The Cocktail Bar

A drink for all seasons: Warming winter cocktails to bring back the feeling in your fingers and toes

How to make some of the best winter cocktails, from après ski drinks to the perfect fourth course for a dinner party

A drink for all seasons: Why the British are more romantic than anyone about wine

In his final column, our outgoing wine columnist Harry Eyres celebrates the romance and splendour of national wine scene — and the British wine merchants who make it.

Curious Questions: Why are wine bottles all pretty much the same shape and colour?

We drink 36 billion bottles of wine a year — and almost all of them come in wine bottles that share essentially the same design. Martin Fone wonders why.

A drink for all seasons: Dry January? Nope. It's actually Burgundy month

You wouldn't expect our wine correspondent Harry Eyres to swear off booze for January. And you'd be exactly right — after all, why would he when there's a new batch of Burgundy to be enjoyed?

A drink for all seasons: The whisky that costs more than a brand new car

The car in question, in case you're wondering about that headline, costs £23,340.

A drink for all seasons: Drinks fit for royalty, including a Duchess's gin and the Queen's top tipple

If you're part of the Royal Family, chances are you could probably use a nice, stiff drink right about now. Alexandra Fraser is here to help.

A drink for all seaons: Dry January? Or a very wet January, featuring £1,000-a-bottle beer?

At this time of year, the decision is simple: do you cut back on the booze in the wake of the Christmas excesses, or double-down and drink your way through the cold, dark, damp month of January?

Bubbly tips for the festive season: Drink British, ignore the silver spoon and abandon the coupe

Charlie Holland, head winemaker and CEO of Gusbourne, talks to Hetty Lintell about how and what to drink this Christmas.

The 'perfect whisky collection' is to go under the hammer — and it's expected to fetch £8 million

Almost 4,000 rare or unusual bottles, accumulated over the course of two decades by American businessman Richard Gooding, will go on sale next years and could fetch £8 million.

A drink for all seasons: The Queen Mother's favourite £70-a-glass port, a 1970s party throwback and boozy Christmas baubles.

Our weekly round-up of the best new booze to try has it all.

A drink for all seasons: Five drinks for any given mood this Friday

Not sure what tipple tips your fancy tonight? Read our guide.

Curious Questions: Who invented the gin and tonic?

Gin and tonic is arguably the greatest cocktail ever created — but who first mixed these two seemingly unlikely ingredients together? A new book seeks to tackle this curious question.

Our five favourite gins of the moment, in honour of International G&T Day

In honour of an event which has been grievously overlooked by the (fictional) National Holiday Association Board, Alexandra Fraser rounds up the top gins we explored over the summer to warm us up for the coming winter.

The independent London wine merchants who manage to undercut the big names

These independent merchants offer intriguing wines and old-fashioned service, says Harry Eyres.

English Bacchus: How the 'English Sauvigon Blanc' is genuinely starting to live up to its billing

The winemakers of England and Wales have worked wonders with the incredible grape crop from the hot summer of 2018, as Harry Eyres explains.

Time to ditch Prosecco? Why Cava is 'deeper, more complex and far more interesting'

Our wine expert Harry Ayres is not a fan of the Italian bubbly which seems to be taking over the world – but he loves its Spanish cousin and has some fantastic recommendations.

A beautiful house that comes with an award-winning wine estate which supplies Raymond Blanc

The Ancre Hill Estate in Monmouthshire produces 100,000 bottles per year — but it's a place which is ripe for an ambitious new owner. Annunciata Elwes reports.

Barbaresco, the wine which makes you 'more and more fascinated by its nuances' as you persevere

Get the hang of the smoke-and-roses delights of Barbaresco and you’ll never look back, believes Harry Eyres.

Why you should be drinking Rioja, the Spanish answer to Bordeaux

There is quality to be found at remarkably reasonable prices, discovers Harry Eyres

The best pubs in Britain for 2020 have been named — and the top two are within a few minutes of each other

The North-Western county has triumphed in the latest Good Pub Guide awards, with local pubs taking two top spots and two shortlisted places