Off the Presses follows tiki guru Jeff "Beachbum" Berry to the Big Apple to "turn the tide in favor of rum, pineapple juice, and tiny umbrellas".

The latest seasonal cocktail from Jamie Boudreau, the Starry Night blends Chardonnay, pear eau de vie, and maraschino liqueur, topped with a festive star anise garnish.

Drinkhacker reviews Crown Royal Cask No. 16 and XR Whiskys, rarer and more expensive blends than the brand's usual offerings.

Washington Post encourages us to think of cider as a complex beverage -- or cocktail ingredient -- rather than a simple beer substitute.

Carlsberg 900 Limited edition. Only 200 were produced.

So adorable we forgive them for jumping ahead to Christmas before Thanksgiving happens: Ornament-shaped Coke minis on Serious Eats.

For a perfect Thanksgiving aperitif, Amazon al Dente recommends the Autumn Apple Cocktail from Scott Beattie's book Artisanal Cocktails.

Hitachino's White Ale surprises you with a sweet ending thanks to a little orange peel and nutmeg. And who can resist their too cute owl logo?

Off the Presses takes a look at the intermission phenomenon known as Theatre Cocktails.

Slashfood talks green beer -- by which they mean eco-conscious and/or organic, not St. Paddy's Day.

AMC's Kevin Maher serves SciFi-inspired cocktails -- like the Soylent Green -- to mixologist St. John Frizell. His reaction? "I'd rather drink people."

Stash Tea's lovely new Fall Harvest gift basket makes an inspired hostess gift.

Kevin at Seriously Good evokes an early holiday memory: The sound of metal beaters against the metal bowl as his father mixed the eggs, whiskey, and sugar for traditional eggnog.

Kate of Accidental Hedonist samples Fentimans, a premixed shandy (beer + lemonade). She finds "a decent foundation of true beer taste on the finish".

St-Germain isn't the only elderflower liqueur; there's a German option -- Pur Likor Blossom -- as Bevlog discovers.

The New Yorker's food issue includes an in-depth article on "the rise of extreme beer."

Talk of Tomatoes dubs her creation the Velvet Pear: "Velvet because that is the mouth feel of this drink. Pear because it feels like you are drinking a pear… probably because you actually are."

Tiare of A Mountain of Crushed Ice catches up on the last three Thursday Drink Night events with the Basil Pineapple Caipirinha and six other cocktails.

(rī)1 ~ Beam Global's first Ultra-premium rye whiskey ~ the packaging of this bottle is gorgeous and appeals to the math geek in me... even cooler, you have to see the acrylic gift box set!!!

Glenfiddich barrel art by Johnson Banks

At Morsels & Musings, Anna makes Karkanji, a hibiscus and ginger drink from Chad.

Byrneunit takes a stroll down the aisles of a liquor store and discovers Sniper Vodka in a rifle shaped bottle, complete with leather strap.

Do you know your bartender's genealogy? St. John Frizell traces the training of PDT's Jim Meehan to Pegu's Audrey Saunders back to Dale DeGroff.

Pandor Absinthe ~ beautiful labels on these new bottles!

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

Bostonist shows off snapshots from the LUPEC "USO Show" benefit: retro clothes, old-time cocktails, and fabulous burlesque.

Jorg Rupf of St. George Spirits is a master of Eau de Vie.

You won't find any menus at Drink in South Boston; your bartender will simply inquire after your drink preferences and mood. If an herb garnish is required, it will be snipped from the planter.

Jane Tunks reports on Oakland's Camino, where a Slow Food ethos extends to the bar. Drinks are described, not named, and made with spirits that can be traced to their source. (And never vodka.)

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.

Yum Sugar talks with Dale DeGroff about signature cocktails, the country's best bartender, and the "next big thing".

Drinks are on Me celebrates the demise of Massachusetts' out-of-state shipping ban. Soon, residents will be able to legally purchase wines from any winery in the country.

Luxists tells us the Lanesborough Hotel in London has just acquired the world's oldest bottle of cognac, offering it in their plush Library Bar for £4,000 a shot.

Culinate offers advice from Portland wine merchant Bruce Bauer on selecting bottles for the holidays.

Very Good Taste imagines what would happen if James Bond "a lairy chav knocking back alcopops at the Yates’s Wine Lodge in Bootle" instead of a paragon of style and finesse. hee!

Guests bathe in a pool of red wine to celebrate this year's release of Beaujolais Nouveau at the Hakone Yunessun spa resort in Japan.

Forget about the premade stuff. Take a bit of extra time and make your own eggnog, says Amazon Al Dente.

Fall sangria: white wine, Calvados, seasonal fruit.

The NY Times goes for a shopping spree with sommelier and bartender Anthony Giglio. He suggests essential bar items and accessories for successful holiday entertaining.

The Stranger visits the Washington State Bartenders Guild inaugural party and reports that Seattle's bartenders are as beautiful and smart as their drinks.

Lazy Drinker, a $750 computer-controlled cocktail dispenser. With space for 16 bottles and a database of 5,000+ drinks, you add a CO2 tank and a PC.

Flossmoor Staion, a Chicago brewpub, now sells its beers in area stores. Until recently, you "couldn’t secure any of their product outside of a growler or a visit to the restaurant," says Serious Eats.

The Intoxicologist features cocktails from 10 Cane rum to ease the recession blues, including the 10 Carat: Rum, lime juice, simple syrup, passion-fruit puree, and a Champagne float.

The two biggest producers of Beaujolais Nouveau go green: transporting their wine by sea rather than air and packaging the vintage in plastic bottles.

Robert Hess -- better known as Drink Boy -- has gone tiki mad, popping out 6 new Small Screen Network videos featuring tropical concoctions.

The Kitchn sets out in search of the perfect Thanksgiving cocktail and picks the Poinsettia.