So you did a little shopping down at the local health food store. You got to talking with the all-natural hottie working the herbal remedy aisle. A few coffee shop dates later (she orders soy chai lattes) and she's coming by your place tonight to sample the only vegetarian dish you know how to cook, and maybe a cocktail or two.

You need something to serve. Something that shows you're sensitive to her herbal lifestyle. ...More

So you're off for three days. Chance to do a little grilling. Get some pool time. Seriously ignore the stuff you need to do around the house. And as always, cocktails are in order.

Here's the three top summer drink recipes from TheBar.com to help you, and those ladies sitting poolside, kick-off the summer.

Beachcomber (pictured)
1.5 oz. Smirnoff Red Label Vodka
.25 oz. Captain Morgan Parrot Bay Coconut Rum
.5 oz. pineapple juice
1 splash orange juice
2 slices orange ...More

With the price of cocktails heading north of $10, and closing in on $15 in some places, a lot of guys are opting for a round of pre-game warm-up drinks at home before heading out. And using it as an excuse to get a date back to their place for after dinner drinks.

Like I've said before: It doesn't matter if you're mixing a simple gin and tonic or making a dreaded Cosmo for your date, you'll need the right tools to get the job done. ...More

Invented by pirates and adored by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, this Cuban concoction is one that has a strong following. Team it up with the finest distillates, hand crafted to perfection for over six generations and you're ...More

Distilled from the smoother grape spirit rather than the traditional grain spirit, G'Vine gin uses the rare green grape flower and a combination of nine whole-fruit botanicals. It has the usual flavor of juniper, only mixed with lime and coriander, and a slight hint of mint.

This isn’t the harsh gin your grandfather mixed with tonic. This one is soft, full-bodied, and made to be mixed. ...More

May 14-20 is American Craft Beer Week, celebrating the hundreds independent brewers in the US. To paraphrase Jim Koch, founder of Samuel Adams Brewing Company, these guys make less beer in a year than Anheuser-Busch spills in a day. But their passion comes through in the incredible colors, aromas and flavors of their brews.

I asked two top craft beer experts for their 12 favorite American craft beers. The first 12 are from Neil Burton, and avid craft beer drinker and aficionado living in Richmond, Virginia. The second twelve are from a well-known beer writer who asked that his name not be used. (He doesn't want his readers to know he actually has favorites.) ...More

Strap on your party helmet. Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo and it's also the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby. Two great events that have long time traditions of hard partying - fueled by copious amounts of alcohol.

Each event has its own signature drink. Margaritas for CdM, and the never-ordered-anytime-but-derby-time mint julep for the Run for the Roses. I've posted a few margarita recipes lately, and a couple of julep recipes yesterday, as well. But thebar.com offers some alternatives to the traditional. ...More

And you can't buy one.

Why? Because it was created as a gift for the British queen. No, not Elton John. Queen Elizabeth II, in honor of her visit to Churchill Downs for this year's Kentucky Derby.

Crown Royal blended this batch of whisky, (they spell it without an "e"), expressly with Her Majesty in mind. In fact the first ever batch of Crown Royal Canadian Blended Whisky was made in 1939 for her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, to commemorate their Grand Tour of Canada. (There's your history lesson for the week.)

A fire at Seagram's Waterloo Distillery in Ontario almost completely destroyed this batch, with only a few barrels surviving the blaze. ...More

This Saturday at Churchill Downs marks the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby. The event is steeped in traditions that make attending the Derby a unique experience. Besides the women wearing huge elaborate hats, the pre-race parade of horses while the U of Louisville marching band plays "My Old Kentucky Home", and the draping of 554 red roses over the winning horse, there's the drinking of mint juleps in ice-frosted silver cups. A lot of mint juleps.

According to the makers of Early Times Mint Julep Cocktail, (“The Official Drink of the Kentucky Derby®"), every year almost 120,000 juleps are served over the two day event. This requires over 10,000 ...More

Last week I posted a study on the multiplying effect alcohol has on the antioxidant properties of strawberries. After reading that post someone tipped me to XUXU (pronounced "zu zu"), an all-natural drink from Germany now available in the US, that contains 66% pure strawberry puree mixed with vodka. Ah, German ingenuity.

XUXU is a longtime regional favorite referred to as "The Heavenly Kiss". It can be served cold as a shot, mixed with sparkling wine, blended into cocktails, or (and this is interesting) ...More

Nytimes.com posted a story this past Sunday on Lucid, a new - and legal - absinthe that will soon be available in the US.

A longtime favorite of booze-soaked 19th century artists and writers like Toulouse-Lautrec and Oscar Wilde, absinthe has been illegal in the US because it contains thujone - which may or may not be toxic, depending on who you ask. ...More