Vote with your liver over at The Liquid Muse. Will it be an Obamarita (blue) or McCainade (red?)

"Cheater pints" -- glasses that have extra-thick bottom layers, and hold less than 16oz -- are making their way into unscrupulous bars and restaurants. Here's how to protect yourself.

This watermelon granita, complete with a shot of rum and a squeeze of lime, is the perfect grown-up late-summer treat.

Eater tours San Francisco's newest wine bar. Press Club -- a 9,000-square-foot tasting room and wine shop -- is scheduled to open tomorrow after lengthy red-tape delays.

A new California tourism promotion offers an insider's guide to locations featured in the wine movie Bottle Shock.

The perfect tequila for a Bloody Maria? Tabasco Spicy Tequila from Heaven Hill distillery, home of Evan Williams bourbon, Bernheim Wheat, and other familiar whiskeys.

A Kitchn reader asks for cocktail suggestions using her newly inherited Anis del Mono -- a Spanish anise liqueur -- and Palinka, a Hungarian fruit brandy. Got ideas?

The Sherry Cobbler is an example of Yankee ingenuity, according to historian Eric Felten. The drink popularized the straw and was the first concoction to be shaken over ice.

According to our calculations, these CB2 beakers & glass funnel would make fabulous additions to any mixology lab.

Design House Stockholm's Pipette Oil & Vinegar Bottles by Camilla Kropp bring out the mad scientist in us all ~ could be fabulous for homemade bitters and other cocktail tinctures too!

Underhill Lounge continues Stomping through the Savoy. Flora's Erik Adkins samples the Dolly O'Dare: Equal parts gin and dry vermouth, plus a few dashes of apricot brandy and an orange peel.

Karim Rashid's Globalight for Veuve Clicquot ~ made for some incredible images when used as lanterns as our group explored the roman limestone Champagne caves below Reims.

Gourmet editor Ian Knauer shows you how to maximize the juicing potential of your citrus fruits -- by cutting them lengthwise.

The "10 Mangoes" from Vong's Thai Kitchen in Chicago gives home mixologists a reason to infuse simple syrups.

The Rum Pot, a Trader Vic classic featuring Demerara rum, on TraderTiki.com

The NY Times sips a stimulating cocktail made by infusing Pisco with the dried leaves of yerba maté -- a South American cure-all herb with a caffeine kick -- then adding citrus juices and syrups.

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!

Two at the Most celebrates National Rum Day with a variation on the El Presidente cocktail.

Frida Jeppsson’s Brilliant ring for the Bombay Sapphire Designer Glass Awards. I love the ridiculous size and the way it references both a diamond and a cocktail glass.

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.

Alessi Miniatures ~ seeing them in context of the originals in the shop window make them far more fun... can't you see using the starck citrus squeezer for designer kumquat juice shots?

Two at the Most experiments with Magellan Gin and finds it makes an excellent Aviation cocktail.

Over at Two of the Most, learn about the Knickerbocker Cocktail and the perils of measuring citrus.

Barbara Carafe by Nina Jobs for Design House Stockholm ~ crystal ball (also in black and clear) works as a top, or to add color under the carafe... or as another tactile addition to the experience.

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

Carafe Un Verre from Sentou by Claudio Colucci ~ a gorgeous carafe design that playfully has the wine glass built in, finally seen in person at Maison + Objet, see the pics!

End of Vodka? Veev has set up a fairly funny, unarguably daring site bashing vodka and its strongest proponents.

The NYTimes Style Magazine features the "Greenwich Sour" this week, a specialty cocktail from the bar Employees Only in the West Village that uses egg white, red wine, and rye whiskey.

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.

The search of Ultimate Margarita by scomorokh. Several beauty Margarita recipe for you.

Beer brewed with a yeast strain found in a piece of 25-million-year-old Burmese amber.

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)

Absinthe Suissesse: a lovely, lightly fruity, sweet and anise-flavored milkshake for grown-ups.

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...)

Ancient stained glass product placement? Found in Notre Dame de Reims (where the kings of France were crowned) ~ yellow labeled Champagne bottles hidden in the panels...

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.)

Veuve Clicquot Sneak Peek at the Ice Cube, the push button instant cooling champagne bucket and specially designed flutes (2009 upcoming design collaboration with Porsche Design)

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.