21 Liqueurs to Know to Read a Cocktail Menu With Confidence

When ordering a classic cocktail, drinkers can anticipate how the beverage will likely taste. But as more craft cocktail bars open and drink programs lean into bespoke recipes, predicting the flavor of an unfamiliar menu item becomes a bit more difficult. Rather than relying on previous experiences with well-established concoctions like the Negroni or Old Fashioned, drinkers must consider the…

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The Cocktail Ingredients You’re Overpaying For — and What Bartenders Use Instead

We all know the economy currently stinks. But times like this, when the price of (gestures wildly at everything) has long passed through the roof and is buttressing up the ozone layer, can be an impetus to take a step back and re-evaluate certain purchasing decisions and find ways to stretch every dollar to its maximum. For cocktail enthusiasts, this can mean sacrificing a few trips to the local…

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Ask a Bartender: How Do You Keep Carbonated Cocktails Bubbly?

Bubbles are an important component in many cocktails. And for many bartenders, keeping those drinks from losing their carbonation is a key part of the drink-making process. Of course, there are many factors that go into keeping a drink bubbly (the right ice being one such factor). Zach Rivera, partner and beverage director at Golden Years and Moonflower in Chicago, has put a lot of time and…

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Does Uni Belong in a Cocktail? The Corima Team Doubles Down on Sea Urchin at Bar Chucho

Uni might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about seasonal ingredients, but, according to Edward Hardebeck, bar director at New York City’s Corima, the perennial changes in sea urchin’s flavor, plus the differences in product sourced from different regions, lead to inconsistencies that make it a tricky ingredient to use in cocktails. But let’s back up — he’s putting uni in…

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Inside 1800 Tequila’s Effort to Shape How Bartenders Think About Flavor

In a crowded spirits landscape, education has become one of the most effective ways for brands to connect with bartenders. 1800 Tequila is leaning into that idea with the Taste Collective, a nationwide initiative built around one central concept: helping bartenders better understand the mechanics and science of flavor. Launched last year, the program combines in-person workshops, expert-led…

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Here’s How 9 Top Bartenders Level Up Their G&Ts at Home

Gin & Tonics were made for home bartending. They’re quick to whip up, the specs are entirely subjective, and the ingredients require little, if any, mixing. While delicious, what a G&T succeeds at in ease, it lacks in pizzazz. Other than the namesake ingredients and maybe a citrus wedge, a G&T is a G&T — that’s part of its beauty. But a Gin & Tonic can be so much more. Gin’s botanical, earthy…

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The Yayo Is Madrid’s Most Popular Underground Cocktail

Tourists in Madrid might expect to sip on cervezas, Garnacha wines, and Tintos de Verano. They might also hope to knock back a vermut — either straight or with soda. Indeed, Spain is the land of vermouth on tap, but there’s another, more underground vermouth-based cocktail popular among some Madrid locals. It’s called the Yayo, and, proportions aside, it’s much like the Negroni. It’s just two…

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What’s Happening in Vancouver for Mother’s Day 2026

“A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take.”¹ There are 24 hours in a day and for Mother’s Day MyVanCity.ca has you covered. Count ’em twenty-four ways to treat mom. Whether you’re looking for casual or more formal there is something here for most ... Read more

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The Cocktail That Defines Every Decade Since Prohibition [Timeline]

Trends can define certain decades. Mention the 1980s, for example, and images of neon clothes, big hair, and women’s jackets with shoulder pads rivaling a middle linebacker may immediately come to mind. They aren’t wholly definitive of the decade — the ’80s was also the era of slick Wall Street yuppies, thrash metal, and the constant threat of nuclear warfare — but they do paint a vivid enough…

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20 Essential Cocktail Books Every Bartender Should Know

Before there were YouTube and Instagram, aspiring bartenders had only so many resources to study the trade, mainly books and mentorship. Even today, some classic (and modern) cocktail books are incredibly rich founts of knowledge that industry professionals can learn from. So we’ve decided to put together a sort of canon of cocktail books that bartenders and interested drinkers alike can use as…

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We Asked 17 Bartenders: Which Cocktail Trend Do You Hope Comes Back?

Cocktail culture is as susceptible to trend cycles as any other industry. A peek into any modern bar will reveal tables full of rich Espresso Martinis sitting alongside fizzy Aperol Spritzes and creamy pints of Guinness. Meanwhile, more niche fads emerge each day, from fluffy, cold foam-topped creations to intensely savory, briny, and even fish-filled Martini riffs. While the new kids on the…

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The Buildout Podcast: Cure

This episode of The Buildout is brought to you by Farmer’s Gin. It’s brought to you by the same amazing people who brought you Michter’s, and it’s actually the gin that I use at home for my Martinis. It’s clean, crisp, unfussy — perfect for building any kind of Martini that you would like. Farmer’s Gin is made in Idaho at the first organic distillery in the United States. It’s made using…

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This Austin Bar’s Pimento Cheese Martini Is Ready for the Masters

Each year, the first full week of April sees all eyes on Augusta, Ga. Sure, the green jacket and magnolias are iconic, but nothing gets us into the Masters spirit at home like a pimento cheese sandwich. The staple has been on the menu at the golf tournament since 1948. Back then, one sandwich would set you back 25 cents, and today it’s priced at an incredibly reasonable $1.50. That means a lot of…

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At the Seattle Mariners’ Stadium, a Secret Door Is Dispensing Gonzo Cocktails

Major League Baseball’s Opening Day signals the kickoff of many exciting traditions for fans: ballpark beers and hot dogs, the seventh-inning stretch, and enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of the ballpark. It also provides an opportunity for fans to suss out the new players on their favorite team. Be they highly touted prospects, prized free agent signings, significant trade acquisitions,…

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7 Perfect Weekend Getaways That Feel Like a Full Vacation

If 2025 was about going big, 2026 is all about going often. Enter the era of the 'microcation'—a smarter, more sustainable way to travel that swaps the once-a-year, two-week vacation for a series of three-day escapes that actually fit into real life.

Instead of waiting months for the perfect, extended trip, there's been a shift toward frequent, two- to four-day stays that deliver just as…

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8 New Aldi Finds To Buy In April (Before They’re Gone)

Aldi’s Aisle of Shame is going through a major spring glow-up. This April, the grocer is kicking things up a notch from March’s viral Dubai chocolate spread and Nashville hot chicken chips, adding iconic items like churro ice cream sandwiches and blueberry crumble coffee to the lineup. But that’s not all—there’s also ‘cheeseburger’ pizza and a ready-to-drink Cosmopolitan cocktail on…

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Philadelphia’s Doom Bar Serves Up Metal Music and a ‘Bloody’ G&T

Doom Bar in Philadelphia’s Callowhill neighborhood was born out of a relatively self-serving premise: Owner Justin Holden thought the kind of music he liked (doom metal, best exemplified by Black Sabbath) would make a great backdrop for a bar, and that other people would like it, too. It seems he was right as the spot, which Holden founded with music producer Will Yip, has been busy since its…

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Here’s How 14 Top Bartenders Make Old Fashioneds at Home

The Old Fashioned is one of the world’s oldest cocktails. It was originally stirred up sometime around 1806 and referred to as the Whiskey Cocktail. Made from a simple combination of whiskey, sugar, and bitters, the drink was immensely popular and gave rise to an influx of riffs that introduced new ingredients and ratios. The recipe for a Whiskey Cocktail quickly came to be something different…

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From Ants to Escargots, Has the Stunt Cocktail Ingredient Gone Too Far?

Once upon a time, swapping in seaweed brine for a never-before-seen version of a Dirty Martini or making a drink that replicates childhood favorites like PB&J or cold pizza was revolutionary. But these days, true shock factor is hard to come by. Each year, it feels like bartenders lean harder into the savory drinks trend — perhaps looking to tap into the success of food-inspired cocktails at bars…

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The 10 Best Bourbons for Old Fashioneds (2026)

The Old Fashioned is one of the world’s most popular cocktails and has been since it was created in the 19th century. The cocktail has inspired numerous riffs, some of which are now classics in their own right, like the agave-based Oaxaca Old Fashioned, the rum-based Caribbean Old Fashioned, or the fat-washed Benton’s. But when made in its original form, the cocktail is essentially just bourbon,…

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