The older I get, the less certain the world seems. One thing that I can probably always count on, though, is the morning after, and oh how I suffer. Another of life's certainties? As long as there are hangovers, some quack will always want to sell you a hangover cure. These days, they're usually pills or powders. Time and method of delivery vary. As to their efficacy, I'm a devout skeptic. More

Some of the books in today's guide offer cocktail recipes, but more importantly, they tell great stories. Every author in today's mix is a great raconteur, each with a unique and fascinating voice. These books scratch the surface of cocktail and drinking history, while exploring imbibing customs both in the United States and around the world. More

Mezcal is our friend tequila's older, mysterious, and poorly understood brother. People have a lot of misconceptions about mezcal (no, it doesn't contain mescaline) but it's worth taking a minute to see what this stuff is really all about. Let's learn a bit about how mezcal is made from roasted agave and what's up with that worm you sometimes see in the bottle. More

Don't be a slouch. A proper julep is a beautiful thing, but you can't be lazy. A bottled premix isn't the way to go here. Today, I give you three and a half tips for a proper julep, but first, as a refresher course, let's review the basic procedure. More

Our trek through the world of spirits takes us today to Western Mexico, more specifically to the state of Jalisco and the mid-sized town of Tequila. Perhaps for some of you, the very sound of the word tequila makes your stomach churn and your cheeks flush with shame, but there's far more to this beverage than shot after shot at a college bar. More

When someone talks about the proof of a spirit or liqueur, what's that person talking about? The proof of a spirit is measured by taking the percentage of volume of alcohol in the spirit, and doubling it. So a spirit with 44% alcohol by volume (or ABV) is an 88-proof spirit. Why does proof matter? Read on, friends. More

We're going to shift our eyes and livers one step to the south this week, and look at bourbon's delicious and popular cousin: Tennessee whiskey. What is Tennessee whiskey, and what distinguishes it from bourbon? More

After wading in barrels of the Scotch and Irish drams, it's time to turn our attention homeward, to that quintessential American spirit: good old bourbon whiskey. We'll look today at what makes bourbon unique, how it's made, and how it came to be. More

Last week, we discussed the world of Irish whiskey. Today, before we hop on Aer Lingus and fly back to the States, though, we'll take a quick look at another Irish spirit: poitín. More

This week, just in time for a certain mid-March holiday, I'll look at the definition and history of Irish whiskey, discuss what distinguishes it from its Scottish cousin, and talk about the major distillers and brands. Slàinte! More

Even something so seemingly mundane as warehouse placement can affect the flavor and character of a whiskey, whether that's bourbon, Scotch, or Irish. For that matter, warehousing can affect other aged spirits, as well—rum, brandy, tequila, etc. So this is just one concrete (pardon the pun) example of why blending is such an important part of whiskey production. More

Until the 1800s, there was very little Scotch available for sale in cities such as Edinburgh or Glasgow, let alone London or New York. Scotch, at the time, was considered the equivalent of moonshine—a drink enjoyed by unrefined highlanders, aged in sheep bladders and filtered through tartan. No one of refinement drank the stuff; instead, urban elites enjoyed the finest European wines, along with sherry, port, and cognac. A number of factors converged in the latter half of the 19th century to change everything. More

Last week, we examined the distinction between single malt and blended Scotch whiskies. Today, we'll step back a bit and take a more detailed (much more detailed) look at the single malt. I'll describe what single malts are, explain how they're made and aged, discuss the concept of Scotch terroir, and explore some of the regional variations. Grab a tasting glass and let's get started! More

Next week in this space, I'll be looking in some depth at the world of Scotch whisky, but first, I want to clarify a point of some confusion: the distinction between single malt and blended whisky. Consumers and even some bartenders have a misconception that single-malt scotch is not a blended whisky, but this is a myth. Single-malt Scotch is a blend, but it's a very specific type of blend. More

With the Super Bowl approaching, we at Serious Eats thought it was time to talk beer cocktails. Sure, you can crack open a cold one and sip straight from the bottle or can; that's always easy and it's always delicious. But this is a cocktail column, and sipping 'Gansett from a can may be fun...but it ain't a cocktail. These mixed drinks offer a little more than straight beer can give you. Beer cocktails have gained quite a bit of popularity over the past year or two; beer provides more complex flavor and body than your average mixer without adding a ton of alcohol. More

Cachaça—Is it rum, or is it not rum? Last week's encyclopedic guide to rum sparked some discussion in the comments about whether or not cachaça counts as rum. Before we tackle the question, I'll explore what cachaça is, how it's made and aged, and what it generally tastes like. More

January 15, 1919. North End of Boston. A large tank holding 2,300,000 gallons of molasses bursts, flooding the streets at 35 mph. The sticky wave plows through men, women, children, and horses. The molasses flow is strong and swift enough to knock down buildings and even buckle an elevated railroad, knocking a train off its tracks. The great Boston Molasses Disaster claims 21 lives, not including horses and dogs, and injures 150. And yet, when rum was dubbed kill-devil, I don't think this is what its critics had in mind. More

This week, we're discussing highballs, perhaps the easiest class of cocktail to make. A highball is a group of drinks made of a base spirit and a larger proportion of a non-alcoholic mixer. Now, most highballs are pretty straightforward—fill a glass with ice, pour on a shot of Jack, and fill the glass with Coke, for example. They're hard to screw up at a bar, and the large proportion of unleaded mixer helps you stay hydrated when you're out for a night of drinking. With one exception, the drinks I'll feature this week require a little more work than a pour of spirit and a spray from a soda gun, but they deliver a greater reward as well. More

Today I'm revealing my secret to party planning: the easiest way to serve cocktails to a crowd. Batching up cocktails in advance provides you, as the party host, a way to offer guests well-made cocktails, but frees you up to otherwise enjoy the party, and not feel compelled to make drinks to order. It's a win-win. More

This week, with holiday celebrations looming, we'll cover essential fizzy cocktails. Whether made from cava, prosecco, American bubbly, or the venerable Champagne, sparkling wine-based cocktails are a treat for any party, from the large to the intimate. More

While planning your Thanksgiving repast, don't forget the cocktails! This week, we're offering up three delicious apple-based drinks—lovely accompaniments to a Turkey Day feast. More

Once again, it's the holiday season, that crazy time of dinner guests, food preparation, gift giving, and wacky relatives. Is it any wonder we could all use a strong one? If your plans involve hosting a cocktail party this season (or pouring a few rounds of cocktails on Thanksgiving day), you might want some advice to help you cope. If you feel yourself starting to panic, relax: careful planning and a few tips should help relieve the stress. More

Brandy—a distillate of fruit wine—is a category of spirit that is distilled virtually everywhere on the planet. The source ingredient used in brandy can be any fruit that's grown: pear, plum, apple, grape, apricot, cherry, and more. Today, we'll focus on cocktails based on the brandies of just two fruits: grape and apple. As you'll see, though, these brandies are versatile enough to inspire drinks that are as delicious as they are varied. So tap a barrel of your favorite brandy, and let's get started. More

Rye is, after rum, among the first New World spirits, and the first whiskey distilled in North America. George Washington made rye at Mt. Vernon, and by the time of Prohibition, rye was the primary whiskey used for cocktails. Most rye distilleries never reopened after Prohibition, in part due to the Great Experiment, and in part thanks to the changing American palate, which grew to prefer lighter spirits and blended whiskeys. The rise of single-malt scotch whisky in the 1980s and 1990s, and the subsequent growth of small-batch bourbons, have led in the last five years to a growing market for rye. Thanks to its spicy and rich flavor profile, bartenders love rye for its versatility and mixability. More

This week, we cover the favorite tipple of sailors and tiki geeks alike: rum. Now, rum is a tricky category to limit to five essentials; first, there are simply a whole damn lot of rum cocktails around. More importantly, though, the rum category is broad and deep, and the word rum refers to such a mixed bag of spirits. More

This week in Five Essentials, we'll talk about vodka. Yes, vodka. It may not be your favorite spirit, and it certainly isn't mine, but it's everywhere, and I can't ignore it. So quit yer bellyachin', belly up to my bar, and let's just have a drink already. More

This week in Five Essentials, we'll talk about yummy yummy bourbon whiskey. In future weeks, I'll explore other whiskies—rye, scotch, and Irish—but for now, I'm focusing on the king of American whiskey, bourbon. More

There are endless cocktails in the world, and new ones invented every day, but how many of these drinks are true essentials? Today we'll start a new series covering drinks everyone should know—five essential drinks for every major category of spirits. Each week, I'll offer five cocktails that are classics or deserve to be. More

Vermouth used to be a relatively simple topic, at least in the States. The American market had sweet and dry styles and largely shunned both. When Paul Clarke wrote about vermouth for SE back in 2007, he had very few brands to discuss; not many brands or styles were available on the American market. In the past four years, though, that's changed, and now there is a wide range of options in vermouth and other aperitif wines. This week, I'll share a few of the available choices with you offer some suggestions on how to enjoy them. More

I've started to reconsider how I stock my home bar. I'm no longer aiming to provide a variety of spirits, mixable into a panoply of cocktails. Instead, I've narrowed my focus on my very favorite drinks, but at the same time, I don't want the same version of those drinks every time. More

Every well-stocked home bar starts somewhere, and most start with a bottle or three of booze. If you're just getting started, you might be wondering how to...well, get started. Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to detail a couple of approaches you can take to provisioning your very own watering hole. More

Oleo-saccharum is an ingredient in cocktails and punches that was relatively commonly used in 19th-century bartending as a way to provide an elegantly citrusy flavor and aroma to alcoholic beverages. It's also an excellent addition to lemonade, iced tea, and even vinaigrettes. More

Having looked last week at selecting and storing citrus, we'll follow up this week with a quick look at juicing techniques, tips, and tools. More

This week, we're going to look at how to select, store, and use citrus fruit. I work mainly with lemons, limes, and Meyer lemons (when they're in season) at home because my wife is allergic to oranges and grapefruits, but these tips apply equally to any citrus—lemons, grapefruits, whatever. More

With last week's Salmonella 101 out of the way, it's time to turn to the practical use of eggs in cocktails. This week, we'll look at the roles that eggs play in cocktails, we'll rock just a little more science, and we'll examine several classic types of cocktails that use eggs. Let's get cracking! More

You ever flip for a fizz? Are you sweet on sours? Eggnog aside, the cocktail world has three classes of drinks that traditionally call for the use of eggs, used either whole or in part. This week and next, we'll look at how to use eggs in cocktail making. We'll start, today, with a look at egg safety and the dreaded salmonella. More

Beginning in the late 1800s and continuing up until Prohibition, bar owners and commercial producers began to tinker with the basic recipe of cherries in maraschino. Other boozes were substituted; easier-to-find (and cheaper) cherries were swapped in. The process of eliminating the liqueur from the recipe began well before Prohibition, probably as a cost-saving measure, but once the Great Experiment started, the use of liqueur was doomed, and the DayGlo orbs took over. But cocktail cherries are easy to make at home, and you might find that it's fun to tinker with the recipe, adjusting it to your tastes and needs. More

Consider the Gibson. Cousin to the martini, its only distinguishing characteristic is the use of a cocktail onion as its garnish. A great cocktail onion is crisp and carries a hint of other flavors, beyond just the piquant onion. Cocktail onions, being small, are generally sweeter and less bracing than their full-sized counterparts. When you buy cocktail onions in the store, you have several choices. But many of them include additives and preservatives that would embalm a horse. More

In Cocktail Land, there are two basic types of garnish: there's the functional garnish, and then there's the decorative garnish. The functional garnish adds flavor to a cocktail—a lemon twist or a flamed orange peel, for example. The decorative garnish is more for show. Sure, it might add a small amount of flavor, but that's not its reason to be there. Mainly, it provides visual appeal and a bit of fun. A few simple elements can add some visual pop and maybe a hint of aroma and flavor. Let's look at some good options. More

We've spent the past few weeks talking about what you need to have on hand at home to make great cocktails. Today, I'm going to tell you what you don't need, at least not for a home bar. More

Prior to the invention of refrigeration, a shrub syrup was a means of preserving fruit long past its picking. Shrubs were popular in Colonial America, mixed with cool water to provide a pick-me-up on hot summer days. Today they're still delicious in cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks alike. More

Knives are just as important behind the home bar as they are in the kitchen. Good knives, carefully kept honed and sharp, are crucial tools in making cocktails and other fine libations. Today we'll run down the necessities of bar cutlery. More

This week we turn to measurers: the jiggers, cups, and other tools you use to measure out ingredients for a cocktail. Your options here are simple and few, so this is not terribly complicated. More

Today begins a series on barware basics. I'll tell you what pieces I think are essential for the home bartender, but I'll also look at tools that are nice to have but perhaps not necessary. To start, let's consider shakers and spoons, two of the most important tools used to make cocktails. More

Unfortunately, it's all too easy to screw up a mojito, and among the worst things you can do to one is to overmuddle the mint. But what is overmuddled mint, what does it do to a cocktail, and what's the right way to muddle mint, or for that matter, any herb? More

Pousse café means push coffee, or coffee chaser—the idea seems to be that these drinks were introduced as an after-dinner, after-coffee drink to aid digestion. If you go easy and choose two or three well-selected ingredients, you have something that's not just pretty to look at, but also a tasty and fitting end to a meal. More

One of the best ways to learn about spirits is to taste, taste, taste. When you taste a flight of bourbons, for example, you have the chance to pit the spirits against each other, and learn more about the bourbon category by exploring the differences between individual bottlings. More

The easiest way to crack ice might be to wrap it in a tea towel or napkin, or pile it into a plastic bag, and slam it to shards with a mallet or rolling pin, while pretending it's a former flame or your landlord. But if you just want to crack three or four cubes to stir a martini over, or you're looking to impress a date or guest with your flashy technique, try this nifty method for cracking it in your hands with a bar spoon. More

The purpose of the rinse is to impart the taste of a strongly flavored ingredient to a cocktail, without that ingredient overpowering the rest of the drink. The Sazerac is probably the best-known cocktail to feature a rinse, with its traditional wash of absinthe (or pastis, in the decades before absinthe's return to the United States). More

So you're getting into making your own cocktails? Time to hit the books! Here are five must-have cocktail guides that offer a mix of cocktail theory and history along with a raft of recipes. Each book is stronger in certain areas than the others are, and I'll highlight those strengths. More

We find ourselves now in a sort of orange bitters renaissance, but it was by no means ever clear that this would happen. It's truly instructive to take each brand—Fee's, Regan's, Bitter Truth, and Angostura—and test each of them in cocktails. Even in a small dose, a dash, each brand asserts its personality. More

Last week, we dipped into a little bitters history. Today we'll look at the two champions of the bitters field: Angostura and Peychaud's. More

Bitters originally were formulated by physicians (or quacks posing as such) in the 1700s and sold as medicinal tonics. The idea was to take herbs and spices, preserve them in alcohol, and market them as a remedy for circulation or digestion disorders. By 1806, the word cocktail was already in use to describe a mix of spirits, water, sugar, and bitters. More

Ice plays a crucial role in cocktail making. Not only does it chill a drink, but it also releases water into the cocktail, binding the ingredients, smoothing out the flavor, and taking the edge off the base spirit. Home bartenders have a bit of an advantage over many professionals: freezer ice. More

Have you ever looked at the array of glassware available at, say, your local Crate & Barrel? The variety can seem overwhelming, even to a veteran boozer like me. No need to stress out, though. Here's our guide to the basic types of glasses that you actually need for your home bar. More

Classic simple syrup is a essential ingredient to have around, but at times you might want something a little more interesting. Perhaps you want to add a subtle flavor component to a cocktail or maybe you want to highlight your spirit with a complementary spicy note. Flavored simple syrups come in handy here. More

Simple syrup is one of the easiest ingredients you can prepare at home, and it's a basic, indispensable part of the cocktailian's arsenal. Here's the easiest method and a few variations for you to try. More

Most guides will tell you that the way to rim a glass is to take it, turn it upside down, dunk it in liquid, and then dip it in salt, sugar, or whatever. Of course you can do that. But because you know old Dietsch to be a cranky man of opinion, you can probably predict I'm going to advise you not to. More

The flamed orange twist ranks among the most spectacular techniques in a bartender's bag of tricks. At a crowded bar, a quick burst of flame always turns heads and sparks conversation, but it's no less an exhibition at home, when you're serving a cocktail to a guest. Today, I conclude my a-peel-ing miniseries on citrus-twist garnishes by showing you how. More

Here are few more ways to prepare a citrus peel garnish for your homemade cocktails. This week you'll master the rustic swath and the dainty spiral. More

As cocktail garnishes go, the citrus twist may be easy to demonstrate and simple to understand, but it deserves its place in the cocktailian's basic toolkit for two important reasons: aroma, primarily, but also flavor. More

To strain a cocktail, you'll need a strainer, naturally, and a couple of types are available. Traditionally, the julep strainer is used when straining a cocktail from a mixing glass, and the Hawthorne when straining from a mixing tin. The reason is simple: The julep strainer fits a mixing glass better than a Hawthorne does, and the Hawthorne's a better fit than a julep when using a tin. More

Now that you've mastered stirring, you're ready to move on to the other way to mix a cocktail: shaking. Here's my guide to technique (and all the supplies you need.) More

We'll start off with stirring. After all, little else can happen to a drink until you've mixed it, and stirring is the technique at the heart of many of our most long-lived cocktails. More

The first time I hosted a cocktail party, I spent most of my time preparing cocktails to order. The drinks were great, but it prevented me from having much fun. Making batches of drinks in advance is a much better idea—all it takes is a little math. More

So, you're planning a cocktail party? Commendable, friend, commendable. Careful planning and a few tips should help relieve the stress you're undoubtedly starting to feel. Let's start with the essentials: glassware, liquor, mixers, and ice. More