Drown yourself in these beautifully boozy tips from ‘Drinks: A User’s Guide’.

We live in a golden age of booze: Our pint glasses overflow with tasty craft beer while the quality and variety of wine improves with each passing year, and precision-made cocktails sparkle like a string of jewels across the lounges of the land. 

These are glorious days to be a drinker — but tricky ones to navigate. Who really knows what all that stuff is and how to enjoy it? As you can learn from reading my book, Drinks: A User’s Guide, it’s easy and fun to get up to speed on the essentials of wine, beer and spirits.

To start you down the right path, here are 13 everyday rules to help you drink like a boss.

 

Let’s take a moment to talk about hot dogs. 20 July is, after all, International Hot Dog Day.

 

There’s no doubt about it, cupcakes are definitely the coolest and trendiest food item to serve at modern-day dinner parties, family picnics, high tea affairs and wedding parties. Cake bakers and pastry chefs are pulling out all the stops to up their cupcake game. I had my fair share of some of the finest cupcakes while on holiday in London. The Hummingbird Bakery in Portobello is renowned for its sweet delights and although their cupcakes don’t come cheap, they are one hundred percent worth it!

 

Hot, spicy and wonderfully moreish, these easy-to-make Thai fishcakes are not just tasty, it’s cost-effective, thanks to the inexpensive white fish that’s being used in the recipe as the main ingredient.

 

There is no worm in tequila. It’s in mescal, a spirit beverage distilled from a different plant. And it’s not actually a worm, but a butterfly caterpillar (Hipopta Agavis) called a gurano.

 

Now here’s something that the sweet tooth will enjoy. This is quick to make and a true treat when serving breakfast in bed.

 

Are you a MexiCan or a MexiCan’t? With this recipe, you do not have to fear. You CAN do it in less than 15 minutes.

 

Shocking revelation: humans like beer! But if all you’re doing is drinking it, you’re missing out on some of life’s greatest beery pleasures. Don’t let wine have all the fun; try these delectable beer-based recipes that will bring your love affair with booze to mouth-watering new heights.

 

Step aside bacon soda! This porky drink calls for vodka. If bacon is your thing, then Bakon Vodka should be on your wishlist of drinks to try before you die. Produced by Black Rock Spirits in Seattle, Bakon Vodka is indeed vodka flavoured with bacon.

 

Cider is one of those beverages that offer a refreshingly fruity and astringent alternative to other drinks on the market. Many drinkers note it as tasting more or less like a typical fruit drink with no real notable alcoholic aftertaste. While it may not possess the same popularity as beers and wines, cider is still a much-loved beverage with a rich history.