8 Funky Boozing Trends

Blowfish contains a mix of aspirin, caffeine, and a stomach-calming agent

(NEWSER) - Who needs Santa when you have the FDA? The government agency handed boozy partygoers everywhere a big holiday gift: It recently OK'd a hangover pill called Blowfish. The over-the-counter tablets, designed to be taken upon waking, Alka Seltzer-style, contain some not-too-foreign ingredients: 1,000 milligrams of aspirin, 120 milligrams of caffeine, and a stomach-calming element. It's supposed to provide relief in as little as 15 minutes, reports the New York Daily News . More»

Chicago-area stores to offer booze, entertainment

(NEWSER) - There's still no chance of getting an Irish coffee in Starbucks, but beer and wine will soon be available in up to seven of the coffee chain's Chicago-area outlets. Following a model first introduced in Seattle and Portland, Starbucks aims to boost traffic in the evenings by offering beer and wine, as well as plate snacks like bread with olive oil and live music and poetry readings in some stores, the Chicago Tribune reports. The boozy new locations are set to open by the end of next year. More»

Sure, the food is gross, but the wine might make up for it

(NEWSER) - At some hospitals, you just might be able to enjoy a glass of wine alongside your Jell-O and boiled carrots. Indiana’s Parkview Ortho Hospital is the latest to allow patients or family members to bring alcohol in—with doctor’s approval, of course—and it’s not the only one. According to the Association for Healthcare Foodservice, a Tennessee medical center and “many other healthcare facilities” stock beer, wine, and sometimes liquor, NPR reports. More»

Expect your cocktails to be herbal, matched with food, and cold

(NEWSER) - Absinthe and other speakeasy libations are so last decade. Now that craft cocktails are mainstream, what will the next 10 years bring to the hottest watering holes? Derek Brown of the Atlantic looks into his crystal ball:

• Food pairings: They're not just for sommeliers anymore. "Expect to see cocktails accompanying your food in 2010."

Limit jumps to 36 light brews for 4-day Bathurst 1,000

(NEWSER) - Fans headed to a four-day event that’s a highlight of the Australian auto-racing calendar will only be allowed one case of beer per day—or 36 cans if it’s light beer. “Wine lovers have not escaped the heavy hand of the law either,” the Guardian notes of those bound for the Bathurst 1,000, beginning Thursday, “being restricted to a punitive four liters a day.” More»