BEST BOUTIQUE HOTEL BAR 2009 Our judges have spent the last three months drinking their way around some of the best hotel bars in the country, and now Imbibe, in association with pioneering super-premium gin Zephyr, is delighted to announce the winners in the first heat of our nationwide competition

BEST CLASSIC HOTEL BAR 2009 In the last issue of Imbibe, we announced the winners of the Boutique Hotel Bar category. Since then, our mystery imbibers have been scouring the country for winners in the second heat of our nationwide competition in association with pioneering super-premium gin Zephyr…

With the titles of Best Boutique, Classic and International Hotel Bar already in the bag, this issue brings us to the fourth and final round of our UK-wide competition – Best New Hotel Bar 2009. Awarded in association with pioneering new super-premium gin Zephyr, the original elderflower gin, this heat was open to any…

In the last issue of Imbibe, we announced the winners of the Classic Hotel Bar category. Since then, our mystery imbibers have been scouring the country for winners in the third heat of our nationwide competition in association with pioneering super-premium gin Zephyr…

Quirky, remote and utterly individual, for many whisky lovers the islands off Scotland’s west coast capture all that is great about scotch. Whisky expert Dave Broom guides us through the people, the places and the distilleries at the heart of one of the most beautiful drinks regions in the world

Jim Meehan, co-owner of New York’s cult hot-dog-stand-turned- cocktail-bar PDT, has just picked up Tales of the Cocktail gongs for Best American Bartender and World’s Best Cocktail Bar in New Orleans. Alice Lascelles asks the man from Please Don’t Tell to Please Tell All...

All too often an afterthought, syrups have a huge impact on a cocktail’s appearance and its taste. Clinton Cawood joins a team of bartenders for a look at the sweeter side

No matter how eclectic the wine list, most UK restaurants offer a very mediocre range of spirits. And it’s not just the customers who are missing out, says Dave Broom

Bartenders today are blessed with an array of witty, wise – and eminently collectible – contemporary and vintage cocktail books to choose from. Tom Innes takes a look...

Small batch, craft, artisanal… call them what you like, but this year has seen the launch of a number of small UK distillers. Clinton Cawood gets out his magnifying glass and takes a look at a mini revolution