Yes, despite the odd bit of sabre rattling, one can drink if one chooses. When I was first there I did not have my booze permit, rather foolishly I bought lager on the black market off an Indian, but in hindsight,better to be legal and get the permit with a very generous allowance from the Royal Omani Police. In hotels with a pub and a restaurant, booze is also available. There is no real "bar or nightclub culture" so China or Ibiza it is not, if you are a partier who wants to do drugs, the mid east is not the place, even Dubai is very strict on that.

The oman of today? no idea, I do know they are having a visa crackdown, but so is China.