Gaz Regan interprets the My Way Manhattan, via Bucharest

Gaz Regan on the drink named after lawless drinkers during Prohitibion.

Get it right, and you've got a bar that oozes secretive allure. Get it wrong, and you'll be staring at an empty room. So what's the key to the speakeasy? Armed with the secret password, Tom Sandham muscles his way past the hype to find out...

They look great, are easy to make and serve, and they’re likely to help your bottom line, too. Isn’t it time that you shared in the benefits of the punch bowl, asks Clinton Cawood

Oft-overlooked and very much misunderstood, arrack has played a key role in drinks history, say Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown

Improved wood management among distillers has had a big impact on quality in recent years. Dave Broom takes us into the mysterious world of charring, first-fill and Quercus alba to tell us how they’ve done it

Once upon a time in Mexico... someone invented the Margarita. Or did they? Naren Young attempts to untangle the history of this iconic tequila cocktail and trawls the world for modern spins on an international bestseller

It’s time to ditch the jargon, and start speaking from the heart, says Nick Wykes

The time has come to put Guyana firmly back on the rum-lover’s map, says Alice Lascelles, as she heads off to South America in search of adventure

Pondering some of the smaller mysteries in life, Dave Broom attempts to solve the thorny problem of American whiskey in the UK and its relative unpopularity beyond ‘Jackncoke’

It’s trendy to dismiss vodka. But the detractors are missing a trick, says Marcis Dzelzainis

Zany Wine House... Wine-based cocktails

The Sake Sommelier Association has just launched its first course for aspiring saké sommeliers. Richard Woodard wrestles with hunchbacks, soy sauce and Japanese symbols to give it a taste-drive

The bartenders of old were fully aware of sherry’s huge potential as a cocktail ingredient. Time, says Naren Young, that you let Jerez’s finest shake its bounty once again

Cocktail masterclasses can be a great extra money-spinner – and a clever means of inspiring both new-found respect and discernment among your customers. So sit up, pay attention, and 50 lines for anyone who interrupts, says masterclass guru Alex Kammerling