easy and maximises your beer/hour efficiency. I never bothered with spirits, as the mixers are too sweet and I never sat down and got that 'session' feeling when drinking them (and where I'm from asking for one would get you funny looks).