The Cocktail Bar
The Cocktail Bar
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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.
By Country Life Published
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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.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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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...
By Country Life Published
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11 of the best gins to buy this Christmas
Our Christmas gin special includes some of our favourites available right now.
By Toby Keel Published
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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.
By Vicky Liddell Published
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A Drink for All Seasons: Five fine alcohol-free tipples to see you through Sober October
If you haven't already started Sober October... well, you've missed the start, but it's never too late.
By Toby Keel Published
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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?
By Toby Keel Published
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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.
By Country Life Published
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A Drink for All Seasons: One man's mission to create a better non-alcoholic wine, by a self-confessed 'liquid Willy Wonka'
Wine writer Matthew Jukes spent years looking for a decent zero-alcohol alternative to wine — and in the end decided to start making his own. He tells the story of how he did it.
By Toby Keel Published
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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.
By Toby Keel Published
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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.
By Martin Fone Published
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A drink for all seasons: Jaffa Cake Gin (yes, really) and what might be the world's first 'crunchy' wine
Normally, we write a few introductory lines in this space.
By Toby Keel Published
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A drink for all seasons: nine crowd-pleasing, well-priced wines from around the world
From Rioja alternatives to fruit-packed bottles, discover an eclectic selection of interesting, reasonably priced wines with our latest list.
By Carla Passino Published
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Bring a little luxury to lockdown: Hampers, Michelin-starred takeaways, and wine tasting via videoconference
There are all manner of creative ways companies across Britain are helping us cope with lockdown by allowing a few little treats to help keep us going.
By Toby Keel Published
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The best wine, beer, spirits and other alcohol delivery services still operating during lockdown
There's no getting away from it: spending weeks on end sitting at home will mean you'll probably drink more. Here's how to make sure the well doesn't run dry during self-isolation.
By Toby Keel Published
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26 miles of wine and cheese: The madness of the Marathon du Medoc, the world’s daftest (and booziest) running race
It’s been dubbed ‘the world’s most idiotic marathon’: a 26-mile run through vineyards, fuelled by wine and cheese. Emma Hughes finds out if she has the stomach for the legendary Marathon du Médoc.
By Emma Hughes Published
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A drink for all seasons: A Chelsea grotto that's the epitome of the tactically-placed wine bar
Alexandra Fraser extols the wonders of her favourite flavour of city escape, while sampling London’s latest rendition: Bottles, on Draycott Avenue.
By Alexandra Fraser Published