Dallas Morning News blind-tastes WalMart's $3 Oak Leaf wines. All the tasters -- from snooty pros to frugal amateurs -- agreed the wines would be a bargain at three times the price.

The Kitchn takes a whirlwind tour of borough named cocktails to celebrate the NYC Marathon: The Manhattan, the Brooklyn, and the Bronx. Cheers!

Stevi Deter's Dark Ginger Daiquiri -- runner-up in the Mixoloseum's garnish competition. (The winner was the Sudanese Rose, featured in #1709)

With the re-introduction of Bols Genever to the US market, it's once again possible to make a proper Holland Gin Cocktail. (And it doesn't hurt that the smokey bottle is drop-dead gorgeous.)

Starlite Lounge in San Diego makes a mean "Lindbergh" - a concoction of Plymouth Gin and lemon with housemade maraschino cherries and their juice.

Squishy Shot Glass Set! made of food-grade silicone

Range bar manager Brooke Arthur shakes up her signature Fall Fizz: Square One cucumber, Mathilde pear liqueur, Calvados, organic apple juice, egg white, and lemon.

Slashfood wonders if canned craft beer is a trend that's here to stay, citing appeals -- the cachet, a retro vibe, rarity -- beyond basic portability.

Also fun are these different Double Walled Glass options by Romain Gauthrot for Silo Design

Dabbled shows how to color and flavor tapioca pearls to add flair to your Halloween cocktails.

I'm fascinated by these Silo - silodesign wine glasses - single walled and double walled

It's still tomato season in Southern California, and Rachel indulges in a tomato martini to celebrate.

Getränkuchen, Trader Tiki's entry in the Hiram Walker gingerbread liqueur competition: A spicy, creamy dessert drink with a playful gumdrop garnish.

Amazon Al Dente gets wind of Sam Adams Utopias, beer aged in Scotch, Cognac, and Port barrels with an alcohol content of 25% by volume and a $300 price tag.

There is something dangerously stunning about the Provence Crystal Glassware by Ichendorf

Cheri Loughlin's Mexican Cafe de Jengibre, the first of many entries in Hiram Walker's gingerbread liqueur cocktail contest.

Gizmodo finds another cheeky and geeky end-run of the "not from Portugal, not Port" dilemma. Geekier still, the logo is binary code representing "Peltier Station," the winery's name.

Rob Chirico once said some of the only craftsmen left were chefs and forgers, but the dedicated bartender must know his ingredients and techniques, too.

"No martini needs to be poured into a glass larger than five ounces." So Table Matters wonders: Why all the gargantuan 'martini' glasses on store shelves? The antidote: Two 'right-sized' recipes.

Camper English finds that two recent products illustrate "a closer boundary between pisco and vodka" than he'd previously noticed.

Dirty Eyeball-tinis for Halloween.

The Kitchn focuses on the tricky $10-and-under wine niche, with finds from lesser-known areas of Spain, Italy, Argentina, South Africa, and Portugal.

The Intoxicologist profiles Ultimat Vodka, from the Creators of Patrón Tequila.

At Moto, the avant-garde atelier of Chicago chef Homaro Cantu, Sub-Studio enjoyed a molecular mojito as a palate cleanser, following a dish called Cuban Missile Crisis.

The Kitchn suggests these removable chalkboard adhesives to transform normal glasses and carafes into spooky witches' brew.

Intoxicated Zodiac's garlic appletini keeps the vampires away.

Eric Asimov lines up an array of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, lively -- and affordable -- red wines from the rugged hills above Italy's Adriatic coast.

Pepsi's rolling out yet another new logo / packaging concept. A social-media campaign has gathered a lot of buzz, but reception is lukewarm at best.

Vogue UK tells us Alexander McQueen has turned his designer's eye to whisky, creating a limited edition "couture" bottle of Chivas Regal 18 Year Old, available exclusively from Selfridges for £300.

Girly Drinks presents Cosmo magazine's sexiest sips for fall, including the oh-so-pretty Pink Eye.

NY Times reports on a brewing renaissance in Brooklyn. Sixpoint Craft Ales hopes to brew the borough's first bottled beer since the 1970s.

Bevlog discovers Song-I Ju, Korean grain neutral spirits with natural matsutake mushroom flavor.

Dwersteg Distillery has produced fine German liqueurs and spirits since 1882. Now with the "Dwersteg Organic" series, the family-run company goes green.

Jamie Boudreau's Hubbub takes its name -- in an impossibly roundabout way -- from Fee Brothers' new rhubarb bitters. Gary Regan recounts the shaggy dog story in his SF Chronicle column.

Grand Marnier and Navan invite top bartenders to participate in their third Mixology Summit in Vail next April. Applications are open now.

Scomorokh approves of the Treasure Island Special, a tiki-style drink with a piquant rum flavor.

Poizin Reserve by Armida Winery -- a big Zinfandel in a little coffin -- makes an apt Halloween choice, so long as you aren’t spooked by the $90 price tag, says Drink of the Week.

If you're still making your Martinis and Manhattans extra-dry, you might want to catch up with the times. Table Matters observes that "trendspotters have declared a sort of Vermouth renaissance."

Marleigh of Sloshed discovers a set of four Molokai Mule mugs -- a clear indication that it's time for some tropical cocktails.

Luxists reports that Auchentoshan Distillery has come out with a premium limited-edition 42 year-old that like the recent Balevenie offering.

Orin Swift's The Prisoner. Is there a better Halloween wine? No gimmicks, just a masterfully made Zin blend.

DrinkPlanner is perplexed and amused by the latest drinking gizmo: Beer on a Stick.

The Intoxicologist notes that some enthusiasts cringe at the thought of mixing an ultra-premium rye, but Beam suggests using its new (ri)1 whiskey in a traditional Manhattan.

Behold the Brain Hemorrhage. Slowly pour Bailey’s into schnapps, and the Irish Cream coagulates to form a cloudy, squiggly “brain” that appears to be sitting in formaldehyde.