You've waited all week — now it's time to crack one open. A juicy collection of links, that is. Unless you'd like a drink. You can have one of those, too.
- A nice, straightforward piece on gin from Bloomberg News. If you're not that familiar with gin, this is recommended.
- Maggie Hoffman, Drinks Editor for Serious Eats, speculates on likely cocktail trends for 2012. I think her guesses are pretty good ones. I would add to the list: more beer and wine cocktails.
- Some more cocktail trend predictions, these from The Spir.it. This set is more obvious.
- Amari (bitter liqueurs) are going to continue to grow in popularity. Here's a good introduction ("All About Amari") that explains the category and discusses several different kinds, including some more obscure ones.
- Speaking of beer cocktails – here's a place in Brooklyn that's brewing them up.
- A very good guide to setting up a home bar. (Did I link to this one yet? I don't think so, although I've shared similar thoughts from Jason in the past. The man knows his stuff.)
- Winter cocktails? Yes, please.
- A new video from Robert Hess, this one demonstrating how to make a Champs Elysees. I finally broke down and bought a bottle of Chartreuse ($50 a pop!) so maybe I'll try this.
- Another article on making cocktails with winter citrus fruits. The Citrus 75, a riff on the French 75 with Clementine juice, sounds especially good.
- A good piece on Harry Craddock, one of the great bartenders of the Pre-Prohibition era.
- I can barely manage to make dinner most nights, so am I going to make my own Vermouth? Probably not. But it does sound kinda cool. Here's how.
- I really need to visit Portland. They have all the good new drinks.
- Wanna see some pretty pictures of the Top 5 Vodka Cocktails?
- I've never tried Pisco, a brandy that's very popular in Peru and other parts of South America, but it's trying to become the next vodka. Pisco Portón, in particular, in getting a serious marketing push. Anyone tried it?
We still need a new name for this feature, so please send in your suggestions or leave them in the comments below.