It's no secret that classic cocktails are back. Fresh fruit and house-made bitters and infusions are de rigueur, but no less important is the quality of the ice. Good ice and the right shake ensure that spirits are properly chilled and diluted and improve the cocktail's flavor profile.
posted by HumuloneRanger on Jun 12, 2009 - 70 comments

He wanted his espresso iced, but the coffee shop wouldn't let him. "Hey man. What you're about to do … that’s really, really Not Okay." [more inside]
posted by brownpau on Jul 14, 2008 - 339 comments

Food and Beverages in Hungary is a pretty excellent blog, particularly for anyone who's interested in food, beverages, and/or Hungary.
posted by Wolfdog on Jul 13, 2008 - 19 comments

"In the U.S., they're mixing drinks with herbs and other weird ingredients, but in Ginza the best guys just polish their cocktails like jewels." And perhaps no Japanese mixology master has contributed more than Kauzo Ueda, who has perfected the art of the hard shake, a refinement over more traditional shake styles. He has a disciple in NYC's Eben Freeman, who now imparts the secrets of the hard shake via a video tutorial. [more inside]
posted by madamjujujive on Feb 1, 2008 - 49 comments

If it's got alcohol in it, someone, somewhere will drink it. But sometimes, it's surprising to note how many bizarre non-alcoholic drinks there are. Some have become beloved by not only their native countries, but by foreigners and even, sometimes, health nuts. [more inside]
posted by InnocentBystander on Sep 12, 2007 - 23 comments

European Wine Fighting For Survival
posted by Gyan on Nov 7, 2005 - 35 comments

pop vs. soda
what might the "other" terms be? you are from the far north of minnesota or south central new mexico - what do they call "pop" or "soda" in your neck of the woods?
posted by specialk420 on May 27, 2004 - 73 comments

Niche Meets Nietzsche In The Coke Wars: Andrew Barlow's piece on the new Cokes and Pepsis, like all good satire, sounds like the future. Can the mix-your-own Coke on demand be far behind?
posted by MiguelCardoso on Feb 28, 2004 - 29 comments

Tea. More than a beverage served hot or cold, for some it is a way of life. The British are renowned for their love of tea, so it comes as no surprise that The Tea Home Page is a vast compendium of tea knowledge, games, quizzes and leaf reading. Not so trite is the Japanese tea ceremony. This site is beautiful in its calm approach to not only tea, but the digital world itself. Be sure to read A Brief History of Chanoyu. You've heard of green and black teas, but what about white tea? Lastly, I introduce you to Yogi Tea, a company that is more than a tea seller. Do yourself a favour and have a cup today.
posted by ashbury on Oct 1, 2003 - 66 comments

Alcoholic Spring Water. For those who don't like caffeine, fluoride, "fitness", or extra oxygen in their water....or caffeine , "energy", or extra water in their beer, i guess.
posted by serafinapekkala on Jul 21, 2003 - 32 comments

Yerba Mate is a drink that is enormously popular in South America. Given to the world by the Guarani Indians, its a bitter brew reminiscent of tea but with interesting properties. A coworker returned from Argentina and brought me some. I'm addicted.
posted by Dantien on Feb 28, 2003 - 20 comments

The Best Soda You Never Had: Inspired by Miguel's thread, I went in search of some links about exotic beverages - specifically, the carbonated ones - and many of my leads ended up back at this one place. Cel-ray, Jones' Bubble Gum, Stewarts' Orange Cream - all there, and plenty more... It always seemed to me that Mexican sodas tended to be far far more diverse than the standard cola / diet cola / lemon-lime / orange / root-beer selection you typically see anywhere in America. Unfortunately, they fail to mention my absolute favorite, which is Cuban, and is called Materva (scroll down about a third of the way).
posted by wanderingmind on Feb 13, 2003 - 55 comments

Whither Sarsi? How come it's so dang hard to find Web sites on my favorite soft drink from the Phillipines, the "sarsaparilla from Manila"? Why does the bottling concern say so very, very little about the delectable syrup with the "distinctive Filipino taste."? It has its partisans (none so fervent as this fellow) and its detractors, but nary an official site. What gives?
posted by adamgreenfield on Jan 27, 2003 - 18 comments

After yesterday's sandwich-related thread, you're certainly looking for a tasty beverage to wash down your lunch. Unfortunately, you'll be hard-pressed to locate something potable at The Beverage Network, among whose featured beverages are Java Cola, White Soda (that's carbonated milk), and Pickle Juice.
posted by Danelope on May 2, 2002 - 18 comments

Think you know your coffee? I got here because I was arguing over the acidity of coffee with a friend. It's good for knowledge of all things coffee - take a pictorial tour of coffee production, learn how flavors are evaluated, consider some of the political aspects of coffee, watch the techniques of latte art. Coffee, Coffee, Coffee!
posted by meep on Apr 16, 2002 - 27 comments

Vanilla Coke?!? Say it ain't so...
posted by Miyagi on Apr 2, 2002 - 75 comments

If you grew up in or around New England you're probably familiar with a carbonated concoction called Moxie. Tastewise, it's kind of a love or hate deal and I fall squarely in the love camp. And I'm not alone apparently. The history of the product is actually pretty interesting. For those whose thirst has been stoked, here's a list places to get it.
posted by jonmc on Mar 22, 2002 - 34 comments

Dr. Pepper vs. Mr. Pibb Why do some places have dr. pepper, and others Mr. Pibb? Contrary to urban legend, Mister Pibb is not simply the same as Dr. Pepper. in a different can, and the mister has its own taste and its own own raving wild fans

Nor is Mr. Pibb the only Pepper-imposter out there. There are at least a hundred store and regionals brands, such as Dr. Radical , Texas Fizz , or the shamlessly named Dr. Shasta.

The other pepper mystery: does it contain prune juice? This mystery appears to have been settled. At least according to Yahoo's crack team.
posted by brucec on May 13, 2001 - 42 comments

The new Clearly Canadian bottles are really pretty. The site is nice, too. But why does the URL on the bottle point to clearly.ca, which isn't nearly as cool?
posted by endquote on May 2, 2000 - 14 comments

Got Beer? Well, this is the most offensively stupid article I've seen in quite some time. [stolen from Ars] People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is promoting the benefits of drinking beer instead of milk. Of course, there isn't one word about impairment of motor functions, alcoholism, or liver damage.
posted by harmful on Mar 14, 2000 - 9 comments