Therefore everyone knew they had to get a move on if they were to make the best of the evening. I think that was what led to a subconscious idea of how long it should take to drink a pint (if you get to the pub at 7 and it shuts at 11 and you want to get five pints in, you have 48 minutes per pint).

This “speed drinking” has developed a cultural momentum of its own – now we have pubs open 24 hours a day, but instead of drinking becoming a more leisurely activity the phenomenon of binge-drinking has developed (people still drink at the same speed but do for longer).

I take issue with the notion that ‘the rhythmn of drinking is so deeply felt that they nearly always finish their drinks together, even if they’re blind.’ There is less sentimentality present in the observation than there are the forces of prudent economic return on investment. The ritual of ’round drinking’ requires that in order to get one’s money’s worth over the course of an evening, one has to consume at a pace matching the timing and speed at which rounds are bought. This explains why people finished their drinks at the same time. But how does this explain how a blind would know? Time for a social experiment. Next time you’re at a bar drinking with friends, keep your eyes closed the entire time while participating in the conversation. Hearing becomes sharpened when the visual sense is denied. I imagine it won’t be hard to tell the pace at which your compatriots are drinking (either momentary pauses in banter as people slurp or the sound of the glass being put on the counter) and follow suit in a deeply felt manner.