Single barrel and small batch are bourbon’s way of fighting off super-premium competition from other spirits categories. Good ol’ boy Dominic Roskrow goes behind the hype to tell you how to get the most out of Kentucky’s finest

In today’s temperance-style war against binge drinking, shots and shooters are caught in the firing line. Gregor de Gruyther jangles his spurs, lights a cheroot and joins the gunfight

The amazing machine at the back of London’s Harvey Nichols Stoli bar is rewriting the mixology rule book. Chris Losh goes on the trail of the mince pie martini

Once regarded as unfashionable and unsophisticated, Eastern European vodkas are now winning the hearts of vodka drinkers in search of a bit more taste and intrigue. Geraldine Coates reports on their growing popularity

Cachaça is a must-stock for any serious bar, but isn’t it time to move the spirit away from making endless caipirinhas? Nushi Surtani packs her G-string and sambas off to São Paulo to find out what the boys from Brazil do with their national spirit

Whether he’s wrestling with spiky leaves or laughing at wrestlers, Imbibe’s bartender-at-large, Gregor de Gruyther, finds plenty to whet his appetite – and his back bar – on his maiden trip to Mexico to learn about all things tequila

Our esteemed mixologist is bowled over by punches, bringing you four classics and two modern versions

Acceptable in the 80s: Updating some cheesy classics

Jam-packed: Preserve-based cocktails

Profitable Pours: Cocktails that balance the books

Micro-distillers, artisan outfits, whatever you like to call them, it’s the little guys who are making some of the most interesting stuff in spirits right now, says Larry Walker

Being struck by illness and subsequently deprived of your tasting senses for a few days can turn out to be a blessing in disguise, as an enlightened Dave Broom discovers.

Kummel... a criminally underused spirit

Gin cocktails - genever and holland gin

When it comes to tending bar, an encyclopaedic cocktail knowledge and expert mixing skills are nothing without a good bit of old-fashioned showmanship, says Nick Wykes of IP Bartenders