Hangin' at the Hangar One distillery open house, where $30 admission gets you samples of just about everything they make, plus gourmet treats.

The Aristocrat Swizzle -- a gin-based, tall sour with a Chartreuse float -- was every bit as perfect as the setting in which we encountered it.

If the thought of a pumpkin-pie martini offends your cocktail sensibilities, here are some festive holiday drinks that don't involve whipped cream, cookie crumbs, or canned squash.

The Jacques Rose, made with home-infused pear brandy, homemade grenadine, and homegrown lemons, in honor of MxMo "Made from Scratch"

Red state or blue state, there will be many folks in a sickly-green state this morning. Luckily, Brandy Milk Punch is a great cure for hangovers... election-induced or otherwise.

With the re-introduction of Bols Genever to the US market, it's once again possible to make a proper Holland Gin Cocktail. (And it doesn't hurt that the smokey bottle is drop-dead gorgeous.)

The Jäger Bomb tastes like cough syrup, it’s loaded with sugar and caffeine, and its main ingredient is made entirely of industrial chemicals. In short, it's a perfect Guilty Pleasure for Mixology Monday.

Sage, Elderflower and Cucumber White Sangria from Cocktail Times.

Unlike many antique cocktails, Sherry Cobbler's delectable to modern palates; the fresh-fruit garnish and wine base seem downright contemporary.

In honor of the Enchanted Tiki Room's 45th anniversary, Disney released a commemorative Rongo Bowl. TDIF celebrates with a special recipe using 4 ounces of 80-proof booze!

The trickiest part of making The Spirit World's Bacchae cocktail might be the shopping: It calls for pisco, Vya vermouth, Parfait Amour, and Suze -- a hard-to-find French bitter liqueur.

Liquid Muse 'sustainable sips' classes feature introductions to organic spirits and cocktail recipes like this Spicy Grapefruit Margarita.

Scofflaw's Den takes a trip to Sperryville VA for a tour of the Copper Fox Distillery, home of Wasmund’s Rappahannock pot-stilled, single-malt whisky.

Brew guru Charlie Papazian's angle on Pale Ale: "An American beer classic".

Oh Gosh takes a trip to Brooklyn -- a variation on the Manhattan made with rye, dry vermouth, maraschino liqueur, and Amer Picon.

The Kitchn offers suggestions for making good sangria, including affordable wine choices and a clever tip for ensuring the best flavor.

Sam Mogannam, co-owner of San Francisco's Bi-Rite Market, enjoys promoting offbeat wines from unusual locations; many are organic and sustainable.

How much would you pay for drinks made by master mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim paired to Mario Batali's food? The $1,500 price includes Mario's new book... (via Cocktailians.com)

Pairing sake with Mexican food!? Beau Timken -- owner of True Sake, the country's first sake-only store -- likes to thinking outside the bento box.

The stunning site for Bols' new genever (old-school Dutch juniper gin) features gorgeous recipe cards from the Jerry Thomas era, including the Holland House, the Collins, and the Improved Gin Cock-tail.

Perfect for iced-tea weather, Tea Forté's tea-over-ice pots are made of heat-resistant glass. They're especially pretty with the tall pyramid bags designed for the pot.

Drink Daddy unfolds like an umbrella; spears into grass, snow, sand, or other outdoor surfaces; and holds up to five drinks (stemware, cups, bottles, shakers...)

Crème Brûlée Stout? Slashfood stumbles on Southern Tier Brewing Company's dessert in beer form -- an odd, but strangely satisfying hybrid.

Touring Alsace's famed Route de Vin with Lucy's Kitchen Notebook. (Don't miss reading about how they kept their snacks cool.)

A book due out in October chronicles the life of the young widow Cliquot who rose to celebrity and fortune on the bubbles of her eponymous Champagne.

Part III of RumDood's tour of Old New Orleans Rum varieties. This time, it's Cajun Spiced Rum, which strikes "a great balance between dry and sweet".

Working class heroes: Sauvignon blanc remains true to its proletarian roots. Tasting notes from $10-$12 offerings.

The Telegraph's "complete guide to British pubs" profiles more than 250 notable public houses all around the UK -- plus one in Paris, just to be safe.

Chicago Tribune reporters follow the 45th parallel around the globe, taking note of vineyards both legendary and emerging.

Italian wines -- like bubbly Prosecco -- pair perfectly with antipasto. The LA Times suggests offering six vino choices for a mix-and-match party.

To become a certified coffee grader, applicants must pass 22 sensory tests rating coffees by taste and smell. Only 395 people worldwide have succeeded.

The Kitchn looks at alternatives to traditional natural cork wine closures, from screwcaps to glass stoppers to synthetics.

Chow rounds up Craptails: The 10 Worst Drink Concepts. "Winners" include a durian smoothie (garnished with dirty socks) and a Salmon Colada. Gah!

Alcademics hosts the Organic Cucumber Vodka Showdown: Square One Cucumber, Crop Harvest Earth Cucumber, and Rain Cucumber-Lime.
Whose cuke-sine reigns supreme?

Esquire's David Wondrich proclaims the Gin Rickey the official drink of (late) summer, dishing out some history and gin-brand suggestions.

Amazon Al Dente proposes a Happy Hour two-fer: Margaritas made with... beer.

I like big ice and I cannot lie: NYT shows you where to get the goods to make ginormous glace.

The Kitchn turns us on to the Palsby carafe. Sturdy, dishwasher safe, and affordable -- but also chic in its simple elegance.

Tyrell's are known in the UK for their posh crisps -- "potato chips" stateside -- but a new vodka makes use of the the spuds that are too small for frying. (via Dowd's Spirits Notebook)

A skeptical Washington Post correspondent wonders: Are there really such things as "slow" spirits? A trip to the Slow Food Nation taste pavilion shows him the light.

The NY Times tastes 25 Côtes du Rhône -- a variety once synonymous with affordability -- and finds "a surprising number of plush, polished wines".

Liquid Muse reports on Cape North vodka, a blend of French wheat and Scandinavian spring water.

A prototype Coke fountain dispenses 100 flavors in the same footprint as current systems, using highly concentrated ingredients in cartridge format.

Defying the romantic stereotype, urban vintner Chris Brockway takes the subway to work. At his Broc Cellars in Berkeley, he makes "standout Syrah and Grenache", says the SF Chronicle.

Treehugger bellies up to the bar at Amsterdam's Fietscafe ("bike cafe"), a pedal-powered mobile pub

It may look like just another Napa tasting room, but the original Mondavi Family winery is steeped in winemaking history.