Homage to an heirloom from White on Rice Couple: "The opener itself has a lot of style. Beautiful curves. Polished edges from the many hands that have used it to bring innumerable wines to life."

Pineapple caipirinha cocktail made with infused cachaca, limes, sugar, crushed pineapple, and ice

Try your next latte sprinkled with "Toast Dope", a gourmet version of cinnamon sugar.

Mixology.eu features a video of world champion Taiwanese bartender Gong Huijun's unique routine. "After Asia brought us the Hard Shake it seems to be time for the Soft Shake," says Helmut.

An after-dinner temptation, the German Chocolate Cake: Malibu rum, creme de cacao, Frangelico, and half-and-half.

The trend for niche energy drinks continues apace and this time it’s 418, a drink especially formulated for golfers.

The roundup is up: Pegu Blog recaps more than 30 entries in Mixology Monday: Made from Scratch.

The Oakland Tribune gets wind of a trend: "A new type of bar is emerging where cocktails made with seasonal ingredients, artisan liqueurs and craft spirits are winning over drinkers."

SF Gate claims "the best place to learn the intricacies behind the controversial subject of terroir [is] a homey warehouse space on San Francisco's Folsom Street" with these three guys.

Drinkhacker reviews Connemara Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey. "If the name of the spirit didn’t tip you off, this is a rarity for Irish whiskeys, which are traditionally not peated at all."

Eric Asimov recommends the 1998 Rioja blanco Viña Gravonia from López de Heredia: "absolutely superb: bone dry yet sumptuous, complex" ...not to mention "dirt cheap".

Glowing orbs and glitter: the Savoy Cocktail Book's Golden Slipper features an egg yolk suspended in yellow Chartreuse and gold-leaf liqueur.

Video at Howcast of how to make a Sombrero, a vodka-free White Russian topped with whipped cream.

The Sipping News reviews The Beer Book, "an encyclopedic accounting of foamy-headed quaffs from around the world."

Seattle Times reports that "times have changed for the better" for female vintners, profiling eight Walla Walla woman winemakers. (Say that three times fast!)

The Liquid Muse awards Plan B Bar + Kitchen an A+ for humor for their drink called the Tom Selleck: “Strong and distinguished. And yes, it really does come with a moustache.”

The NY Times proposes Thanksgiving wines "must be ... light-bodied, limber and above all refreshing," then offers a bevy of options under $25.

At the Hendrick's Limerick Cocktail Competition. Kendra Norma creates the feminine Lady Jane Grey: lemon, sage, chamomile, orange water, gin, creme de violette, and elderflower.

The Oregonian's FoodDay blog tracks down wine-tasting options at wineries within the Portland urban core.

Imbibe's Siobhan Crosby brews her first batch of beer with homegrown hops, enlisting the help of Charlie Papazian 'Joy of Homebrewing'.

The Chronicle highlights the trend of beautiful drinks, such as the Trust Fund cocktail at the Four Seasons that comes adorned with a spoonful of cantaloupe 'caviar'.

Wall Street Journal's Eric Felten grumbles about Scott Beattie's well-garnished cocktails, calling them "Garden Shrubbery in a Glass" then admitting that "There is no denying the visual appeal."

A basic nut- or seed-milk recipe, so simple to make and great as a non-dairy base for fun drink concoctions.

Ti Martin steps behind the bar with King Cocktail, Dale DeGroff, for a Whiskey Peach Smash and a song…

Toronto Star reviews the venerable Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout, a 'complex and full-flavoured' variety.

David Lebovitz discovers the charms of an aperitivo in Torino: Strolling around the city, stopping from bar to bar, drinking Punt e Mes, Campari, or Cinzano, and refueling with copious nibbles.

Sloshspot takes a charming tour through the world of Pabst Blue Ribbon from 1900 journal art and celebrity-studded midcentury ads through its 80s revival courtesy of David Lynch's Blue Velvet.

Food Tuesday spots a 15-gallon glass filled with a mixture of whiskey, coffee, sugar, and cream as the Buena Vista Cafe breaks the Guinness World Record for Largest Irish Coffee.

Marleigh home-cures fresh olives with a lemon-oregano-vermouth blend for her Olivette cocktail, a fitting entry to MxMo 'Made from Scratch' edition.

Bevlog discovers two unlikely fruit wines - tomato and avocado.

Small-batch Leopold’s gin rivals Hendricks’ in complexity and character, and features nicely in the Bailout Lemonade cocktail.

Jeffrey Morgenthaler has the results from last weekend's Martin Miller’s Gin Masters Competition in New York City. Could the UK visitors beat the US home team?

After a recent trip to Milk and Honey, Jay attempts to recreate the delicious Whiskey Sour variation the bartender recommended - the Dizzy Sour.

French fashion designer Catherine Malandrino drapes the Cointreau bottle in a lace of Swarovski crystal for a limited-edition €75 holiday release.

Delicious Aztec Spice Choco Yogi Tea contains cocoa shells and spices -- a perfect tea for cold autumn and winter days.

The Liquid Muse rubs shoulders with the stars at the launch party for Ultimat vodka, an unusual blend distilled from wheat, rye and potato.

The Intoxicologist reports on Jim Beam Bourbon's recently launched “Distillers Series”, specially-crafted and aged seven years to 90 proof. Bottles feature Beam family portraits.

RumDood's Mixology Monday entry, L'amour de Fraise, features home-infused strawberry rum, rum cream liqueur, allspice dram, and orange bitters.

Off the Presses takes a virtual visit to the newly reopened Oak Room at the New York Plaza Hotel, including a glimpse at their ($18 a pop) cocktail list.

No stranger to home-made cocktail ingredients, Trader Tiki mixes up a batch of Dark Falernum -- a mildly alcoholic lime-and-spice syrup -- to make a classic Jet Pilot for Mixology Monday.

Kaiser Penguin freezes up five batches of bitters-infused ice for Mixology Monday 'Made from Scrach', using the Fee's Whiskey Barrel Aged flavor in a vanilla old fashioned.

Pom goes iced coffee with some craaaaaazy sheep on their site

Lu Brow, Lally Brennan and Ti Adelaide Martin have launched a companion blog to their book "In the Land of Cocktails". They suggest swapping brandy for Cognac in a winter Sidecar.

From Thanksgiving to tree trimming, SF Chronicle offers a dozen cocktails to suit every party occasion through the end of the year.