#cocktails

#cocktails

Bringing his experience of working in some of the best West End restaurants, including time with Helene Darroze at The Connaught, classically trained, Master Chef The Professionals Winner, Alex Webb has opened his first restaurant, creating a relaxed dining experience equally suited to celebration or snacking. With a fresh, contemporary ambience, Orion is designed to attract drop-in business to the bar area for signature cocktails and snacks

Pepsi isn't just a fizzy cola you sip straight from the can - it's also a zingy, sugary, effervescent secret weapon in the world of cocktails and mocktails, bringing personality and balance to your glass. A standard 12-ounce Pepsi packs about 41 grams of sugar and 150 calories, giving it a bold sweetness and enough body to stand up to spirits like rum, bourbon, and tequila, while also softening herbaceous and bitter ingredients in non-alcoholic concoctions.

But lucky for us, Wagyu is a common occurrence at chef Chintan Pandya's kebab stand in the Market. Here at Kebabwala, marinated hunks of beef hit the grill, cozied next to skewered slices of onions and red peppers. Wonderfully charred, the kebabs are then finished with a fiery and aromatic dusting of red chili, cumin and dried mango powder. For us, we think it is more flavor than fire.

In the age of boring bowls, Ope Amosu's ChopnBlok in Houston brings a welcome jolt of flavor, energy and joy. One of my favorite dishes was the red stew, made from a base of peppers and onions with this kind of smoky fluorescence from palm oil, and it's served with sweet, chewy plantains and a heap of rice and beans.

Got a great bottle of bourbon whiskey? Bourbon works in any season. While it's most often thought of in winter and fall with its cozy notes of vanilla and oak, there bubbly, refreshing summer bourbon cocktails, too! I've have made hundreds of whiskey cocktails, and I've found I most often turn to bourbon in classic cocktails because of its smooth and sweet flavor.

Like a generational boxer moving through the ranks, reaching the pinnacle of each weight class before moving on to the next, tougher matchup, Tallboy's rise in the East Bay nightlife scene has been meteoric. But, instead of using jabs, hooks and slips to get there, it's dishing out martinis, vegan hot dogs, free popcorn and revelry. In addition to more than a half dozen martinis, the Tallboy menu includes alcoholic slushies, house jello shots, and creative cocktails like the Pretty Privilege, with Maker's Mark, Aperol, oloroso, strawberry, rhubarb and lemon.

Among New York City's fine-dining scene, L'Abeille is chef Mitsunobu Nagae's Michelin-starred playground, where he and the team experiment with French and Japanese ingredients and techniques to elegant results. The space is the definition of quiet luxury: stunning yet understated, stunning with velvet chairs and booths but no white tablecloths. It makes sense that director Celine Song filmed a scene for Materialists here, suitable for big-deal occasions, friend hangs, and family meals.

Since its opening in August 2024, Belle's - also known as Belle's Bagels, Delicatessen, and Bar - has quickly established itself as an all-day fixture on foot-traffic-heavy York Boulevard, slinging BEC bagelwiches and gravlax toast in the morning before shifting to chicken schnitzel and pickle martinis come sundown. After more than a decade as a pop-up, the deli has emerged as the rare new restaurant that feels like it's been there forever thanks to an upgraded-greatest-hits Jewish diner menu, retro-cool décor, and a spacious back patio complete with a crackling fire. A rotating menu of bar snack specials and a notably inventive cocktail program ensure that repeat visits feel fresh, even for regulars.

San Juan, Puerto Rico is one of the coolest places I've ever been. The city is vibrant and colorful, alive with a contagious, undying energy. When I was planning my trip, I was overwhelmed by the myriad food and drink options - how in the world would I make it to so many places? Of course I couldn't try everything on my list, but that gives me an excuse to go back sooner than later.

First and foremost, it's not a smooth tasting vodka, with added minerals that create a strange, almost saline-like flavor. Even more disappointingly, we felt that Skyy vodka tasted light and fresh initially, but the finish was too strong and the flavors just weren't balanced. Skyy is missing the pure, clean finish that smaller batch distilleries have mastered, and crucially, it's not a vodka that you can enjoy on the rocks either.

Emidio Oceguera has managed some of Chicago's best-known restaurants, including De Cero and Chicago Cut. When he began entertaining the idea of opening his own place, his parents kept him grounded. Their advice ultimately inspired him to launch the Pilsen restaurant Cerdito Muerto in his childhood neighborhood last summer. Oceguera brings unapologetic personal touches to the space and menu. In a Mexican food scene as rich as Chicago's, Oceguera isn't interested in chasing trends or being anything but himself.

The holidays are here, which means your social calendar is probably filling up with seasonal parties and dinners. It can be an overwhelming time, but what shouldn't feel hectic is choosing the perfect host gift, especially if the host likes to imbibe. If you want to bring a bottle to your next gathering, these 10 are some of my favorite to gift. You can't go wrong with any of them, and there's something for everyone on this list.

Get into the holiday spirit with an evening of creativity, crafting, and tasty drinks! Join us for Crafts & Cocktails, where you'll create unique, handmade gifts perfect for the season. Enjoy a festive evening crafting with friends, sipping your favorite holiday beverages, and leaving with gifts made by you, from the heart and by hand! Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.

That's right: the Portland Mercury's Holiday Drink Week returns for another glorious marathon of festive booze magic! From December 1 through December 7, the city's best bartenders are shaking, stirring, and summoning up brand new, holiday-themed cocktails- and they're only $10 each! We've once again teamed up with some of Portland's finest bars and restaurants-plus our spirited pals at Jim Beam and Travel Portland -to deliver a week-long sleigh ride of delicious, limited-edition cocktails!

Come to Rye Bar every Wednesday for free hot dogs with every Hornitos cocktail purchase. Mo and Kat are you bartenders and hot dog slingers for the night (combining their love of hot dogs and tequila), and will pair the perfect cocktail for you for hot doggin' all night. And your pet dogs are welcome, too! Wiener Wednesday Every Wednesday, 6pm to close Rye Bar, 688 Geary St. at Leavenworth, SFFree hot dog with every Hornitos cocktail or shot purchase

Best Wine Advent Calendar Wine lovers, rejoice. Enjoy 24 days of wine from all over the world. An array of wines from France, Chile, Argentina, Australia, and California await, spanning whites, reds, and roses. A glass of wine a day seems like a pretty good way to kick off the holidays.

On the lookout for great rum cocktails? This liquor made from sugar cane became popular in America centuries ago, and is the key to many classic cocktails like the daiquiri and the mojito. After years testing rum cocktails at home, I've learned that they're most approachable and crowd-pleasing drinks you can make. This spirit is perfect for mixing with fruit, citrus, or sweetness, and ideal for spiking frozen drinks like a frozen daiquiri or hot drinks like buttered rum.

Whether it be part of a classic cocktail like an old fashioned, or straight from the bottle, whiskey is essential to any well-stocked bar and has many times been a key ingredient to a fun night out. It's a versatile liquor, beloved by both experienced whiskey aficionados and relative newbies who only know how to order it either 'neat' or 'on the rocks.'

At this sly encouragement, I order the Spirit Bomb, an Instagram-friendly coup glass filled with sake, rosemary vodka, elderflower, and lychee, and topped with a giant rosemary smoke bubble. Etiquette says: Don't you dare pop that bubble before everyone has their ring lights ready. The sweet cocktail tastes like I expect a pastel Labubu would if it were edible, but it lubricates the shift into going-out mode in this trendy neighborhood.

Capital Hours attendees will find a small roundup of $10 cocktails, including the Greyhound Martini, the Old Fashioned, the Peach Bourbon Smash, and the Classic Margarita, and $8 wines, like Silver Gate Vineyards' Sauvignon Blanc and Screen Press' Pinot Noir, by the glass. In some parts of the country, it can be tough to find even a well drink at a dive bar for under $10, let alone an ice-cold martini made by expert bartenders and topped with blue cheese-stuffed olives.

Upper East Side restaurant NR has been churning out excellent Japanese dishes since it opened in late 2019. And while over the summer, owner Shigefumi Kabashima closed their Harlem cocktail bar and restaurant ROKC, luckily, they merged some of its menu here. The result is a dining and drinking space that is highly reminiscent of being in Japan. The chicken and vegetable soup curry ($34): It's a style notable in Hokkaido (aka Sapporo soup curry), with a

The best-selling liquor in the world is baijiu, a clear spirit distilled from sorghum, glutinous rice, or wheat that few people outside of China have likely ever heard of. There are four main types of baijiu, and it's estimated that 10 billion liters of the spirit are consumed in China every year. Needless to say, baijiu is very popular in the East Asian country - and like any other spirit, it comes with its own rituals and rules, one being that you don't mix it.

Pick your base alcohol (or go-to non-alcoholic option), choose a theme, and the generator will serve your perfect shot - complete with a name and recipe. Try it below, and don't forget to share your custom creations in the comments! All trademarks, logos, brand names, names, likeness, characters, and other personal indicia (collectively, "attributes") are the property of their respective owners. Use of these attributes does not imply endorsement, affiliation, or sponsorship from the respective owners.

New York City's culinary scene - from sizzling pies to the best French restaurants - would be nothing without a stiff drink. Thanks to the confluence of glitz, glam, and legendary nightlife, the metropolis harbors a long tradition of tending bar at the top of its game. Whether it were the illicit speakeasies of the past, or the happy hour watering holes today, the Big Apple's cultivated an identity based on craftsmanship, a willingness to torch the rule book in favor of permanent playing.

Prague may not drink as heavily as it used to, but the country still ranks third in Europe alcohol consumption. This comes, in part, from pride in pilsner, invented in Czechia, but also the communal role pubs have played for centuries, serving as social hubs for its neighborhoods. As such, these beer, wine and cocktail bars offer an excellent window into the personalities of the capital's major districts.