2010 with a blast (from the past, of course)

Disney - Illuminations - Reflectons (3) (explored) by Express Monorail on Flickr.

It's a brand new year, rife with possibility. What to do? Where to start?

• How about last year? Minimum drink pricing is back on the agenda, with its predictable supporters and detractors. Some might see minimum pricing as a stealth tax against the poorest sections of society; others look at the estimated £900 that alcohol abuse costs every person in Scotland.
• How about further back? Like 200,000 years ago? Apparently the caveman lifestyle is all the rage - in NYC.
• The Bronx Beer Caves.
• The Washington Post on the indescribable taste - and expense - of cognac.
• Oh Gosh! on Mozart Dry - unsweetened chocolate spirit.

Newsdesk: Back to basics

(Alphabet blocks by dklimke, licensed under Creative Commons.) This week's news links are brought to by the Martini - alleviating middle-class stress through gin and vermouth since 1867!

• The release of Revolutionary Road and the return of Mad Men for a second season has reminded the world of the  official cocktail of business lunches and the 1950's. You can't knock its place in popular culture or its heritage (or can you?), but the important question remains: how much vermouth?
• Stocking your home bar? No need to go crazy.
• The global economic downturn claims its first casualty in the spirit world, with the news that beer has replaced raki as Turkey's drink of choice.
• The minds at eGullet turn their attention to the difficult task of naming drinks.
• Also at eGullet: taking his cue from Underhill-Lounge's trip through the Savoy Cocktail Book, forum user evo-lution is planning to work his way through Jerry Thomas' The Bar Tender's Guide.
• Topical this one, given the recent focus on responsible drinking among adults and children, Paul Clarke's latest contribution to Proof looks at why he drinks the way he does.
• From California, the nascent trend in beer cocktails - no margaveza?
• From NYC, an interview with Belvedere brand ambassador Claire Smith.
• If you live in Britain, you'll be familiar with the Government asking you to drink responsibly. It seems they might even try asking nicely.

Newsdesk: and a new one just begun

A little later than usual, perhaps, but it's 2009 - a brave new world of almost exactly the same stuff as in 2008. Excited?

• Just around the corner from where I was helping customers celebrate the new year in the correct spirit (tequila, by the way), there was a bit of a street party planned. Went alright, by all accounts.
• Not everyone went out, of course. For those who would rather have the shouty drunk people in their houses, the Guardian had a selection of cocktail recipes to serve and a reminder not to neglect those who enjoy stronger stuff in their glasses.
• Apparently, you're better off not drinking at all, seeing as it could raise your chance of developing cancer by a fifth. and make you into a worse lover. I'm personally shocked by the news that drinking can in fact be bad for you. But if you have to, have some helpful tips for keeping things under control.
• As far as the future goes, the American Culinary Federation thinks that artisanal spirits, culinary cocktails and organic wine are going to be the hot trends of '09.
• Out in the blogosphere (I'd promised not to use that word. Crap. One resolution down already...), Erik at Underhill-Lounge ponders the differences between line cooking and bartending and James Hoffman suggests stepping out from behind the stick to improve customer service.
• And finally, got any leftover fizz from the party? A bit of patience could give you Prosecco & Campari sorbet.

(Edinburgh 2009 New Year Fireworks by Scala64. happy new year 2009 from lulugaia's Flickr photostream, displayed under a Creative Commons licence.)

Newsdesk: DIY

There's a growing number of notable mixologists who aren't professional bartenders. While I'm lucky enough to have access to a well-stocked, well-equipped cocktail bar at work, that isn't necessarily an option for the enthusiast. Handily, the internet has answers to the questions you haven't even asked yet.

• Jacob Grier has a concise and sensible two-part guide to setting up your own home bar. Part 1 covers equipment, part 2 covers stock. On a similar theme, the Pegu Blog has a whole category dedicated to basement bars (direct link to RSS feed), while both TraderTiki and Simon Difford have notable home bars.
• If you've got your bar in place, and booze on the shelves, The Wild Drink Blog has some helpful advice for getting started and Ben Reed's got all kinds of shiny video tips to pass on at webchats.tv.
• This was a triumph: the IT University of Copenhagen's Scrollbar celebrates Portal.
• The world is still getting used to the news that hangovers are - according to scientists - incurable. For one, the Guardian's Lucy Mangan swears by these seven hangover cures, while the Times delves into how the badness actually happens. Elsewhere in the broadsheets, James Meikle asks why Britain has fallen out of love with the humble pint and a proper doctor looks at the possible link between high IQ and developing alcohol problems which is good news for anyone annoyed by their friend's precociously talents children.