The Cocktail Bar

How to make The Hudson, Country Life's 125th anniversary cocktail

The Hudson is a cocktail created by the team at Claridge's to commemorate Country Life's 125th anniversary. Here's how it's made.

5 drinks to try if you're bored of Pimm's

Swap your lukewarm party pitcher for one of these Continental aperitifs, says Emma Hughes.

The best gins for Mother's Day

What better for Mother's Day than a bottle of 'Mother's Ruin'? We've selected some of the finest gins on the market which are sure to give your long-suffering parent a treat.

Christmas drinks gift guide: Best gin, best whisky, best vodka and more for the festive season

Whether you're keen to make your own infused gin, try a ten year old whisky or open a bottle of champagne with a bang, we've got something for you.

The traditional Gloucestershire cider producers keeping a great Cotswolds tradition alive

Cider will be forever associated with the Cotswolds thanks to Rosie. Jane Wheatley meets the makers keeping the tradition alive; photographs by Mark Williamson.

Best summer gins for sipping on long, hot afternoons (or for drowning your sorrows on cold, rainy ones)

From floral and fruity gins to wines that you can drink without a pang of conscience, we've rounded up some of the best new drinks on the market, perfect for an al fresco drink as the height of summer approaches.

Everything you need to throw the perfect posh picnic, from luxurious wool rugs to ready-made cocktails

We're not saying that you'll need all these items for a picnic, but we can guarantee you'll want them.

Best Father's Day gifts for foodie fathers and thirsty dads

Father's Day is coming up on June 20, and a little treat will always be a winner. Of course, a big treat is even better... Toby Keel and Martin Fone pick out some of their favourite Father's Day food gifts.

Chateau International Space Station: The $1 million bottle of wine that's literally out of this world

Sending wine to space, and bringing it back down to earth to sell for a good cause seems like a Herculean effort. But the true admiration must be for the astronauts who managed to resist the temptation to pop it open for some 14 months.

How to make Ed Brown's Elderflower 'Champagne'

Ed Brown is arguably Britain's top expert on elderflowers — and here's his favourite method for turning them into something rather special...

11 of the best gins to buy this Christmas

Our Christmas gin special includes some of our favourites available right now.

Curious Questions: Why is gin flavoured with juniper?

The prickly juniper bush has been in decline for decades, a worrying development at a time when gin is soaring in popularity. Vicky Liddell takes a look at the history of this fascinating plant, and discovers that it's making a comeback on Surrey’s North Downs.

A Drink for All Seasons: Five fine alcohol-free tipples to see you through Sober October

A Drink for All Seasons: Oktoberfest at home, honey beer and the nearest thing you'll get to drinking a cake

This time of year usually sees hundreds of thousands of people descend upon Bavaria to celebrate — er, well, we're not quite sure, but at any rate they drink lots of beer. So what better time to take a look at some of the best new brews on the market?

How to make perfect sloe gin

Follow our perfect sloe gin recipe to make the best sloe gin in preparation for your local opening meet.

A Drink for All Seasons: The world's prettiest gin bottle, plus four more gins ideal for Autumn

A Drink for All Seasons: One man's mission to create a better non-alcoholic wine, by a self-confessed 'liquid Willy Wonka'

Rosie and Jim: 'I did not miss this. I did not miss the pain'

This week, the phrase 'be careful what you wish for' comes back to bite both of our corona-correspondents.

Curious Questions: Who first used corks in wine — and how did they get them out again before the invention of the corkscrew?

There's nothing quite like the noise of uncorking a bottle of wine. Despite the inroads made by screwcaps, the majority of us still prefer the ritual of opening a bottle with a corkscrew. But how did we first start doing that in the first place? Martin Fone investigates.

A drink for all seasons: Jaffa Cake Gin (yes, really) and what might be the world's first 'crunchy' wine