Few things are better in fall than a crisp, juicy apple. And few places produce better apples than Washington State. While many minds might first go to New England when thinking of the fruit, Washington serves up more than 50 percent of the United States’ apples each year. There’s such a sense of pride in the industry, a cocktail created in its name has become a staple over the last 30 years. The Washington Apple — made with whisky, apple liqueur, and cranberry juice — was first accidentally invented in the late 1980s. According to the story, the state was hit with a parasite outbreak that left the industry in ruins.

Radlers, Micheladas, Black Velvets and boilermakers — nine beer cocktails for the stretch of September and October when the steins get heavy.

Fall has officially arrived and you know what that means: changing colors, warmer clothes, and swapping out summer’s light and refreshing cocktails for drinks that make us feel toasty inside. The following five cocktails, many made with fresh and seasonal ingredients, are essential sipping for autumn. They’re so delicious, you’ll almost forget you had to wave goodbye to summer. Forbidden Apple Now don’t hate us, but we’re actually glad summer is over. Saying “so long” to triple-digit temps is definitely cause for celebration. Bust out that bottle of bubbly you’ve been saving for an updated take on the classic Champagne Cocktail. Made with apple brandy and Grand Marnier, the Forbidden Apple is crisp, festive, and bright. See recipe

Coconut rum is 21% ABV, which means it is a sweetener before it is a spirit. Fourteen builds sorted by the job the bottle is doing.

Cognac is brandy with rules attached, and those rules change what it does in a glass. Fourteen builds, grouped by the structure underneath them.

Every blue shot on every bar menu comes from one bottle. Here is what it actually tastes like, and fourteen ways to pour it.

Pink comes from four different places behind a bar, and each one tastes different. Fourteen recipes sorted by where the color is coming from.

Cinnamon heat is not capsaicin and does not behave like it. What cinnamaldehyde actually does, and fifteen shots built on it.

Two ingredients and a sugared lemon wedge that somehow tastes like frosting. How the trick works, and six variations worth pouring.

Triple sec will not make you ill, but it does degrade in a specific and predictable way. What changes, how fast, and when to replace the bottle.

No, it will not hurt you. Yes, it changes. Here is what a four-year-old bottle actually tastes like and when to bin it.

Cointreau is strong enough to be a base spirit, which most triple sec is not. What to pour it with, and where the difference actually shows.

Thanksgiving is a marathon, and shots are the wrong format for a marathon unless you pick them carefully. Fourteen that actually suit the day.

Three ingredients, one of which everyone over-pours. The correct build, the common mistake, and eight variations on the same idea.

Angostura appears in hundreds of recipes at quantities under a millilitre. The mechanism behind that, and sixteen cocktails that depend on it.

Lime is in more recipes than tequila, bourbon and gin. Why it beats lemon in some drinks and loses in others, plus fourteen builds.

Scotch resists mixing for a specific chemical reason, and the classics that survive it all use the same two strategies. Sixteen builds explained.

One bottle, two very different strengths, and a cooling effect that is not actually cold. Recipes from gentle to alarming.

Maraschino is distilled from whole Marasca cherries including the stones, which is why it tastes of almond rather than fruit. Sixteen builds.

Tonic is the only mixer that arrives carrying bitterness, which makes it useful far beyond gin. Fourteen recipes that prove the point.

Mountain Dew has citric acid where other sodas have phosphoric. That one difference is why it mixes better than cola does.

Dr Pepper has cherry and almond notes that cola does not, which changes which spirits suit it. Fourteen recipes and one famous fake.

Grain alcohol is a tool, not a dare. What it is actually good at, the dilution math nobody does, and fourteen recipes.

Three alcopops in a pint glass. The original Irish build, the Baileys version people confuse it with, and how to stop it tasting like cough syrup.

Same six ingredients, two very different drinks. Our proportions for both, the green that everyone gets wrong, and what to do when you are short a bottle.

The standard build, the four variants worth knowing, and why the shot glass sinks instead of floating.

Green and cream in South Africa's national colors. Two builds, the layering order, and why one of them curdles and the other does not.

One name, six completely different shots. Which one your bartender means, which one is actually good, and which one will hurt you.

Cream liqueur shooters that hold together. What to pour, what order, and the one ingredient that ruins them.

The label says a cupboard is fine. Here is why the fridge is still the better answer, and what actually changes once the bottle is open.

Why aromatic bitters are effectively immortal, what the crust around the cap means, and the one thing that does degrade over a decade.

Long drinks rather than shots. The classics, the tequila one people miss, and what peach schnapps is actually good at.

The tequila-and-Tabasco build, the overproof one, and the thing bartenders actually mean when they say graveyard. Plus what to serve at Halloween.

Sugar cube or syrup, and how long to stir. The base recipe, the dilution numbers, and seven variations that actually change something.

The actual recipe, how to fill a pouch without wearing it, and why freezing them is the whole trick.

Fourteen builds, the amaretto question, and why hazelnut liqueur behaves differently from the almond one it is constantly confused with.

Vodka and overproof rum. What that combination actually works out to in standard drinks, and how to make it drinkable.

Lemon appears in more recipes than any spirit except vodka and gin. The sour template, the lemon-versus-lime decision, and fourteen builds.

Swap the triple sec for cognac-based orange liqueur and the drink changes more than you would expect. Our build, and how it sits against the standard Cosmo.

Which bottles earn their shelf space, ranked by how many drinks each one unlocks rather than by how good it is on its own.

Sours, bitter builds, and the two-ingredient one worth knowing. What bourbon's corn mash actually does in a drink.

Cinnamon schnapps beyond the shot. Nine builds, the gold-flake question answered, and why it works with apple.

Shooters, dessert drinks and one hot one. Which partners work, which curdle, and why it layers so easily.

Crème de cassis and orange juice. The izakaya standard, the ratio that stops it tasting like cough syrup, and the whole cassis family it belongs to.

The five strongest cocktails in the world: Death in the Afternoon, the Sazerac, Negroni, a bone-dry Martini and the Black Russian.

Easy Baileys shooter recipes with 3 ingredients or less: the B-52, Mudslide, Slippery Nipple, Oatmeal Cookie and Irish Flag.

Seven easy Kahlua shooter recipes with 3 ingredients or less, including the Black Russian, B-52, White Russian and Mudslide. Coffee-rich shots ready in moments.

Inside the history of Harry's New York Bar in Paris and three classic cocktails born there: the Sidecar, the Monkey Gland and the Old Pal.

Zima is back. Nine cocktails to make with the 1990s clear malt classic, from the Cupid Cooler to the Fuzzball, plus the story of its rise and fall.

Unopened spirits keep indefinitely. Opened, vermouth lasts a month, tequila three, Baileys 18 months. Every bottle charted, plus what needs the fridge.

Eleven Jager shots, from the classic Jager Bomb and Surfer on Acid to the Four Horsemen and Sex With an Alligator. Every one worth pouring.

Eight easy amaretto shots and shooters, from the Alabama Slammer and Screaming Orgasm to the Almond Joy and a two-ingredient Blow Job. Sweet and fast.

Eight easy peach schnapps shots and shooters: Sex on the Beach, the Woo Woo, Fuzzy Navel and Red-Headed Slut. Sweet party shots, fast.

Eleven Fireball shots ranked from easy to evil: Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Oatmeal Cookie, Cinnamon Roll, Apple Pie, and the infamous Four Horsemen. Pick your heat.

How to take a tequila shot with salt and lime the right way, plus 5 tequila shooters: the Mexican Flag, Blood Test and Brave Bull.

Eight bomb shots worth knowing: Jäger Bomb, Irish Car Bomb, Sake Bomb, Apple Bomb, Cardiac Arrest, and more. What to drop, what to chug, and what to skip.

Eight easy vodka shots and shooters: the Kamikaze, Mind Eraser, Chocolate Cake, Apple Pie, Tootsie Roll and more. One bottle, no fuss.

Eight whiskey shots and shooters: Washington Apple, Royal Flush, Duck Fart, Three Wise Men, Boilermaker and more. Crown Royal to dares.

Eight fruity shots and shooters: the Woo Woo, Watermelon Shot, Surfer on Acid, Grape Crush, Scooby Snack, and more. Sweet, easy crowd-pleasers for any party.

Nine dessert shots and creamy shooters: Buttery Nipple, Oatmeal Cookie, Butterball, Dirty Girl Scout and more. Built on schnapps and Irish cream.

Seven candy shots that nail the flavor: Gummy Bear, Jolly Rancher, Tootsie Roll, Bazooka Joe, PB&J and more. Shooters that taste like actual candy.

Seven Midori shots and melon shooters: the Melon Ball, Scooby Snack, Sex With an Alligator, Green Monster and more. A round that glows.

Vermouth goes bad faster than any bottle on your bar — about a month in the fridge for dry, two for sweet. How to spot a dead one.

Yes, Baileys goes bad — it's half cream. The maker guarantees 2 years from bottling, opened or not. How to read the date, spot spoilage, and store it right.

Cocktail bitters basically never expire, most are 35-45% alcohol, used a dash at a time. What changes in a decade-old Angostura bottle.

The best mixers for Malibu coconut rum: pineapple juice first, then cranberry, orange, cola, and more. Ratios, easy cocktails, and what to avoid.

What to mix with amaretto: lemon, bourbon, coffee, cola, orange juice and cream. Ratios for each, and why acid is amaretto's best friend.

What to mix with Fireball: apple cider tops the list, then cream soda, ginger beer, cola, RumChata, and hot chocolate. Ratios and the combos to avoid.

The 12 best mixers for vodka, ranked: soda water, cranberry, ginger beer, OJ, tomato juice, and more, with the classic drink each one unlocks.

What to mix with Baileys: coffee first, then hot chocolate, Kahlua, vodka and ice cream. Plus the acid rule that stops it curdling.

What to mix with Jagermeister beyond the Jager Bomb: ginger beer, apple cider, orange juice, root beer and coffee. Ratios included.

What to mix with Crown Royal: ginger ale is the gold standard, then cola, cranberry-apple for a Washington Apple, peach tea, and more. Ratios included.

What to mix with brandy: ginger ale, lemon for a Sidecar, cream for a Brandy Alexander, mulled wine, and Wisconsin's Old Fashioned. Ratios and pairings.

The boiling-water-to-booze ratio that makes jello shots set firm, why yours came out soupy, and 15 flavor combinations worth the fridge space.

Rum does not spoil, and unopened it lasts forever. Open bottles fade over a year or two. What the date on a Bacardi label actually means.

Grand Marnier does not spoil and needs no refrigeration. Opened, it holds for years. What changes, the crystals under the cap, and when a bottle is past it.

Malibu and coconut rum shooters worth making in August: tropical, low-proof, easy to batch. Fourteen recipes plus the trick to keeping them cold.

Big-batch punches and pitcher drinks for Labor Day weekend, built to sit outside for six hours without going flat, watery, or warm.

St-Germain does not spoil, but it fades — the floral top notes go first and the sugar takes over. How long an open bottle really holds.

Cream liqueurs spoil, herbal ones never do, everything else sits between. Shelf life for triple sec, peach schnapps, amaretto and Cointreau.

Whiskey, gin, rum, tequila and vodka never need the fridge. Vermouth, cream liqueurs, low-proof aperitifs and fresh juice do. Where the line falls.

Ten Crown Royal shots, from the Buttery Crown to the Black Tooth — and why a blended Canadian whisky mixes into shooters better than bourbon does.

Eight autumn shooters built on apple schnapps, cinnamon and butterscotch — the Apple Cobbler, the Autumn Twist, Apple Jacks and more for tailgates and bonfires.

SoCo is a fruit-and-spice liqueur, not a bourbon, and it mixes like one. The mixers that work, plus the Alabama Slammer and Sicilian Kiss.

Five low-calorie cocktails under 175 calories each, from an 86-calorie Cuba Libre to a Bloody Mary, gin and tonic, Old Fashioned and sangria.

What Kahlua is made of, how much caffeine it has, its flavors and substitutes — plus the best Kahlua cocktails, from White Russian to B-52.

How to make a proper Lemon Drop shot — vodka, triple sec, fresh lemon, sugar rim — plus five more citrus shooters, Kamikaze included.

Five apple shots and shooters: the Washington Apple, Caramel Apple, Appletini shot, Apple Pie and Apple Bomb. Tart recipes that actually taste like apple.

Homemade simple syrup lasts about a month in the fridge; rich 2:1 up to six. When to toss a cloudy jar, and how a splash of vodka buys you weeks.

Expired beer is safe to drink — the date is about freshness, not safety. What stale beer tastes like, and which styles fade fastest.

Opened wine lasts 3-5 days re-corked in the fridge, but it varies: sparkling dies in a day, fortified keeps for weeks. A type-by-type table.

Fresh lime juice peaks 4-10 hours after squeezing and is worse by day two. How long lemon, lime and orange juice keep — plus the freezer trick.

Champagne keeps 3-4 years unopened (vintage 5-10), but it won't improve in your closet. Storage rules, how to spot a faded bottle, and the spoon trick.

Vodka won't freeze at home — 80 proof needs about -16°F. What the freezer does to vodka, gin and whiskey, and which bottles can actually burst.

The best mixers for rum: lime and cola for a Cuba Libre, pineapple, ginger beer, coconut, and more, sorted by white, gold, and dark rum.

What to mix with RumChata: Fireball for the Cinnamon Toast Crunch shot, plus coffee, root beer, cola and apple cider. Curdle warnings included.

Tequila never becomes unsafe, but it loses agave character faster than any spirit once opened. Why blanco fades fastest, and how to slow it down.

Halloween shooters that look the part and still taste good: blood-red layers, black liqueurs, glowing green. Plus the dry ice rules.

August is peak peach season. Bellinis, juleps, frozen daiquiris and more, built on real fruit instead of schnapps — plus how to keep puree from browning.

Non-alcoholic Thanksgiving drinks paced across the day, from the cider that goes on at eleven to the warm one after pie. Cider punches, cranberry, no fuss.

Campari will not spoil. It will get duller. How long an open bottle holds its bitterness, whether it belongs in the fridge, and what happens to Aperol.

Amaretto, Midori and lime, layered so it looks like a wreck. The Broken Down Golf Cart shot, two variations worth knowing, and how to cut the candy.

Calvados is Normandy apple brandy, aged in oak and nothing like apple schnapps. How it is made, how it differs from applejack, and where to start.

Kahlua, Baileys, Grand Marnier, in that order and no other. Why the B-52's three layers hold, how sugar density decides stacking, and the B-53 and B-54.

Blue curacao tastes like orange, not blue raspberry — it is triple sec with dye. The mixers that work, Blue Lagoon to Blue Hawaiian, and the color rule.

A Breezer is rum, fruit and fizz in a bottle. How to build the same thing with light rum and whatever is in the fridge, plus what each flavor actually is.

Three ingredients, one name, and at least four versions depending on the bar. The original dirty lemonade plus the variations worth knowing.

Five spirits, no mixer, and a reputation earned by simple math. What is in an Aunt Roberta, where it came from, and why the number people quote is wrong.

Six spirits, blue curacao, and a name that tells you what happens. What goes in a Walk Me Down, how it differs from a Long Island, and the two-drink cap.

Coffee liqueur is made from real coffee, so it carries real caffeine — roughly 100 mg per liter. What that means per drink, and which cocktails add up.

Vodka and Monster, Jager bombs, whiskey and Red Bull. Which energy drink combinations actually taste like something, and what to know before a second.

Whiskey, sweet vermouth, bitters. The classic ratio, why your vermouth is probably the problem, and eight variations worth making.

It is pomegranate syrup, not cherry, and it is in more cocktails than almost anything behind a bar. What to make, and why the supermarket bottle disappoints.

Chocolate liqueur, clear or dark, and about six hundred recipes that use it. What the difference is, what to make, and why yours has been open since 2019.

The nine best whiskey mixers, which whiskeys each one suits, and the two everyone should stop using. Ginger ale is only the start.

Cranberry is the most-used juice in our entire database — over a thousand drinks. The classics, the right cranberry to buy, and what pairs beyond vodka.

Angostura is the default for a reason, but not the only answer. How aromatic, orange and Peychaud's bitters each change an Old Fashioned.

Swap rum for gin in a daiquiri and you get a drink with its own name and a different balance point. The spec, the history, and the ratio that makes it work.

Vodka, amaretto, peach schnapps, cranberry. The Killer Kool-Aid recipe, why it earned the name, and how to batch it for a party.

Japan made the apple highball famous with whisky and apple juice. All three versions: the Japanese build, the applejack original, and the cider one for fall.

Sweet and sour mix appears in 847 of our recipes, and the bottled version is why half disappoint. What it is, how to make it fresh, and where it belongs.

Dark rum shows up in 461 of our recipes and most people only know one. The Dark and Stormy, yes — but also the drinks white rum can't touch.

7UP is in 558 of our recipes for a reason: lemon-lime soda fixes drinks. The Seven and Seven, the wine cooler revival, and the one rule about diet.

Ginger ale is the most forgiving mixer in the bar: 322 recipes, nearly every spirit, no shaker. What it does to whiskey, rum and brandy.

Sloe gin is not gin — it is a blackthorn berry liqueur with a famous fizz and a catalog of forgotten drinks behind it. The fizz spec and the Alabama Slammer.

Between banana liqueur and creme de banane, banana is in nearly 450 of our recipes. The tiki builds, the cream drinks, and the 99 Bananas question.

Hpnotiq is cognac, vodka and tropical fruit in a bottle the color of a swimming pool. The Incredible Hulk, the club-era classics, and mixing it today.

Grapefruit soda is the answer Mexico settled long ago. Ten mixers that love tequila — Paloma to pineapple to cranberry — and which bottle to pour.

Brandy carries no expiry date because it does not need one, but the bottle you opened three years ago is not the bottle you bought. The chemistry and the fix.

More than tequila. More than bourbon. Pineapple juice is one of our most-used ingredients and almost nobody keeps it on purpose. What to make with the can.

White rum does not spoil. It goes quiet. How long your Bacardi actually holds up, why the 151 is different, and what the last third is good for.

That bottle has lived in the freezer since a party you barely remember. Whether it is still worth drinking, and what the cold is actually doing to it.

The only common juice that brings bitterness as well as acid, which makes it behave unlike lemon or lime. The classics, and what pink versus white changes.

The canned version put this drink on the radar. Making it yourself takes five minutes, costs less, and tastes like actual blackberries.

Monster mixes differently than Red Bull and most people never notice. What to pour into it, what to keep away, and the thing to know before you do.

Cointreau is a triple sec, technically. It is also twice the proof of the cheap ones, which changes every drink it goes into. When the swap matters.

The ratio that actually sets, the colors that read as Halloween instead of muddy brown, and six builds we make every October. Start two days ahead.

Two ingredients, one bad reputation, and a version that actually tastes like apples. Here is how to build an Appletini that a bartender would drink.

Everyone owns one and nobody knows what to do with it past the French Martini. Three hundred recipes say otherwise. What raspberry liqueur is for.

Four bottles, one sunset-colored glass, and a drink that has outlived every cocktail fashion since 1975. Plus the shooter version and the sloe gin swap.

Three prosecco, two Aperol, one soda is the ratio on the bottle. It produces a sweeter drink than most people want. Here is the arithmetic behind a better one.

Every classic American cocktail was built on rye before Prohibition killed it. Bourbon made everything sweeter. What changes when you switch back.

The resort drink that hides three kinds of rum under pineapple and grenadine. The real build, the eleven variations on file, and which one to make.

One substitution ruins more pina coladas than any other error, and the labels are almost identical. The correct can, the correct ratio, and the variations.

Lemon-lime soda is the most useful mixer in the fridge and the easiest one to waste. What Sprite is actually doing in a drink, and the ones worth making.

Grape juice and grain alcohol in a trash can, roughly. The actual recipe, the three versions worth making, and why it tastes like nothing until it doesn't.

Cola is the most forgiving mixer there is, which is why so many drinks built on it are lazy. The ones that use it deliberately, and the lime that changes it.

Mint, coffee and cream in the order a physics textbook would specify. The three-ingredient build, why it separates cleanly, and the longer shaken version.

Spiced rum and coke is fine. Spiced rum and ginger ale, apple cider, pineapple, or cold brew is better. What we mix with the captain, season by season.

Gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, equal parts. Why the equal-parts structure is unusually stable, and what each substitution actually does to the drink.

The Florida Tracksuit, the Florida Iced Tea, the Dirty Hooker and more — seven loud, citrus-heavy shots named after the least subtle state in America.

Kahlua and Baileys, floated so it looks like a tiny pint of stout. How to pour a Baby Guinness that actually holds its head, and why there is no Guinness in it.

Independence Day, National Hot Dog Day, National Ice Cream Day — there’s a lot to celebrate in the month of July. But if you know anything about us, you know that our favorite holiday is all about the booze. That’s right, come July 24th we’ll be celebrating one of summer’s most popular spirits with National Tequila Day. If we’re being honest, we don’t know anything about the history of this holiday. Other than a Facebook page that dates back only as far as 2012, there’s not much info on when the celebration started or why July 24th was chosen as the day. We kind of have to believe that a few friends got far too drunk on tequila one late July night and proclaimed it a national holiday.

The wellness world (not us, obviously) has long been going crazy about matcha. This finely milled green tea powder — the ingredient upon which traditional Japanese tea ceremonies were built in the 12th century — has been hailed for its health benefits, with claims ranging from improved mood to increased metabolism to prevention of disease. Now if you know anything about us, you know we’re not exactly the first ones to run out and try the latest superfood.

For booze lovers living today, Prohibition may sound like one of the most terrible times in American history. But as Matthew Rowley explains in his new book Lost Recipes of Prohibition, the law — which went into effect in 1920 and lasted nearly 14 years — was anything but watertight. If you knew the right people, or the right place to be, you could certainly get a drink. Said drink would most likely be a variation of a familiar spirit, made by blending smuggled liquor, homemade moonshine, or even industrial alcohol together with herbs, oils, and extracts to imitate the flavor and aroma of the real thing. Many of these illegal recipes were written by hand and secretly shared, but have since been lost over the course of time.

Is there anything more perfect than a cold Moscow Mule on a sweltering summer day? That ideal combination of smooth vodka, tangy lime juice, and spicy ginger beer makes for a cooling and refreshing sip that has drinkers coming back again and again. This classic recipe has certainly withstood the test of time, no matter which origin story you believe. One such story claims the cocktail was invented in Manhattan in 1941 by a trio of men who were drinking together at the Chatham Hotel. This group included Jack Morgan, a maker of ginger beer and a restaurateur; John G. Martin, the head of a liquor distributing company; and Rudolph Kunett, the president of Smirnoff Vodka.

When it comes to drinking cocktails in the summer, there are many spirits that come up again and again. Tequila? Absolutely, pass us a margarita. Rum? Of course — who doesn’t love a good mojito on a hot summer day? But bourbon? That’s often left to the wayside until the leaves start to change in the fall. After all, bourbon has a warm and toasty quality we want when the weather starts to get cool. But come summer, it’s often gin, vodka, and tequila that take center stage.

It’s no secret that here at Cocktail Builder we love our tequila. And it’s certainly no secret that tequila’s popularity skyrockets during the summer. In these warm weather months, we’re constantly in search of a new recipe or even a new brand to keep our love affair fresh — and well, friends, we’ve found both. Enter Código 1530 Rosa, a striking pink tequila that became a sensation when it first appeared. The creation first begins with the purity of Código’s blanco tequila — of course, made only in the Tequila region of Mexico. Next, the spirit is rested for a month in uncharred Napa Valley cabernet barrels made of French White Oak.

Who doesn’t love orange juice? It’s perfect paired with breakfast or lunch (or even better, brunch), and goes spectacularly well with almost any liquor, liqueur, or bubbly. But you know what’s even better than the standard round or navel orange? The delectably sweet, tangy, gorgeously colored variety known as blood orange. Hailing from Mediterranean climates, the blood orange gets its ruby-red hue thanks to pigments called anthocyanins that develop during hot days and cool nights.

Who doesn’t love an ice-cold glass of chocolate milk? It’s a delicious sweet treat that takes us back to our childhoods, while (if only for a moment) allowing us to forget the worries of being adults. But we are adults, and there is a benefit to that: liquor. When you’re looking to indulge your sweet tooth, why not take things up a notch by adding a little booze? One of our favorite ways is by looking to Kahlua, and one of our favorite creations is the Kahlua Mudslide. This classic recipe of Kahlua, Baileys, and vodka can really only be described as coffee-flavored chocolate milk for adults. Both bottles earn their shelf space well beyond this one drink; see what to mix with Kahlua and what to mix with Baileys for proof.

October is upon us and you know what that means: Everyone is going crazy about pumpkins. From carved pumpkins to pumpkin pie to pumpkin spice lattes, the squash is everywhere this season — even in our beer. Early October also marks the conclusion of Munich’s world-famous Oktoberfest, a multi-week event in which locals and visitors alike consume millions of liters of beer. Even if you weren’t able to attend this year’s festivities, you can still celebrate Munich’s beer culture — and autumn’s favorite fruit — with one very tasty ale-based libation.

If planning a game day party, there are four things any good host must serve: wings (either of the Buffalo or barbecue variety), chips, dip to eat with said chips, and lots and lots of booze. To go beyond a typical party, however, try stepping up your game by swapping basic beer with football-ready cocktails. Not only will these thirst-quenching sips go perfectly with all that greasy food, but your effort and creativity are sure to make you the star of the tailgate party.

Halloween comes but once a year, so when it does we do it in style. That’s right: We’re talking about award-worthy costumes, king-size candy bars, and pumpkins carved with the skills of Edward Scissorhands. But of course, none of that is any fun if you’re sitting on the couch alone in your costume, getting sick on the aforementioned candy. This year, it’s time to step up your game by throwing a Halloween party to end all parties. Bust out the decorations, hit play on the spooky music, and whip up a batch of punch to get the energy going. In honor of the occasion, we’ve rounded up five of our favorite boozy creations to serve on Halloween.

When the weather starts to cool down, as it’s certainly doing in many parts of the world right now, few things can warm you up better than a steaming mug of mulled wine. Much like a classic hot toddy, this concoction uses spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to create that toasty feeling that we want in the fall and winter. Though mulled wine isn’t nearly as popular in the United States, the drink has been a tradition in Old World countries for ages. In fact, wine was first recorded as spiced and heated as far back as 2nd-century Rome. The recipe has evolved over time to include other ingredients such as citrus, ginger, and brandy. Today, the drink serves as the perfect treat for warming up after a day out in the cold. But it’s not just wine that can get the mulling treatment. Cider and even ale also pair incredibly well with these traditional spices. Here, we’ve rounded up five of our favorite recipes featuring wine, beer, and cider to keep you warm this season. Each is as delightful as the next and takes less than 20 minutes to whip up.

When it comes to drinking, there’s no city in America — and perhaps the world — that does it better than New Orleans. After all, this is a town where bars can stay open 24 hours a day and it’s totally legal, at least in the French Quarter, to carry a drink as you’re walking down the street. New Orleans is also rumored to be the birthplace of America’s very first cocktail, the Sazerac.

Bright and tangy with that distinct crispness of the seasonal fruit, few alcoholic beverages have become more synonymous with fall and winter than hard apple cider. Not only that, but the balance of sweet and tart make the drink not only enjoyable on its own, but a versatile ingredient to include in cocktails. (Not to mention pair with some of our favorite foods of the cold weather season.) Given that, we thought it was only appropriate to round up a list of the perfect libations to be mixing this season, so we turned to our friends at Angry Orchard Cider. A staple in the United States since 2011, the brand has since released a wide variety of styles to suit every taste.

Is there anything better than a hot drink on a cold winter night? And is there any hot drink better than a hot toddy? The classic mixture of liquor, spices, honey, and citrus imparts a cozy sense of warmth while also boasting soothing properties for winter-induced coughs and colds. While the traditional recipe calls for whiskey, honey, and lemon juice, there are endless ways to tailor a toddy to your needs. Prefer Scotch over bourbon? No problem. Want to add an extra healing kick? Throw some spicy ginger in. Here, we’ve rounded up five of our favorite renditions on the hot toddy, from the time-honored to the super creative.

Most mocktails taste like sweet juice because they are sweet juice. Three fixes that work, plus 20-odd non-alcoholic recipes with real ratios.

A week-by-week guide to Sober October: what to drink, what to order at a bar, and the point in week three where most people quit.

Halloween mocktails and non-alcoholic punch for a house full of kids and drivers, plus the glow trick that works and the dry ice rule nobody tells you.

Dry January drinks built for actual January: citrus season, warm ones, and bitter ones. Plus the shopping list, and why the no-alcohol spirits aisle can wait.

Game day shooters built for a parking lot: no shaker, no sink, no ice you have to protect. Bombs, boilermakers, and the ones that survive a cooler.

Rum shooters from two-ingredient easy to genuinely punishing, plus the chemistry of why rum blends into shots better than vodka or whiskey.

There’s always a story behind a name, but cocktails don’t have it so easy. The exact origins of our favorite cocktails can get a bit muddled, but one thing is for sure: there were many people scrambling to take credit for these deliciously classic cocktails. Here are three fun facts about today’s most popular cocktails: Screwdriver: The name for this classic drink derived from need. In the 1950s, workers on oil rigs in the Persian Gulf would work long and dangerous hours. So, to relax and entertain themselves, they would make a drink or two. Sources say they would pour orange juice and vodka into cans while working, and the name came from the fact that they used their screwdrivers to mix this secret beverage. See recipe. 2. Old Fashioned: The king of classic cocktails, the old fashioned likely dates back to the early 1800s. The earliest known definition of a cocktail was an 1806 response from an editor, describing it as, “a potent concoction of spirits, bitters, water, and sugar.” This leads to the origin of the name, when drinkers in the 1890s got tired of all the fancy, modern cocktails and just wanted something simple – an old fashioned cocktail.

Everyone has that ingredient in their kitchen that they only know how to use in one recipe or one drink. In the cocktail world, many us of have triple sec or know it’s an important, versatile liqueur to own, but how many of us can articulate what it actually is? We’ve outlined everything you need to know about triple sec, from its flavor profile to its birthplace:

The clock strikes midnight and you instinctively reach for the bottle of champagne. _Man, _ you think, I wish I had a better drink. You can’t go wrong with the classic champagne toast, but why not make things more interesting? Here are fourteen unique champagne cocktails for your New Years party: French 75: Gin and lemon turn this champagne cocktail into a refreshing blend of herbs and citrus. This fizzy drink is sweet, but boozy, and tangy, but sweet. Garnish with a lemon twist. See recipe *

Vodka is the most popular liquor for cocktails. The name vodka comes from the Slavic word voda, meaning water. It is a versatile spirit, included in many classic cocktails like a Martini, Moscow Mule, and a Screwdriver. Yet, despite the fact that most everyone has tried vodka and used it in many cocktails, there are a lot of things we don’t know about it. Here are seven facts about vodka you never knew:

With so many different names and two ways of spelling it, whiskey may be one of the most mysterious spirits out there. From Bourbon to Scotch to whiskey with an “e” and without an “e,” this alcohol is known in many forms (including beer). Here are five fast facts about whiskey: Whiskey is not the same as whisky: The general consensus is this: Scottish distilleries spell their whisky without the “e,” while everyone else includes the “e.”

Everyone loves orange juice. It’s great for breakfast or lunch (or even better, brunch). It pairs nicely with almost any spirit and we almost always have it on hand. Plus, we get a healthy dose of Vitamin C along with our alcohol. Make the most of your orange juice in the fridge — squeezed citrus fades fast, and the clock we describe for fresh lime juice ticks just as quickly for OJ. Here are five cocktails with OJ:

Odds are, we all have distinct (or not so distinct) memories about tequila. Maybe it’s just the amount we ingest or the sugary mixers it’s usually paired with. Or, the added sugar and caramel in cheap tequila. Either way, tequila is typically associated with a bad hangover. But tequila has grown up a lot since our days in college. Here are five essential tequila cocktails that showcase the spirit in a flattering light:

Let’s be real: the word “cocktail” is a little strange. Why did someone mix together alcohol, bitters, sugar, and water, and decide to call it a “cocktail?” Where did the term really come from and who first invented it? Here are five fast facts about the history of the cocktail: The word “cocktail” was first defined in 1806 by The Balance and Columbian Repository as “a stimulating liquor composed of any kind of sugar, water and bitters, vulgarly called a bittered sling.” One popular story behind the term “cocktail” refers to a rooster’s tail (or a cock tail) being used as a Colonial drink garnish. Another theory about the name “cocktail” derives from the term “cock tailings,” when tavern owners combine the dregs (tailings) of empty barrels together into a single elixir sold at bargain prices. The spigot of a barrel was sometimes referred to as a “cock.” Mrs. Julius S. Walsh, Jr. held the first cocktail party in May 1917 in St. Louis with fifty people. The _St.

The more the merrier, right? While hosting a summer picnic, barbecue, or outdoor party for a group of friends can be a blast, no one wants to be the person stuck in the kitchen making individual cocktails for dozens of people. At your next gathering, make these big-batch cocktails the night before and just add ice the next day. This way, you’ll actually be able to enjoy the party.

Forget about gifting your dad yet another tie this Father’s Day. Let’s be honest: He probably hasn’t even worn the last three you’ve given him. Instead, raise a glass to the man who taught you how to ride a bike, jumpstart a car, and light a grill without setting yourself on fire. Here are three pops-approved cocktails guaranteed to make you his favorite of the family. The Ballgame: Few things put a nostalgic smile on our faces like the memory of attending a baseball game with dear old dad. So it’s fitting that this cocktail, aptly named The Ballgame, should be a go-to for this list. Primarily made with bourbon, Frangelico, and amaretto, the recipe’s a home run as it is. What really knocks it out of the park is an unexpected yet appropriate touch: a Cracker Jack-coated rim. See recipe.

This post kicks off something new for us: a travel series. Cocktail Builder is hitting the road to hunt down the most exciting drinks being poured at freshly opened bars, and because reading about a great cocktail is only half the fun, every city comes with recipes for making the drinks yourself. Our first stop: New York City. (The series has since rolled through Chicago, LA, and Philadelphia — cheesesteak country pours better than you’d think.)

Is there any meal better than brunch? We don’t think so. In fact, we approve of any activity that allows us to drink cocktails before noon without getting judgmental looks from strangers. But you know what else we love? Enjoying said meal from the comfort of our home, where the drinks are cheaper and the pants are optional. If you, too, prefer your bacon and eggs with a side of slippers, these recipes are for you.

There’s going green and then there’s going green. (And we don’t mean being environmentally friendly.) When it comes to the world of cocktails, few ingredients are off-limits — even if it means getting them from your local cannabis club. With additions like muddled peas to marijuana, the following four cocktails are literally going green. Green Giant: Still traumatized from those times your mom force-fed you peas as a kid? This might change your mind. Made with gin, lemon, pea pods, and tarragon, the Green Giant tastes just like the way a spring garden smells. See recipe

After kicking off in New York, our bar-hopping travel series heads west for round two. Same deal as before: three standout drinks from the city’s newest bars, where to order them, and the recipes for making each one in your own kitchen. Our next stop: The Windy City. Lost Lake From Paul McGee (aka Chicago’s Best Bartender for four of the last five years) comes the latest hotspot, Lost Lake. Paul’s been credited for sparking the city’s tiki revival during his time at Three Dots and a Dash, so it’s no surprise that his recent endeavor follows a similar theme. The location evokes both the “tropical escapism of 1930s Hollywood” and the “island aesthetic of the world’s first tiki bar.” Grab a seat alongside the banana leaf wallpaper and order the bar’s eponymous drink: a sweet, fruity, and bitter blend of rum, lime, passionfruit, pineapple, and Campari. See recipe

Once sold as patent medicine, bitters has become a necessary ingredient to cocktail makers. It has the ability to transform a drink with a single drop, which is why it’s earned the reputation as a “bartender’s salt and pepper.” Don’t believe its power? Just ask Brad Thomas Parsons, author of Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All. He suggests making two versions of a Manhattan: one with Angostura bitters and one without. “[The first] will be beautiful,” he says. “And the other will be overly sweet and cloying.” Of course, bitters is easy enough to find at the supermarket or liquor store, but what fun is that?

Stop number four on our cocktail road trip, and this one hardly needs an introduction. As always, we scouted the city’s newest bars and restaurants for their standout drinks — where to go, what to order, and how to build each one at home. Our next stop: New Orleans. Home of jazz, the Saints, and one of our all-time favorite cocktails, the Sazerac. Cherry Blossom New Orleans may be known for its French beignets, but if you’re a resident (or happen to be visiting) you’d be remiss not to pay a visit to Rebellion. The Asian/Brazilian-inspired restaurant boasts a menu of empanadas, ramen, short ribs, and duck — dishes that pair perfectly with the cocktail list created by T. Cole Newton, owner of Twelve Mile Limit. Pay homage to Japanese culture by ordering up a Cherry Blossom made with sake and Cherry Heering. See recipe

Halloween comes but once a year, so when it does we do it in style. That’s right: We’re talking award-worthy costumes, king-sized candy bars, and pumpkins carved with the skills of Martha Stewart. Of course, there’s no fun to be had on Halloween if you’re wearing your costume alone on the couch, getting sick on candy while congratulating yourself on your aptitude for carving. (Not that we’ve done that.) That’s why we’re planning on throwing the Halloween party of the year, and we’re sparing no expense when it comes to the booze.

Despite the fact that there are more classic cocktails made with gin than any other liquor, the spirit itself is not nearly as popular as vodka, whiskey, or rum. Perhaps it’s the fact that the juniper-based drink tastes like what we’d expect a Christmas tree to taste like. Personally, we’re all about that flavor, yet we also understand not everyone enjoys their cocktail with a side of pine needles.

Often thought of as something only to be ordered with sushi, sake has been experiencing a renaissance all across the country. Made from the liquid pressed from fermented rice, the Japanese spirit has the ability to transform familiar recipes into cocktails that are completely unique. Sake can also be the perfect ingredient for those looking for a lighter libation without sacrificing their buzz. While it doesn’t pack as much punch as other spirits like vodka and gin, it typically has a higher alcohol content than most wine and beer. We teamed up with Hakushika, a Japanese company established in 1662, to bring you five sake cocktail recipes you need to add to your arsenal.

With Father’s Day just around the corner, now’s the time to show dear ol’ dad just how much you care. If your dad happens to be a whisky/whiskey lover, it’s also the perfect time to surprise him with a bottle that’s bit more special than his standard fare. Whether he’s a bourbon imbiber, a Scotch scholar, or he gravitates towards spirits of the Far East, there are plenty of choices that will leave your dad calling you his “favorite.” Here are three bottles of whiskey he’ll love to receive on Father’s Day. **

Sunny days, sandy beaches, and breezy nights: yes, the summer season is upon us. The desire to kick back with a cocktail is stronger than ever this time of year, and luckily for you, we’ve got just what you need. Not only are we bringing you the best recipes to kick off season, but we’ve crafted the perfect combo for when boozy brunch turns into an all-day drinking affair. Here are three cocktails you need to start your summer off right.

First popularized in the mid-1930s, tiki cocktails were all the rage among sweltering LA locals for several decades. The beginning of tiki culture is largely credited to Ernest Raymond Beaumont-Gantt, a man from Louisiana who opened Don the Beachcomber after sailing through the South Pacific. The Polynesian-themed restaurant featured Cantonese cuisine and potent rum punch made with the freshest of ingredients. The location was so popular, it inspired other tiki bars, most notably Trader Vic’s, which is still a chain today. Despite tiki cocktails being one of the best ways to cool down in the heat, they’ve gotten a bad reputation in more recent decades. The 70s and 80s saw these classic recipes get cheapened with processed juices and sugary additions, making them synonymous with tacky hotel bars and cruise ships.

Few things are better than sipping a cold beer on a hot summer day – except maybe sipping a cold cocktail on a hot summer day. Beer? Cocktail? Beer? Cocktail? If you can’t decide, we’ve got good news. Now you don’t have to. Beer makes for a surprisingly versatile mixer, bringing a range of flavors and depths to our favorite spirits. Whether you’re a fan of fruity cocktails or something with a savory edge, there’s a beer concoction out there for everyone.

Forget those drunken nights doing Jägerbombs in college. And definitely forget the hangovers you surely had the next day. These days, the German digestif has found its way into craft cocktails that still pack a punch but are grown-up approved. When paired with spicy liqueurs, fresh juices, and sweet colas, Jägermeister becomes — dare we say it? — elegant. So, go on and bust open that green bottle. These sophisticated concoctions are sure to help you get over any PTSD you may have from those nights leaning over the toilet.

_ For this week’s article, we’ve partnered with former bartender Daniel Robinson of_ The Fervent Shaker. Check out his blog for new recipes and inspiration. There are two main categories every tequila falls into: mixto (blended) or 100% agave. The former is the type you’re likely to find at a college party. It’s cheaper than 100% agave and can leave you with a nasty pile of regret in the morning. The latter, on the other hand, is as pure as tequila gets. There are strict regulations in regards to both mixto and 100% agave tequilas.

When you think of Sherry, what comes to mind? For many, it’s likely to be a dusty old bottle sitting in their grandmother’s cupboard that hasn’t been opened in years. Sherry — a fortified wine from the Spanish city of Jerez — often carries low-brow connotations. Though it was once considered one of the world’s greatest and most versatile wines, an influx of cheap and sickeningly sweet blends caused Sherry to become widely misunderstood. However, thanks to a wave of interest in artisanal wines, as well as a focus on small bodegas producing tiny batches, Sherry has regained popularity. It’s been popping up on liquor menus all across the world, proving itself to be equally enjoyable when served straight or mixed into a cocktail.

We’ve reached the peak of October and you know what that means: everyone is going crazy about pumpkins. From pumpkin pie to pumpkin spice lattes, the squash is everywhere this season. However, there’s a much more exciting way to consume the autumnal fruit. You guessed it: in a cocktail. While we still love other seasonal ingredients such as apples, cranberries, and pears, pumpkin adds a sweet and earthy flavor that’s unique and unexpected. If you, too, can’t get enough of pumpkins, you won’t want to miss whipping up one of the following five cocktails.

Every year, the state of Washington celebrates its award-winning wine industry — widely considered to be one of the best in the country — with the annual Taste of Washington Wine Month. March is filled with events every day across the state from Woodinville to Walla Walla, including wine tastings, dinners, and winemaker retreats. The month culminates with the massive Taste of Washington festival, a can’t-miss weekend for anyone interested in food and wine. (And really, who isn’t?) The event brings out more than 225 Washington wineries, all pouring tastes of their best vinos, as well as 65 local restaurants serving Seattle favorites like oysters and crab.

When Mother Nature decides to crank up the heat, it can be tough to choose between a frosty drink and a cooling popsicle or ice cream cone. After all, there’s something about summer that takes us back to the days of our youth, when there was nothing more exciting than hearing the twinkling sound of the ice cream truck driving down the block. Few things are better than an ice-cold treat on a scorching summer day, but that doesn’t mean you have to forgo your spirits in favor of refreshing sweet eats. We’re adults, after all, and we can have our liquor and eat it, too. In honor of the beginning of the warm-weather season, we’ve rounded up five of our favorite recipes that blend sugary, childhood nostalgia with all the benefits of being a grownup (ie: booze).

Going gluten-free doesn’t mean giving up drinking — but it does mean you need to pay attention to what’s actually in your glass. Beer is mostly off the table. Wine is mostly fine. Spirits are complicated. Here’s how to navigate it. Fortunately, there are solutions, and the quest for finding a decent gluten free does not need to be so difficult. This guide will help. The three most common adult beverages, beer, wine, and spirits, will be analyzed to determine respectable gluten free solutions, this way the next time you go out to a bar, you will know exactly what you can and cannot order.

The leaves are falling, and that means cold weather is just around the corner. And while the temps are dropping, there’s no better time to warm up at a pub with good friends or snuggle up at home with a warm alcoholic beverage to keep the temperature up. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular warm alcoholic beverages that would be perfect for the next time you’re snowed in.

Everyone usually has the same, traditional New Year’s resolutions: losing weight, eating better, or traveling more. Those are definitely valid things to work on, but c’mon, they’re not very exciting. If lighter pours made your list, these healthy holiday cocktails will carry you through January without feeling like punishment. This year, spice things up a little! This can be the year you master mixology and become the go-to cocktail expert among your friends and family. And, to get you started, we’ve come up with three New Year’s resolutions for any cocktail lover.

What to mix with gin besides tonic: soda and lemon for a Collins, grapefruit juice, lime cordial, ginger ale, and more, with the classic drink each unlocks.

A bar spoon, Hawthorne strainer, and a cocktail shaker are essential cocktail accessories. But, they’re nowhere near as awesome as huge balls made out of ice or making cheap alcohol taste expensive with an oak infuser. Here are five unique cocktail accessories to liven up your home bar: Rox Ice Ball Mold ($9) Make large round ice balls that look great in a drink. These ice spheres have less surface area and last much longer than other ice cubes (great for sipping whiskey).

Memorial Day marks the beginning of good weather, camping, graduations, and barbecues. It’s the season of refreshing, crisp cocktails, corn on the cob, grilling, and summer picnics. Kick off the summer cookout season with these five cocktail ideas for your Memorial Day BBQ: Ginger Shandies: You can’t have a BBQ without beer. Try this refreshing twist on beer by combining Hoegaarden, ginger beer, and zesty lemon slices. See recipe * White Wine Sangria: Red wine sangria can be a little heavy for a hot day. Serve this chilled version that uses white wine, seltzer, strawberries, and peaches. See recipe *

Is there anything more American than eating hot dogs, watching fireworks, and getting drunk outdoors? We don’t think so. We may not be able to help you with the food and entertainment come this 4th of July weekend, but we can certainly help you get your drink on. In honor of America’s birthday — celebrate in style with these patriotic cocktails. (Post-party aspirin not included.) All-American Beauty This cocktail is just like your grandmother’s homemade lemonade, but, you know… with vodka. Put a rustic, all-American vibe on the presentation by serving these in a mason jar. Now they’re Pinterest-approved! See recipe

We’ll always have a soft spot in our hearts for our go-to summer favorites, but these days we’ve been wanting to shake it up a bit. When Mother Nature decides to crank up the heat, we suggest cooling down with a cocktail that’s a bit more unique. Sorry, margarita, you’ve been replaced. Tequila-Watermelon Cocktail: Watermelon is everywhere in the summer, and we’re all about using seasonal ingredients whenever we can. This tequila-watermelon creation from chef Bobby Flay is sure to put a festive spin on any backyard barbecue. See recipe

Round three of our traveling bar crawl (it began in New York) trades subway lines for freeways. The format holds: the buzziest new bars in town, the drinks worth ordering, and the recipes to recreate them without leaving the house. Our next stop: The City of Angels. Trilingual Experience In the mood for tequila? Look no further than Tacoteca in Santa Monica. Alongside its sizeable yet affordable bar bites, this taqueria serves up just about every kind of mezcal and tequila you could want. As much as we love a good margarita, we suggest skipping this staple in favor of the Trilingual Experience. This cocktail blends reposado tequila, manzanilla sherry, and freshly squeezed lime juice, all topped with a fruity red wine float. See recipe

In theory, we like the idea of getting a health dose of vitamins to balance out our booze. But in reality, we’re not fans of feeling like we’re drinking salad when what we really want is gin. Enter the following tomato juice cocktails. With recipes so delicious and unique, you’ll almost forget you’re fueling your body with biotin, potassium, and vitamins A, C, and E. Bottoms up! Bloody Maria You’ve all had a Bloody Mary, but what about a Bloody Maria? The classic cocktail gets a Mexican spin with tequila instead of vodka. Add a generous dose of Tabasco (and maybe some horseradish, as well), and you’ve got a guaranteed fiesta in your mouth. See recipe

Who doesn’t love apple juice? It’s sweet, yet slightly tart. It reminds us of our childhoods. And — especially if you have kids at home — it’s one of those things that always seems to be around. You know what else apple juice is good for? Mixing cocktails. (And if you happen to have those kids we talked about, you might really need one.) Make the most of the juice you’ve got sitting in your fridge with one of these four easy cocktails.

The travel series continues. New to it? The idea is simple: we visit a city’s most talked-about new bars, order well, take notes, and publish the recipes so the drinks can follow you home. Our next stop: Seattle. Home of Starbucks, the Seahawks, and cocktails that are unfussy yet fabulous… just like the city itself. Warp & Weft Only open since June 2015, Herb & Bitter Public House has quickly been named the best new cocktail bar in town. The haunt centers its comprehensive menu around Italian amari, like aperitifs, digestives, and fernets. They also change their cocktail offerings seasonally and keep a rotating menu of hard-to-find beers. Make the most of a sunny day by grabbing a seat on the patio and ordering up a Warp & Weft, an unexpected, yet complementary combination of porter, pear brandy, fernet, and caraway. See recipe

Another city, another round of homework we’re happy to do. Our travel series visits the newest bars in town, samples the drinks everyone’s talking about, and comes back with recipes you can actually make. Our next stop: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — the city of Brotherly Love. That love also applies to the following libations, whose ingredients pair perfectly to create sips you won’t want to miss. Arnie’s Gimlet Slush Colin Shearn, the master behind the award-winning drinks at the Prohibition-style Franklin Bar, brings his genius to Bud & Marilyn’s in Center City. The restaurant pays homage to the Wisconsin eatery of chef Turney’s grandparents, giving off a “1970’s kind of rec room vibe.” Shearn’s cocktails match that feeling and do not disappoint. He serves up expertly crafted renditions of classic recipes, with our favorite being the Arnie’s gimlet slush. Part gin, part lemonade, part iced tea, and part lime, you’ll want to drink this boozy update on an old favorite all summer long. See recipe

Cocktail Builder’s travel series is back on the road. The routine hasn’t changed: find a city’s most exciting new bars, order their signature pours, then reverse-engineer the recipes so they work on a home bar. Our next stop: Dallas/Fort Worth, home of 18 of the richest people in America, one of the busiest airports in the world, and the largest game of Twister ever played. As they say, everything’s bigger in Texas, and their cocktail culture is no exception.

Most well-known cocktails don’t require a ton of effort in order to make them right. This article is not about those cocktails. Today we’re breaking down the most complicated cocktail in the world and giving you tips for how to make it like a pro. So what cocktail are we talking about? Answer: the Bloody Mary. Now, we’re not surprised if you think we’re crazy for saying that.

In this leg of our travel series we do what we always do: find the bars a city can’t stop talking about, drink diligently in the name of research, and bring back the recipes so you can skip the plane ticket. Our next stop: Portland, home of some of the best damn food in the country… and the cocktails to go with it. Inigo Montoya When Victoria opened its doors roughly a year ago, millennials couldn’t have been more excited. After all, the entire cocktail menu is named after characters or plot devices featured in one of the most beloved movies from millennial childhood: The Princess Bride. Lovers of the film can order up a Storming the Castle or The Six-Fingered Man, but we recommend the Inigo Montoya. The tequila-and-lime cocktail gets an updated twist, thanks to the addition of wine-based spirit Cardamaro (similar to earthy Cynar, but lighter) and the spicy yet citrusy notes of cardamom bitters. See recipe

The travel series rolls on. The premise, for anyone just joining: we pick a city, track down the most talked-about drinks at its newest bars, and come home with the recipes so you can pour them yourself. Our next stop is Atlanta, known for its sports teams, music scene, and Southern hospitality… as well as some killer cocktails. Moonwalker Taking its name from the French word for “bitter,” it’s no surprise that Amer puts a special focus on cocktails with ingredients like cynar, aquavit, and amari. Lead bartender Shanna Mayo crafts these complex recipes to pair perfectly with the bar’s European-style small plates. While it’s certainly not the most bitter cocktail on the list, we recommend the Moonwalker.

Depending on where you live, the weather may be warming up or spring may even feel like it’s already arrived. But in other parts of the world, winter is alive and well (and there’s wallet-draining heating bills to prove it). When nights are still chilly, there are few better things than cozying up on the couch with a mug of something warm — ideally something boozy and warm. Which is why we thought it was the perfect time for a roundup of the hot cocktails we’ve been turning to in order to get us through the end-of-winter blues. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with simply adding a shot of whiskey to a cup of coffee or tea, but why not approach your hot cocktail with a bit more sophistication? After all, just because a shaker and ice aren’t involved, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to overly simplify.

With the holiday season in full swing, you’re probably spending much of the month searching for that perfect present for everyone on your list. The trouble is, shopping for the right gifts can be an exhausting challenge and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Unfortunately, there’s no store called Here’s the Perfect Gift For You, so to make your life a little easier, we’ve compiled the ultimate guide for every imbiber on your list. (After all, who doesn’t love getting a nice bottle of their favorite booze or something sleek to put on their bar cart?) Whether you’re looking for basics to help a pal build out their home bar or something to wow a cocktail connoisseur who has everything, we’re certain that we’ve got a gift for everyone on your list.

Like fashion and food, the landscape of cocktails is largely predicted by popular trends. Thanks to the resurgence of tiki drinks such as the Jungle Bird, refined disco sips like the Harvey Wallbanger, and anything and everything made with mezcal, it’s been an exciting time for liquor lovers. Here are three trends that have shaped the cocktail world in recent years. Tiki Cocktails Tiki cocktails made a major comeback, with recipes that were formerly deemed overly sweet getting retooled with premium spirits and more balanced proportions. Drinks that were once popular in the 1930s and ‘40s came back full swing. What’s more, you don’t have to walk through a bamboo door toward a waiter wearing a Hawaiian-print shirt to get a tropical drink.

If you ask shrewd bar managers and restauranteurs in The Colony, the key to having a well-stocked bar is always keeping a supply of orange juice ready to go. To create the tastiest orange juice cocktails, it’s strongly recommended to grab a package of oranges and freshly squeeze the juice. However, if you don’t have the time or motivation to get crafty and make some fresh-squeezed OJ, you can simply pick up a bottle of your favorite orange juice from your local supermarket and get your inner mixologist ready to mix up some delicious drinks.

What to mix with Kahlua: milk or cream, vodka, coffee, cola, and more. The White Russian family, ratios for each mixer, and the pairings to avoid.

What to mix with peach schnapps: orange juice for a Fuzzy Navel, cranberry for a Woo Woo, plus vodka, lemonade, iced tea, and prosecco. Ratios included.

What to mix with Hennessy: ginger ale, cola, iced tea, and lemon for a Sidecar. Which mixers suit VS vs VSOP, plus the Incredible Hulk explained.

Triple sec is the ingredient, not the star: what to mix it with, from tequila (Margarita) to vodka (Kamikaze, Cosmo) to cognac (Sidecar), plus solo mixers.

What to mix with Midori: sour mix and Sprite for the Midori Sour, vodka for a Melon Ball, plus pineapple, lemonade, and prosecco. The acid rule for melon.

What to mix with moonshine: sweet tea, lemonade, apple cider, cola, and ginger beer. How to handle high-proof jars, flavored shine, and what to avoid.

Batched all-spirit cocktails keep for months; add vermouth and you get a week or two; add citrus and it's same-day. The three-tier rule for making drinks ahead.

How to layer a shot (it is all about sugar density), plus ten layered shooters: the B-52, Baby Guinness, Brain Hemorrhage, Mexican Flag, Angel's Kiss, and more.

Five big-batch cocktails and punches to serve a crowd all summer long, from a red, white and blueberry punch to easy pitcher drinks for your Memorial Day party.

When we think of reasons to drink during May, Cinco de Mayo is (unsurprisingly) the thing that comes to mind. And since margaritas go hand-in-hand with the Mexican celebration, we knew that had to be our Cocktail of the Month. But we also knew this couldn’t be your typical margarita. It had to be dynamic and it had to be unique. When we stumbled on this recipe from the blog Platings and Pairings, we knew we had found exactly what we needed. Crafted by the blog’s creator Erin Lynch, the recipe is based on a similar drink served at Chez José in Portland, Oregon.

Wine purists might argue that you shouldn’t serve wine in a cocktail, but we respectfully disagree. Sometimes there’s just nothing better than mixing up your red, white or rose favorites by blending them with sugar syrups, spirits and fruits. Whether you want a wine-infused twist on a cocktail classic, a boozy take on an American dessert favorite, or a delicious winter warmer, here are the six wine cocktails that will see you through every season.

When it comes to holiday gift shopping, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Maybe you’re a bold soul who’s willing to brave the chaos at the mall, but if you’re anything like us, just the thought of that makes you exhausted. Finding the perfect present for everyone on your list can be so much simpler if you forgo the crowds, and we’re making it even easier by giving you the ultimate online guide for cocktail lovers.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to pull up a barstool next to Ernest Hemingway, or down gin with the likes of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald? Well, that’s exactly what author Delia Cabe explores in her book, Storied Bars of New York: Where Literary Luminaries Go to Drink. Traveling around New York City to the spots that played host to the some most renowned writers of 20th century, Cabe presents a historical celebration of these writerly watering holes and their signature concoctions. For all you boozy bookworms, we bring you four recipes featured in Cabe’s collection. Allow yourself to be transported back in time as she takes you on a journey through the bars and taverns that fostered some of the century’s favorite writers, granting you a deeper understanding of their cultural place in New York City and the world as a whole.

A rockstar needs his guitar. A chef needs his knife. And you, a rising cocktail expert, need your home bar. A perfect cocktail calls for the perfect tools. From the right kind of ice cubes to the must-have glasses, here are the home bar essentials every bartender needs: King Cube Ice Tray ($16 for 2): These jumbo ice cubes reduce dilution of drinks and keep cocktails chilled longer. 10-Piece Cocktail Shaker and Bar Set ($31): This all-in-one set has just about everything you need to run a home bar, including a strainer, stirrer, and tongs.

There are myths about everything - don’t swim right after eating or you’ll get a cramp.. Bananas grow on trees. Bats are blind. Don’t wake a sleepwalker. These are all false, yet many of us have believed them at one point or another. The same goes with myths about alcohol. How many of us have followed the “beer before liquor, never been sicker” rule? Or, ate a greasy pizza before bed to avoid a hangover? Sorry to break it to you, but these are just more myths.

In case you missed the memo, this season is all about gift guides at Cocktail Builder: gift guides for the serious bartender, gift guides for those needing to build their home bars, and as of right now, a gift guide for the people on your list (or maybe yourself!) who are more about experimenting with cocktails than sticking with the classics. That’s right: Forget about muddlers and decanters and ice buckets. (Though we approve of those things, too.) This is the must-have list for people who have it all… except for that one cool thing that will truly make their bar complete.

It may still feel like winter in some parts of the northern hemisphere, but rest assured, spring has officially sprung. The days are getting longer, the weather’s getting warmer, and we’re itching to ditch our hot toddies in favor of bright cocktails with seasonal ingredients. Here, we’ve rounded up four of our favorite springtime libations. These drinks put the focus on fresh fruit and herbs over dark and heavy spirits — but we promise none of them ever sacrifice their boozy edge.

Back when the 2016 Summer Olympics came to Rio de Janeiro, it gave us the perfect reason to expand our cocktail repertoire with some excellent Brazilian creations. Here are four libations that are perfect for sipping while watching a game, no matter which country you’re rooting for. In honor of that Rio de Janeiro setting, we kept our focus on cocktails made with cachaça, a sugar-cane based spirit similar to rum.

The Irish Coffee, the Blarney Stone, the Celtic Twilight — plenty of cocktails have originated in Ireland. But of all the countless drinks to come from this country, there’s only one known simply as The Irish Cocktail. First appearing in the 1888 edition of Harry Johnson’s Bartenders’ Manual, The Irish Cocktail has certainly been around the block. Since then, its recipe has popped up in the likes of Harry MacElhone’s 1927 Barflies and Cocktails, Patrick Gavin Duffy’s 1983 Official Mixer’s Manual, and as recently as the 2013 Savoy Cocktail Book. And there’s a reason this recipe has withstood the test of time: The combination is unexpected yet decidedly delicious. Its blend of whiskey, absinthe, curacao, and maraschino liqueur is a bit like a Sazerac-meets-an-Old-Fashioned, but then it’s garnished with a flaming orange twist and — get this — a green olive. Yes, it sounds a bit weird, but we promise that this recipe works.

Taking the time to make a well-balanced drink deserves the right presentation. Your bar glasses are more important than you may think – the wrong one can throw your whole drink out of balance. Take a look at our picks for the home bar essentials, and once you’ve mastered those, graduate to some fancy glasses. Basics Stem glass: Every home bar needs a glass designed for a cocktail. The stem allows the drink to stay chilled while you hold the glass, preserving the taste and smell. You can choose between two styles of stem glasses – the coupe) ($12) with a rounder mouth, or a classic martini glass ($25 for set of 6). Rocks glass Commonly known as an Old Fashioned glass, this short, squat glass has a thick bottom (perfect for muddling) and holds 6-10 ounces. It’s extremely versatile, and can be used for everything from a margarita on the rocks to a gin and tonic. $11 for a set of 6.

The holiday season is upon us, and with that comes endless amounts of food and alcohol. (And often a few extra pounds because of them.) We might not be able to control the calories in your grandma’s pumpkin pie, but we can at least offer up some cocktails to help you imbibe with a little less guilt. Eggnog and stuffing certainly aren’t on the list of superfoods every doctor recommends, but each of these five cocktails boasts an ingredient (or two or three!) that’s proven to be hugely beneficial to your health. Bottoms up! Drink: Hot Toddy [

Triple sec: a key ingredient in many of our favorite cocktails, but hard to use up in the right amount of time. While the orange liqueur lends sweetness to many well-known recipes, it’s often used in sparing amounts. Triple sec will never be unsafe for you to drink. However, just like any open bottle of alcohol, it does lose its flavor and freshness slowly over time. In general, it’s recommended that triple sec be consumed within a year of opening, and ideally kept cold in the fridge. If you’re worried about the declining quality of your triple sec, turn to the following recipes to use it up before you need to throw it out.

When we think of reasons to drink during May, Cinco de Mayo is unsurprisingly the thing that comes to mind. Though the holiday originally began as an observance of the Mexican Army’s unlikely victory over the French during the Battle of Puebla in 1862, it’s taken on a significance beyond that — at least in the United States. Today, Cinco de Mayo is all about celebrating the Mexican-American community — which makes up roughly 11% of the US population — and the culture they’ve created.

Psst. A little bird told us it’s your birthday. Don’t worry: You don’t look a day over 21! In fact, we’re going to celebrate you like you’re 21 by recommending all the things you need to round out your home bar (now that you’re legally able to drink and all). We wish we could send you these presents ourselves, but since we don’t have your address, it’s up to you to treat yourself to something special. Or you could always print this out and stick on the fridge as a not-so-subtle hint to your family and friends. Whichever you choose, we support it. Happy birthday, cocktail connoisseur.

Traditionally, the turkey is the superstar of Thanksgiving. Not anymore. These five Thanksgiving cocktails will make you forget about stuffing and pumpkin pie. Easy, impressive cocktails: now, that is one thing to be thankful for. Cranberry Margarita: There is no better time to enjoy cranberries than at Thanksgiving. This cocktail is a fun twist on the classic margarita, bursting with flavor and color. And, it couldn’t be easier to make. Just mix all the ingredients in one pitcher and serve. See recipe *

It’s that time of year again: the time for turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and dodging questions about when you’ll get married giving thanks for all of life’s little blessings. Whether you’re celebrating with family, doing it up like Friendsgiving, or sitting alone watching football on the couch, there’s no doubt you’ll have a drink in your hand. Perhaps you’ve already crafted the perfect Thanksgiving cocktail menu to match your expertly cooked four-course meal. (If so, who are you?

May 13th is an important day for cocktail lovers — or at least it should be. Why? Because the date marks the publication of the very first definition of a cocktail all the way back in 1806. According to the New York tabloid The Balance and Columbian Repository, the libation was defined as “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters.” Since the 200th anniversary in 2006, the day has served as the final culmination for World Cocktail Week beginning on May 6, when bartenders from around the globe come together to promote the appreciation for the craft and culture of cocktails. In honor of the event, here are seven global cocktails you need to know, one from each continent. (Yes, even Antarctica is on the list.)

Since 2013, Campari and Imbibe Magazine have teamed up to present the annual Negroni Week, a celebration of one of the world’s greatest cocktails and an effort to raise money all across the globe. What began with about 100 participating venues has grown into thousands of bars and restaurants all across the world donating sales to charity, raising millions for causes ranging from supporting sustainable farming to ending childhood hunger to research for autism. You can visit NegroniWeek.com to find a participating bar near you and learn about which charity they’ve chosen to support.

Hello {{ FIRSTNAME }}, and welcome to Cocktail Builder! You’ve joined a community of cocktail lovers eager to learn new tips and tricks for mastering mixology. Whether you want to perfect your bartending skills or are just starting out, we have something for you. Every week, we’ll send you a helpful, practical cocktail article directly to your inbox. It could be anything from seasonal drink recipes to must-have cocktail equipment. For now, let’s go back to the basics and set you up for cocktail success.

In the history play Henry V, Shakespeare wrote, “I would give all my fame for a pot of ale.” It certainly wasn’t the only reference he made to alcohol during his extensive career. In fact, you could say the Bard and the bar went closely hand-in-hand. In honor of the birth (and death) of England’s national poet, we bring you three recipes from Shakespeare, Not Stirred. The book, written by Shakespeare professors Michelle Ephraim and Caroline Bicks, will help you get tipsy while making you laugh… and maybe even teach you some things in the process.

Every seasoned drinker has a favorite classic cocktail — a go-to that every bartender, from the swanky craft cocktail lounges to the seedy dives, should know how to make. The even better bartenders, be they professionals or at-home amateurs, know how to transform these classics in a way that still celebrates the original recipes while giving them a modern twist. We turned to bartenders, food bloggers, and home experimenters to round up our favorite reinventions of the following classics, including the Cosmopolitan, Manhattan, martini, and Negroni.

Now that your taxes have (hopefully) been taken care of, were you lucky enough to get a refund? If you just so happen to have a few hundred or maybe even thousand dollars burning a hole in your pocket, might we make an obvious suggestion? Booze. We don’t know about you, but it’s not often we’re able to treat ourselves to lavishly expensive bottles of liquor. So when that moment does arrive, we make sure to take advantage. Below are five bottles of booze we’ll be splurging on with our tax refund. End up owing the government money this year?

It’s January — a new year, a time for making resolutions, and unfortunately, a time that many of us get hit with the cough, cold, or flu. Yep, we’re in peak illness season, and according to the CDC, it’s only getting worse. While your doctor may prescribe a healthy dose of fluids to help get you better, we doubt they mean of the alcoholic kind. However, here at Cocktail Builder, we’re all about turning to our favorite spirits to aid us in our recovery. After all, many of our favorite elixirs started out as medicinal beverages before anyone thought about drinking them for fun. A little bug-killing booze plus a few soothing ingredients may be more effective than couch syrup — and it’s certainly more enjoyable.

Much like that bit character who comes into a movie for just a few moments but has an indelible effect on the progression of the story, vermouth is in all-too-often forgotten player in the journey of a cocktail. Despite the fact that it’s a necessary ingredient to many classic drinks (martini and Manhattan, anyone?), vermouth is frequently pushed to the wayside — relegated to a dusty spot on your bar alongside bottles of creme de menthe and Chambord. (How long have those been there, anyway?) Perhaps even more unfortunate is the fact that many have even maligned vermouth, largely because they don’t understand it or know how to drink it. However, it has been making a comeback thanks to innovative bartenders and experimental new brands.

While an electric blanket or fluffy slippers are sure to warm you up during the winter, a hot, boozy drink is so much more fun. Check out our favorite hot vodka cocktails, from spiked hot chocolates to decadent dessert-inspired drinks. Spiked Mocha: Chocolate and coffee are a match made in heaven to warm up your insides. This drink features the robust coffee flavor of Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso Vodka, paired with creamy amaretto. The result is a delicious mocha cocktail you won’t find in any café. See recipe *

Katy Perry, the most expensive TV ads, and one of the biggest days in sports are upon us. Yes, Super Bowl Sunday is fast approaching and we’ve got Super Bowl cocktails inspired by the Seahawks and the Patriots. Here are six Super Bowl cocktails for the big game, themed for the Seahawks or the Patriots. Hawks Fan: Skittles: Want to channel your inner Beast Mode? Follow Marshawn Lynch and enjoy some (liquid) Skittles. The key ingredient to this cocktail is pineapple-starfruit juice concentrate, which really tastes like Skittles. See recipe *

We’d all love to have a fully stocked bar, but a fully stocked bar is expensive. Hosting a cocktail party can seem like an impossible task if you’re strapped for cash, but we’re here to tell you that it’s not. You don’t need three kinds of rum and a well-aged scotch in order to create cocktails to fit any taste. In fact, we’ve rounded up a list of 30 libations you can make using just four base spirits and a few essential ingredients. Done right and your cocktail party might even cost less than last weekend’s bar bill.

When you look back on your favorite summers as a kid, what kind of things come to mind? For us, it’s Slip ‘N Slides, water parks, baseball, and popsicles. Just thinking of that twinkling sound of the ice cream truck still gets us excited, and we become nostalgic for those sugar-filled days of sunshine and freedom. Sadly, summer comes to an end in just over a month. (We know, we know: But someone had to be the bearer of bad news.) Thankfully there are plenty of ways to celebrate these last few days, and our favorite is with a treat inspired by the past. Popsicles don’t just have to be for little kids, you know. All you’ve got to do is add some booze.

Spring is in full swing and you know what that means: a bevy of fresh, new ingredients to use in your cocktails. Seasonal fruits like strawberries, oranges, and pineapple are sure to be popping up in all sorts of recipes, but our favorite in-season ingredient isn’t a fruit at all. In fact, it’s something we hated for roughly 20 years of our lives. That’s right: We’re talking about peas. The vegetables our mom used to force-feed us as kids have become the star ingredient in our Cocktail of the Month. Made with snap peas, tarragon, lemon juice, and gin, the Green Giant is a creation that’s unexpected yet perfectly unique.

Of all the styles of cocktails — sours and Champagnes, fizzes and flips — perhaps no other has received a worse reputation than the tiki drink. First popularized in Hollywood in the mid-1930s, tropical-inspired sips were all the rage among sweltering LA locals for several decades. Come the ‘60s and ‘70s, however, bartenders who didn’t specialize in tiki recipes cheapened the drinks with processed juices and overly sugary syrups, making them more synonymous with tacky hotel bars and cruise ships than with craft cocktail lounges.

Ice is one of the most underrated, but important parts of mixology. It is the one ingredient that is necessary in every single cocktail (with the obvious exception of hot drinks). Ice cubes not only keep your drink cool, but as it melts, it actually becomes part of your concoction. The wrong ice cube can turn all your hard work into a watery, tasteless drink. Here are four basic types of cocktail ice and when to use them:

You don’t need to find a four-leaf clover to feel lucky on March 17th. All you really need is a stiff drink. From Irish whiskey to green liqueurs, here are five St. Patrick’s Day cocktail ideas: Kiss Me I’m Irish: A grownup version of a Midori Sour, it’s the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. The melon liquor and lemonade add a hint of fruitiness, while the sparkling white wine cuts the sweet. See recipe

While the origins of the mint julep may never truly be known, the cocktail has been popular for more than 200 years. It first appeared in literature in 1784, where the recipe was prescribed as a cure for stomach aches and vomiting. Twenty years later, the cocktail popped up in a book by traveler John Davis, who recounted seeing Virginians drinking it in the morning. Ever since Davis’s book, the cocktail has become synonymous with the South itself. In fact, the mint julep was promoted as the official drink of the Kentucky Derby in 1938, and it continues to be to this day. Given its storied history, it’s no surprise that most of us know this drink by its traditional recipe: bourbon, sugar, water, and mint.

Shopping for other people is hard. How many of you are scrambling to find a good gift in time for the holidays? And, not just another bottle of whiskey or vodka. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are five guaranteed home runs for the cocktail lovers in your life: Whiskey stones (set of 9 for $9.99): All whiskey lovers should have these. These innovative cubes are designed to chill a drink without diluting it. Simply freeze the stones and add three to your favorite whiskey cocktail. **

Anyone who knows anything about cocktails understands the importance of bitters. One drop of these botanically infused mixtures can transform an entire drink, accentuating its rich, warm, sweet, spicy, or acidic flavor profile. Even casual cocktail sippers are sure to have a bottle of bitters on their home bar. The most commonly used are Angostura (rich and warm), Peychaud’s (sweet and floral), and orange (spicy and fresh). However, there are countless types of bitters you may never have tried or heard of. Reach for one of these unique and unusual flavors the next time you’re playing around with your cocktails — or use them in other creative ways such as in sauces, marinades, or to liven up club soda.

Few drinks are more luxurious, mouthwatering, and seemingly indulgent than an egg white cocktail. The once-feared ingredient – actually totally safe to drink! – is being used by today’s generation of talented bartenders in both superb renditions of long-standing favorites and inventive new creations. After a little shake, the result is a silky foam that delivers incredible creaminess, perfectly complementing the tang of sours, the herbaceousness of bitters, or highlighting an eye-catching garnish.

Most of us know that red wine goes with meat, and white wine goes with fish. But, why should wine have all the food pairing fun? Cocktails can go just as nicely with your meal, but it can be difficult to figure out the right pairings. To help you get started, here are four guidelines for cocktail and food pairings: Match the mixer: The strongest flavor in most cocktails comes from the mixer, not the spirit. Keep this in mind when pairing. For example, the strong citrus flavor in a lemon drop goes well with fresh seafood, like raw oysters. Compare and contrast flavors: Think of a cocktail pairing as either complementing or contrasting the flavors. Barbecue goes very well with bourbon, since the smoky flavor of the meat complements the smoky flavor of the spirit. Or, if you have something spicy to eat, choose something with cooling flavors, like a Mojito.

Remember back in college when everyone kept their vodka in the freezer? That was more about being able to do ice-cold shots at a moment’s notice than it was about proper storage. In fact, most liquors can and should be kept at room temperature — save for a few exceptions. If you’re not on top of proper storing techniques, the following tips will help you avoid any unwanted surprises. Hard Liquor In general, hard liquors should be stored out of direct sunlight and at room temperature. Prolonged exposure to UV rays can damage the contents of your bottle, which you definitely don’t want happening to that 20-year-old scotch. Contrary to popular belief, potent liquors don’t last forever once they’ve been opened.

The start of summer is just days away, which means it’s time to ditch the Netflix in favor of getting out into the great outdoors. There’s nothing better than sitting in the sun with a cocktail in hand — even better when that cocktail is bursting with the freshest flavors of the season. June marks the beginning of the perfect time to visit your local farmers market for seasonal ingredients to inspire your bar.

You owe your mom a drink. Forget the flowers or the breakfast-in-bed this Mother’s Day. Make your mom a stiff drink she’s sure to love. Here are five Mother’s Day cocktail ideas: **Mint Julep:**It’s easy to make a big batch of Mint Juleps for your whole family. Crisp and sweet, this drink is strong enough that you can taste the bourbon, but you’re not overwhelmed. See recipe * **Pimm’s Cup:**Light, refreshing, and not too heavy on the booze, a Pimm’s Cup is just what your mom needs to start her special day. With ginger beer, strawberry, cucumber, and mint, this drink is made for sipping. See recipe *

While no one truly knows the origins of the Negroni, the story goes like this: In 1919, Count Camillo Negroni was sitting at Caffe Casoni in Florence, Italy. He asked the bartender, Fosco Scarselli, to strengthen his favorite cocktail, the Americano. Fosco gave the drink — typically made with Campari, sweet vermouth, and soda water — an extra kick by swapping out the soda for gin. And thus the Negroni was born. However, there are several people who disagree with this tale. Descendants of General Pascal Olivier de Negroni claim that he was the count who invented the drink.

Hey buddy! Welcome to Cocktail Builder. We’re happy you decided to join our community of liquor lovers who are eager to learn tips and tricks for mastering mixology. (OK, let’s be real: It’s also about wanting to impress your friends by being a badass behind the bar. No shame in that game.) Whether you’re looking for recipes for your next event or little-known facts to pull out at parties, Cocktail Builder’s got your back. By signing up for this list, you’ll receive a weekly article with helpful hints to unleash your inner bartender. (Don’t worry. We promise not to spam you.)

If you ask us, few things go better together than bright cocktails and fresh oysters. While the ideal atmosphere for consuming these things is a sun-filled patio overlooking the water, the combination is also the perfect antidote for dreary winter weather. That’s why, on a recent visit to NYC, we couldn’t resist popping into the John Dory Oyster Bar during a particularly chilly afternoon. The restaurant, run by April Bloomfield of The Breslin and The Spotted Pig, immediately lifted our spirits. The bold chairs, brass tabletops, and seashell sconces made us feel like we’d been transported to a tropical location. And once we’d downed a couple cocktails and a dozen oysters, all thoughts of those horrible New York wind tunnels had magically disappeared.

It’s 11 pm on New Year’s Eve and you want another cocktail, but you know the rounds of champagne are coming out in an hour. You’ve also been drinking for quite a while. What can you order to have a tasty cocktail in your hand, but keep things in line? Here are five cocktail ideas with slightly lower alcohol content to make your night last longer: Campari and Soda: This is one of the signature ways to serve Campari, an Italian spirit. Campari provides subtle bitter notes and the soda refreshes your palate with invigorating bubbles. If you find this too bitter, substitute ginger ale for soda. See recipe *

With the holiday season in full swing, you’re probably spending a lot of time finding the perfect gifts for everyone on your list. But you know who you’re forgetting? You! After all, the end of the year is a time to look back and celebrate your accomplishments, and we think you deserve a treat for everything you’ve accomplished. We’d send you a present ourselves, but since we don’t have your address, it’s up to you to spoil yourself. Thankfully, we’ve done the heavy lifting by rounding up a list of extravagant gifts any cocktail lover would like. (You know, gifts so great you’d only want to buy them for yourself.) Go ahead and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

Bitters pack a punch. One drop can transform a drink – highlighting warm, spicy, rich, or acidic notes. These botanically infused alcoholic mixtures were once marketed as medicine, when pharmacist Antoine Peychaud would add them to alcoholic beverages sold at his 19th century apothecary shop in New Orleans. Today, however, bitters are a must-have for everyone from the casual sippers to the cocktail connoisseurs. If you’re new to the world of bitters, here are the ones you need to own and why:

James Bond was so wrong when he asked for his martini “shaken, not stirred.” Deciding when to shake and when to stir a cocktail is an important part of mixology, and has a huge impact on a drink’s texture and appearance. Here are the ground rules for shaking or stirring, so you won’t make Bond’s same mistake again. Shaking When: Shake cocktails when they include fruit juices, cream liqueurs, simple syrup, sour mix, egg, dairy or other thick mixers. Equipment Cocktail shaker ($10), Hawthorne strainer ($4, the strainer with the metal spring on it).

Like fashion and food, the landscape of cocktails is largely predicted by popular trends. Thanks to the resurgence of classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned and the martini, 2015 was a great time for spirit aficionados. But with a new year come new trends and new techniques. Here’s what to look out for in 2016. ** Disco Era Cocktails** Classic cocktails will continue to be popular, with the Old Fashioned, martini, Manhattan, and mojito leading the pack. But we’ll also see the return of fun and funky libations that were last prominent in the 1970s. Sweet, fruity, and even creamy drinks like the Grasshopper and Harvey Wallbanger will be cool again thanks to retooled recipes and quality ingredients.

If you’ve never had a caipirinha, you are missing out. The classic Brazilian cocktail is made with nothing more than cachaça (a sugarcane-based spirit similar to rum), lime juice, and sugar, making it an easy and refreshing sip that’s perfect for the summer. While the true origins of the cocktail are not completely known, it’s believed that the recipe first began around 1918. Created in São Paulo, it was made with honey, garlic, and lime as a treatment for patients with the Spanish flu. As it was common to include liquor in home remedies to speed up the effects, cachaça was frequently added.

It’s that time of year — the time when holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s call us to celebrate like no other time of year. It’s when families join hands, friends throw reunions, and companies host holiday parties both in and out of the office. Unfortunately, it’s also a time that seems to cause far too much stress, especially if you’re planning a menu. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to eliminate some of the chaos, at least when it comes to the booze. Below are three of our favorite easy and delicious punches for serving during the holidays. Unlike others that use sugary sodas and too much juice, each of these are elegant and refined.

While not all of us are lucky enough to jet down to Bourbon Street for Mardi Gras, you can still channel the Big Easy at home. Here are five classic New Orleans cocktails to celebrate Mardi Gras: Ramos Fizz: Get ready to shake, shake, and shake some more. This light drink combines gin, juice, cream, and an egg white, and when it was created in 1888, was shaken for 12 minutes total to achieve the perfect, meringue-like texture. See recipe *

When life gives you lemons, make a lemon drop. Many cocktails call for a garnish, like a citrus twist or maraschino cherries. And it’s not just for looks – a garnish can really make a difference in your cocktail. Think of an old fashioned without an orange peel, or a mojito without mint leaves or lime. It’s just not the same. Here are some tips to pick the best cocktail garnishes:

For many, February is the month of love. But for us at Cocktail Builder, February’s the month of Mardi Gras — and therefore, the month of drinking. (Even if Lent has technically begun.) In honor of the city that celebrates Mardi Gras like nowhere else, we bring you our February Cocktail of the Month: the Vieux Carré. The cocktail was first invented in 1938 at the famous Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone.

We may have outgrown the door-to-door thrill of Halloween, but there’s no reason we can’t enjoy some spine-chilling fun ourselves in the form of a delicious vodka cocktail. These four easy drinks are guaranteed to impress your guests and quench your thirst. Pick your poison: Black Widow: Vodka has never looked so sinister. Channel your dark side with black vodka, like Blavod, mixed with cranberry juice and lemonade, for a simple, fruity cocktail. See recipe here. Witches’ Brew: Your guests won’t expect a hand floating in the punch bowl, will they? Whip up a raspberry-flavored Jello mixture and freeze it in a disposable glove. Slip the frozen hand in your vodka punch for a nice surprise. See vodka punch recipe. 3. Ghost Goblet: Don’t be fooled – this white, vodka cocktail has an evil side.

We only have a few more days before summer officially comes to an end, but that doesn’t mean the party needs to stop. You better believe we’re wrapping it up in a major way, toasting to summer with the following in-season cocktails. Join us, won’t you? Tequila-Watermelon Cocktail: What says summer more than sweet and juicy watermelon? Celebrate this fruit before it leaves for another nine months with this festive creation from chef Bobby Flay. See recipe

Today we have a guest cocktail from Michael Cecconi of Two Sisters in San Francisco. Two Sisters is a cozy neighborhood bar that offers craft cocktails created with the love and care a chef gives to his dishes. The bar has a literary theme, and prides itself in offering a book club along with their boozy concoctions. Cecconi has been bartending at Two Sisters since he moved from New York City. He was chosen by the San Francisco Chronicle as an “SF Bar Star” and his drinks were featured on the Today Show. Which is all just to say, Cecconi knows his cocktails!

Vermouth has an underserved, bad reputation. Maybe it’s because most people store it in the back of a dusty cupboard, where it’s sure to go bad after a couple months. Or maybe it’s because the extra dry martini craze has pushed vermouth out of the limelight. In any case, Vermouth is just misunderstood – especially sweet vermouth. Here’s why this strong wine needs a comeback: What is it: Vermouth is a fortified wine and comes in two forms – dry vermouth is associated with France and sweet vermouth with Italy. Although vermouth can be red or white in color, all vermouth is made with white wines and the colors come from caramel. Vermouth is also flavored with herbs, roots, bark, flowers and other botanicals. Popular brands include Martini & Rossi, Cinzano Bianco and Carpano Punt E Mes.

Thanks to the celebration of Cinco de Mayo, it’s no surprise that the sale of tequila begins to rise at the beginning of May. As tequila has become the national liquor of Mexico and the foundation of the holiday’s signature cocktail, the spirit has become synonymous with May itself. But we think there’s another Mexican spirit that, while recently gaining popularity, has yet to achieve the same kind of acclaim that it deserves, and that’s mezcal.

The weather’s really starting to heat up in NYC. With temps reaching into the upper 80s and low 90s — and expected to only get hotter as we head into summer — folks are clamoring to get out of the concrete jungle and onto the beach. Unfortunately, not everyone is so lucky to have a second home in Montauk or a timeshare in Nantucket. But for those who are stuck in the city during the sweltering heat, there is another option: the Lazy Point bar in Hudson Square. Located on a sleepy stretch of Spring Street, Lazy Point is a place to escape — an urban beach house inspired by the sea. With its anchor decorations, picnic-style seating, and preppy mix of reds, blues, and whites, the bar’s a not-so-subtle nod to the East End of the Hamptons.

We can associate a lot of things with whiskey – cowboys, prohibition-era speakeasies, and its strong flavor that can burn your throat on the way down. People either love whiskey or hate it, there’s not a lot of in between. Like anything, the more you try it, the more you’ll like it. But, for the beginners, here are five whiskey cocktails that will make the transition a little easier. For the existing whiskey fans, these sweeter, whiskey cocktails will show you a new side of your favorite spirit:

Break out the chips and guac, Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner. Skip the traditional margarita and drink something more exciting. Here are five delicious cocktails for Cinco de Mayo: Michelada: It’s like a Bloody Mary, but with a beer base. Seasoned with hot sauce and spices, this cocktail has got a kick. See recipe * **Paloma:**The Paloma is like a margarita with bubbles. It’s crisp and a little tart, but well-balanced with the sweetness of the soda. The grapefruit also makes it a tasty (and strong) brunch cocktail. See recipe *

Like fashion and food, the landscape of cocktails is largely predicted by popular trends. Thanks to the resurgence of tiki drinks like the Jungle Bird, refined disco sips like the Harvey Wallbanger, and concoctions that questioned everything you thought you knew about a particular spirit (hello, Sherry cocktails!), 2016 was a fun time for liquor lovers. But with a new year comes new trends and new techniques. Here are three things to look out for in 2017.

Here, at Cocktail Builder, we love experimenting with new ingredients and flavor profiles — both trying something completely unexpected and putting an updated spin on time-tested libations. We’re going back to the basics, focusing our efforts on perfecting the classic cocktails that we all think we know. Sure, they’ve been around for a long time and it can be easy to believe that you’ve mastered them. But these cocktails are classics for a reason and they take care and finesse to get right. So, once a month we’ll be turning to bartenders, our taste buds, and, yes, even science to determine just what makes the perfectly crafted drink. First up: an International Bartenders Association “Contemporary Classic” and everyone’s favorite Sunday brunch sip, the Bloody Mary.

Hello and welcome to Cocktail Builder! You’ve joined a community of cocktail lovers eager to learn new tips and tricks for mastering mixology. Whether you want to perfect your bartending skills or are just starting out, we have something for you. Every week, we’ll send you a helpful, practical cocktail article directly to your inbox. It could be anything from seasonal drink recipes to must-have cocktail equipment. For now, we’re going back to the basics and setting you up for cocktail success.

Would you expect a passionate chef to not have knives, or a painter to not have a high-quality brush? Probably not. You see, the perfect creation calls for the perfect tools, which is why we can’t imagine any cocktail lover lacking the essentials for crafting the perfect libation. Whether you’re shopping for your martini-loving mom or treating yourself to a little something nice, these gifts are perfect for anyone looking to complete their home bar.

It’s time to go back and hit the books for a study session on mixology, garnishes, glassware, and more. We’ve chosen three of our favorite cocktail books with unique recipes, bar basics, and entertaining twists. They also make great coffee table books! Here are our picks for best cocktail books: Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist ($13.50): Perfect for book clubs or the literary lover, this book features 65 cocktails paired with witty commentary on history’s most popular novels. With drinks like Romeo and Julep and The Last of the Mojitos, this book is clever and informative.

Few things go better together than football and beer. But by this time in the season, we’ve all consumed quite a bit of beer already, and it’s time to step up the game with a beverage of a different flavor: football-themed cocktails. You’re sure to be the hit of the tailgate party. The Touchdown: If you’re feeling in the mood for something lighter and tangier than beer, whip up this version of Touchdown Tea. It’s basically an Arnold Palmer with the boozy addition of your favorite bourbon. See recipe

If you plan on cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year, you’ve probably had the menu figured out for weeks. But what about the drinks to go along with said menu? While Thanksgiving isn’t complete without the booze, it can be easy to let alcohol take second place to your turkey. Instead of grabbing whatever wine you can find at the last minute, we’ve taken the stress out of the equation by providing you a list of drinks that’ll pair perfectly with your meal. From a spicy saison to a crisp riesling to a toasty pumpkin shrub, there’s a beer, wine, or cocktail to be found here for everyone.

It’s February and you know what that means — Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Whether you’re celebrating with someone special, kickin’ it with friends, or going solo on your couch, cocktails are definitely non-negotiable. The question is: How can you create a Valentine’s Day drink that’s on-theme without being overly sweet or (dare we say it?) girly? Our answer: pink gin. Thanks to the addition of Angostura bitters, the botanical spirit maintains its backbone while boasting a blushing shade of pink.

Americans spend nearly $4 billion on flowers and candy for Valentine’s Day. This year, we’re making it easy and combining those floral and chocolate themes with cocktails to impress your special someone. Here are five romantic, sweet Valentine’s Day cocktail ideas to celebrate love: My Sharona: This red cocktail is sweet in color but tart in flavor. White rum, lemon juice, and ginger beer add some fruity notes, and the muddled raspberries provide a touch of romance. See recipe

Although we outgrew the egg hunt, there’s no reason the kids should have all the fun on Easter. That’s why we’re sharing our favorite cocktails for Easter brunch, perfect for sipping all morning on a beautiful spring day. Here are five light, floral cocktails for Easter: Pimm’s Cup: This bright, fresh cocktail is easy to sip throughout the morning. Pimm’s, the liquor, has a hint of orange zest, caramel, and herbal undertones. Mixed with lemonade and topped with cucumber slices, it’s refreshing and sweet. See recipe Mango Grapefruit Mimosa: This juicy drink combines the best of both worlds – a mimosa and a bellini. It’s made from mango purée and grapefruit juice, making it a great pairing for brunch. See recipe *

If you want an easy way to add a boozy mocha flavor to cocktails, ice cream, cakes or cheesecakes, look no further than Kahlua. This coffee-flavored, rum-based liqueur from Mexico is actually made from coffee beans, giving you a boost of energy while sweetening a drink. Here are five delicious cocktails with Kahlua: Mudslide: This one may be more dessert than cocktail. The Mudslide is a frozen cocktail combination of vodka, Kahlua and Baileys, blended until smooth. To make it even sweeter, add some vanilla ice cream. See recipe *

With the official start of spring, the welcoming of longer days, and finally the warmer weather, the month of March is all about new beginnings. Not that we need a reason to drink, but it all feels like a pretty damn good one. So, when thinking of which cocktail we wanted to name our official Cocktail of the Month for March, we knew we needed to celebrate the coming season.

Recently, here at Cocktail Builder, we’ve been obsessed with everything mezcal — from finding new recipes that highlight and balance the spirit’s signature smoke to swapping it into cocktails that are classically made with its agave-based cousin, tequila. Despite the similar obsession across the United States — sales have surged dramatically thanks in large part to its growing availability and appearance on craft cocktail menus all across the country — mezcal remains one of the most misunderstood spirits on the market. First of all, the notion that high-quality mezcal can and should come with a worm in a bottle couldn’t be further from the truth.

Fall is in full swing and you know what that means: We’ve said goodbye to summer’s tangy margaritas, and we’re ushering in cocktails that pair better with the brisk and chilly autumn weather. You’re sure to be crafting cocktails with seasonal ingredients like apples, cranberries, and pears, but we think you’d be remiss to forget about the most famous fruit of the season. That’s right, we’re talking about the pumpkin.

Hilarious TV ads, high-powered halftime shows, and plenty of yelling, screaming, and probably cursing. That’s right — Super Bowl Sunday is finally upon us. While our favorite team didn’t make the cut this year (we won’t tell you who), you better believe we’re still throwing a party. In fact, not only that, we’re going all out with cocktails inspired by the competing teams: the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers. Care to join us? The following six cocktails are sure to impress all of your guests, no matter which team they’re rooting for.

Now that your taxes are (hopefully) behind you, were you fortunate enough to get a refund? If there happens to be a few thousand extra bucks burning a hole in your wallet, we recommend paying a visit to one of the following locations. Each of these exclusive bars boasts a menu with one of the most expensive cocktails in the world. (But don’t worry, we’ve kept this list to just the ones that are $10,000 and under.) And here you thought that $15 Manhattan was steep.

The holiday season is in full-swing, but if you’re anything like us, there’s a chance you haven’t even gotten around to shopping for gifts. Fear not: We’re not about to sit back and watch you have a total mental breakdown come December 24, forcing yourself to brave the mall alongside the other procrastinators. We’ve compiled a list of last-minute gifts that has something for everyone on your list (if they’re booze lovers like us, that is).

Be it in the form of a shot chased with lime or a frozen margarita, pretty much everyone and their mom has tasted tequila at some point in their lives. (And probably had a hangover from it too.) Yet despite the fact that it’s one of the most popular liquors around, tequila comes with many myths, legends, and misinformation. Here are seven crazy facts you might not have known about tequila:

You can muddle, you can zest, you can light booze on fire. There’s a lot that goes into making the perfectly crafted cocktail. The thing is: Sometimes you just want a drink without all the bells and whistles, yet vodka on the rocks simply won’t suffice. When moments like these strike, we suggest referencing the list below. No taking shots like a frat boy, but no spending more time making a drink than enjoying it. These three-ingredient cocktails are the happy medium you’ve been looking for. The Vesper: With vodka, gin, and Lillet, The Vesper is the fancier sibling of the martini.

Let’s face it: The 2016 Presidential Election was absolute chaos. We don’t think we’ve ever consumed so much alcohol in the span of just a few weeks. Election Night was, without question, the ultimate test of our livers. It’s our American duty to get drunk on Election Night. After all, it’s part our history. Booze and voting have gone hand-in-hand since 1758, when a young candidate for the House of Burgess decided to spend all of his campaign money on liquor to buy votes.

You can drink a shot of tequila or mix whiskey with a bit of water, but gin is destined to be mixed in a cocktail. In fact, there are more classic cocktails made with gin than any other spirit. Whether you are just beginning to explore gin drinks or you’re a die-hard fan, you’ll love these three simple cocktails that shine the spotlight on gin:

It’s hard not to love a good Irish pub. First established more than a thousand years ago, these bars have a unique culture that’s characterized by boisterous patrons, hearty food, and really strong drinks. The atmosphere has such widespread appeal, it’s led to Irish-inspired pubs popping up all across the world. That’s right, you don’t need to purchase a plane ticket to Europe in order to get the taste of Ireland. In fact, one of our favorite Irish pubs can be found right in New York City. Passage, located in Astoria, Queens, opened to the same owners of Banter and The Cuckoo’s Nest.