Today's Hippest Beer Accessory: The Growler

New drinks throw away rules about mixing alcohol

(NEWSER) - The days of keeping your beer and liquor separate are over, with bartenders crafting crossover drinks that mix beer with other spirits—even wine. “Other countries have been doing this for a long time,” one beer connoisseur tells the New York Times. Creations range from the “Muddy Puddle”—iced espresso with bourbon, stout, and a peanut dust rim—to the beergarita—a margarita with sour ale and framboise. More»

Don't just cook with it; mix a drink with it

(NEWSER) - After decades relegated to a spot in the cooking aisle, sherry is making a comeback. The Spanish fortified wine is becoming a trendy cocktail ingredient, especially in Los Angeles, the Times reports. The drinks can get pretty swanky—one involves gold dust; another, reportedly loved by Frank Sinatra, flamed orange oil. “You see a lot of going back to classic cocktail ingredients,” says one restaurateur whose establishment aims to recapture “Old Hollywood swell-egance.” More»

One new highbrow bottle, with 27% alcohol, costs $150

(NEWSER) - Beer with a high alcohol content is in the spotlight after two breweries announced supercharged creations—Boston Beer Company's Utopias, with 27% alcohol, and BrewDog's Tactical Nuclear Penguin, with 32%. Are they good for the average guzzler? Salon gets details from expert Brooks Hamaker:

• They don’t come cheap: Utopias will set you back $150 a bottle.
• Yes, it is beer: Regardless of alcohol content, it’s made from barley, malt, hops, water, and yeast—but it’s not carbonated, "or at least not very well," because of its high sugar content.

In Brooklyn, people clamor to get into ultra-private urban pools

(NEWSER) - The newest hangout for the recession chic set is the Dumpster—transformed into a swanky pool. The repurposed, invitation-only trash bins, hidden on a private lot in Brooklyn, are gaining a reputation in the blogosphere and could soon pop up in formerly dingy strip malls. “It’s a very simple concept. There aren’t that many places to swim in New York,” the project manager tells the New York Times. And Dumpsters “are everywhere; they’re ubiquitous.” More»

(NEWSER) - Energy drinks are experiencing such a boom that every group seems to have its own—like the Christian “1 in 3 Trinity” beverage, “fused with both ‘fruit of the spirit’ and 1000 mg of taurine,” writes Julia Langbein for Gourmet. Drink makers “obviously want to get them into the hands of everyday people, not just those brave few that razor-scooter out of a whale’s blowhole for a living.” More»