The return of the London International Wine Fair and Distil

Since gin regained its cool, not all that long ago, the new launches have been relentless, as has the emergence of new styles within the category. Clinton Cawood joins a panel of bartenders to try to make sense of it all

From young and clear to aged and amber, taking in weird infusions on the way, South America’s answer to grappa has been slow to make its presence felt elsewhere. well, now the UK’s bartenders had better get ready to boogie, says Henrietta Clancy

There’s a battle going on for premium position on the digestif trolley, and it’s one that doesn’t favour the little guy. Our panellists strike a blow for the underdog with a flight of 15- to 20-year-old Armagnacs. Clinton Cawood report

Grappa, so the old gag went, came in two styles: leaded and unleaded. But a revival of the artisanal distillery scene has turned this into a high-class – and hugely varied – category. Cin cin! says Norman Miller

Bibendum to host events timed to fit in with sommeliers' schedules

Premixes are the Vauxhall Astra of the barworld: as sexy as corduroy, but practical? Hell yeah! Nushi Wijewardena and a team of bartenders put a stack of time-saving contenders to the test.

Another day, another new absinthe brand...After years of promising to be the next big thing, absinthe’s time may have arrived. Clinton Cawood gathers a high-alcohol-tolerance panel to put a dozen to the test

That golden rum in your speed rail – it’s as good as gold coins in your till. An Imbibe panel put 11 examples through their paces so that you, too, can cash in. ker-ching! says Clinton Cawood

Irish whiskey is now the fastest-growing dark spirit, so it’s high time you expanded your selection. Neil Ridley and a panel of tasters put several of the top releases through their paces

Bitter, sweet, spicy, herbal... Europe is home to a fascinating array of aperitifs, digestifs and herbal liqueurs that are full of potential for the adventurous mixologist. Alice Lascelles assembled a panel to taste some contenders ranging from 400-year-old elixirs to newcomers hot off the still

Luxury vodka brand Belvedere came up with the ultimate prize for its recent contest: a $100,000 global ambassador role. No wonder the London semi-finals were so exciting

Just when you thought it was OK to write vodka off as boring and overpackaged, along comes Charles Vexenat with something that forces us to take it seriously again. Alice Lascelles heads to Baltic to find out why the words ‘interesting vodka menu’ need not be an oxymoron

An extreme matching challenge proves that sherry really is the best food wine on the planet. Surely it’s time restaurants woke up to the fact, says an impressed Chris Losh

A growing number of tequila brands are making a point of their regionality, but is there an actual difference in flavour from highland to valley? Clinton Cawood and an expert panel wade through a truckload of blanco tequilas to separate the hype from reality