#cocktails

#cocktails

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.

So it's no surprise, in these Martini-mad times, that the Manhattan is now making a return as people seek to expand their repertoire of cocktails that are strong and stirred. "We have seen an increased interest in the Manhattan over the last 6 to 10 months," says Kristijonas Bazys, bar manager of Scarfes Bar at Rosewood London. "In my opinion, it's mostly fuelled by the broader revival of classic and heritage drinks such as the Old Fashioned, Martini, Sazerac etc, and the 'quality over quantity' drinking culture."

We're finally in the time of year when the temperatures are cooling, which means we're wearing our bulkiest sweaters, drinking hot beverages instead of iced, and trying to find other ways to get festive for the upcoming holidays. Well, we have a fun idea for you: Try incorporating the new Little Debbie's Christmas Tree Cake coffee creamer into your next cocktail.

Cocktails are a bonafide art. That drink you sunk in a 10-minute sitting? There could be hours and hours of experimentation behind it. Someone has likely put serious thought into everything from the sourcing of interesting new ingredients and the exact measures of spirits that go into it right down to size of the ice cubes and the shape of the glass it comes in.

David Burtka has spent much of his life entertaining, onstage, on-screen, in the kitchen, and in person. Because to know David is to love him as he engulfs you in his effusive effervescence. But his latest project, a new book written with his husband, Neil Patrick Harris, isn't just about entertaining others. It's about making sure everyone at the party feels seen.

More than 70 bars and restaurants will feature sotol-based creations throughout the week, from refreshing highballs to smoky stirred sippers. Expect to see Casa Lotos Sotol featured across the city at some of NYC's most notable drinking destinations like , Superbueno Wall Street Hotel Cosme, Toloache and El Fish. Each will riff on the spirit's versatility, from bracingly vegetal martinis to smoky-sweet riffs on classic margs.

Looking for a cocktail that's as beautiful as it is delicious? Enter the White Chocolate Matcha Martinia creamy, indulgent drink with a sophisticated edge. It's sweet, smooth, and just a little earthy thanks to the matcha. Whether you're hosting a dinner party, celebrating a special occasion, or just want to treat yourself, this cocktail is guaranteed to impress. What makes this martini so unique is the balance of flavors.

Sammy's is the new sandwich shop and cafe in Adair Park by chef Sam Pinner and ( Paul Rudd lookalike) Jason Furst. The duo has nailed the sandwich, mostly because they know where to find the best bread - premier Atlanta bakeries like Alon's, El Progresso, and Pan American. The Miami Sami ($14) Cuban sandwich with smoked pork and mojo mayo is a slam dunk, with bread from Pan American Cuban Bakery.

Conley's drink, which he describes as a "soft sour," actually skips the basil. To make it, he infuses black tea into the gin, calls on a Champagne-based syrup and-in lieu of the herb-adds a "pinch" of arugula leaves to the tin that injects a dose of peppery, vegetal flavor to the cocktail. Across the country, other bars make use of the leafy greens, too.

Basil stems, like the stalks of most soft herbs, are entirely edible. While they may be too tough to blend into a smooth pesto sauce or to used as garnish, they still have some of that sweet, peppery basil flavor that can be infused into the syrup. Moreover, turning basil stems into a herby and flavorful syrup is easier than it sounds. Just whip out a pot, add some water, sugar, and, of course, the basil stems, and reduce it into a syrup.

Melted ice cream brings rich flavors and a thick, creamy texture, making it a game-changing cocktail ingredient. It'll add sweetness and body to everything from boozy milkshakes to reimagined classics. Here's a simple rule of thumb to get you started: Whenever a cocktail recipe calls for heavy cream, try swapping in some melted ice cream instead. After all, melted vanilla ice cream is basically a crème anglaise - a combination of heavy cream, vanilla, and egg yolks.

A Sloane Square stylish stalwart since 2008, The Botanist is well-known for its popular cocktail bar and contemporary British restaurant. This summer, the restaurant introduced a great new brunch menu, running between 11 am and 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays, with the option to make it bottomless with their Weekend Freeflow' drinks packages, from an extra 27 for the bubbles' prosecco and beer package up to 44 for freeflow champagne and more.

Assaf Tamir had a simple idea: open a bar for the sake of music. It was a bit of a shift for him, business-wise, as he and his sister Naama dabble more in the restaurant sphere, running the long-standing Lighthouse in Williamsburg, as well as , a Mediterranean-meets-Japanese skewer concept in SoHo. But as the two hosted shows inside their Williamsburg restaurant over the years, they figured it was time to a create a space that musicians deserved.

Executive chef and partner Craig Koketsu is behind the wheel, steering a menu that fuses regional Mexican flavors with playful detours through California and Texas. Dishes aren't shy on spectacle: Lobster al pastor arrives slicked with achiote-chili butter and pineapple pico de gallo, while the long-bone short rib quesabirria dares you to build your own tacos with blue corn tortillas and dunk them into consommé poured tableside.

California turned 175 on September 9, which means it's time to celebrate the only way the Golden State knows how: with alcohol that costs more than rent and tastes like optimism mixed with wildfire smoke. A concoction that shakes you up! Forget cake. Forget balloons. This is a state with a history that reads like a fantasy sci-fi novella, with chapters on the Gold Rush, the 1906 earthquake, Charles Manson, Hollywood's Golden Age, Silicon Valley, and the rise of agentic artificial intelligence.

In "The Bear," Richie praises the bar for its early opening hours ("[T]he place opened at like 6:30 in the morning so that when traders, when they lost their a** when the market opened, they could just, you know, they could walk over and just get f****n' hammered in this little f*****g bar.) Indeed, Ceres Cafe currently opens at 7:00 a.m. and remains open until 8:00 p.m., closed on Saturday and Sunday.

This spot's cozy leather booths and plentiful wood trim give its dining room an old-school steakhouse vibe that's perfect for date nights. The menu is all about dressed-up comfort food, like the crispy, spiced-just-right curry fried chicken, or the lightly charred petite filet mignon. Steaks are served with your choice of butter or demiglace-go for the miso-honey butter. The bar program showcases housemade syrups, bitters, and tinctures, which make even the simpler cocktails taste elevated.

Order an array of small plates, like the just-spicy-enough chicken and chorizo empanadas, or the juicy quesabirria.

Whether you're celebrating the end of summer or trying to inject some bright appeal into the colder months, berries are a great tool to utilize. And I'm not just talking about frozen berries or the out-of-season strawberries you pay big bucks for in the middle of December. When you want the sweet taste of summer berries all year long, there's one reliable way to get it that isn't dependent on the season - of course, I'm talking about berry-flavored alcohol.

Free hot dog with any Hornitos cocktail like margaritas, palomas, tequila shots or order the delish "Dying Word" cocktail with coconut fat washed Hornitos, coconut liquor, pineapple gomme syrup, lime, angostura and cardamom bitters. Rye has been in operation since 2006. A pioneer in the cocktail movement, tried to avoid speakeasy style stuff and be an everyman bar. We want the neighborhood people and tourists alike to feel at home.

As a white rum-based cocktail, it's already starting on the right foot, as white rum is quite light bodied. It has a clean and crisp taste that makes it great for mixing as it allows other ingredients to shine. Fresh mint does exactly that in a mojito, while the rum plays a subtle background note. It's the fresh mint leaves that give mojito its signature flavor and make it so smooth to drink.

What's more fun than the novelty of a bright blue drink? I've been experimenting with blue curacao cocktails for years, and I can tell you there's no ingredient quite like this vibrant liqueur for making drinks that taste as incredible as they look. Blue curacao is a sapphire-tinted orange liqueur made in the Caribbean. It has a bright citrusy flavor and a color that makes drinks look like swimming pool water.

There's nothing quite like infusing coconut flavor into cocktails! It brings a creamy body and a tropical vibe to drinks of all kinds. It's a natural to pair with rum, like with the classic pina colada. But you can also try more unique coconut rum cocktails like the Bushwacker, or even a coconut margarita or martini! I've been perfecting coconut cocktails for years,

Elderflower seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it flavor. It's bright, floral, and somewhat fruity, so it has a distinct profile when compared to other aromatic ingredients. If you're unfamiliar with the flavor, my advice would be to grab a drink featuring elderflower and see if you like it before diving headfirst into the ingredient. If you do like the particularities of elderflower (and you happen to enjoy imbibing on occasion), you're in the right place - we are one and the same,

Fat-washing is one of the best ways to infuse a spirit with a particular flavor. You can attest to this if you've ever had a bacon Old Fashioned, and the best spicy Margarita of all time is made with tequila that's been fat-washed with chili crisp. It's not a difficult technique to master - you just need the proper tools and ingredients.

That doesn't mean the place is stiff. Conversation rides a comfortable murmur with the clink of tongs keeping the backbeat. The cocktail list is fun and creative. A Yuzu Spritzel, for example, is a cocktail that cuts clean and citrusy with yuzu honey, prosecco and bitters. There's a slew of Korean spirits to enjoy alongside Soju and some imported Korean beers. The wine list isn't massive but it features helpful pairing suggestions. If you prefer something softer, there are mocktails and tea.