Martini Groove

We bloggers are an extraordinarily snobby bunch of wanna-be's. When we're all hanging out with each other (hint: we don't hang out with each other because we also have so much disdain for bloggers that we can't stand to be in the same room with them for more than 10 minutes, this hatred runs so deep that it usually ends in suicide once we figure out that we are, ourselves, bloggers) we make fun of the uninitiated by ordering drinks from TGI Friday's like an Aviation or walking around pronouncing the "t" in "Cabernet" and "Merlot." Well, now it's your turn to make us look like idiots (hint: that's not very hard). Mashable has created a list of 30+ resources that you can use to become every bit as good as a wine snob as the guy at work who boasts of his cellar containing a full case of 2006 Rabbit Ridge. Maybe even moreso. All About Wine

Let's pretend for a second that you don't know every little thing about cocktails and how to make every drink in the Bartender's Handbook (including the shown Fogcutter). Now, let's take a HUGE leap in to this imaginary world and say that you're out on a date at your favorite "date spot," TGI Fridays. Maybe ordering a beer just isn't what you want to do on this night out and if you have to hold another pink drink while carefully sipping and making sure the fancy toothpick doesn't go up your nose you'll walk in to a biker bar and yell "I love Clay Aiken" just because you know you deserve to get beat up. You decide you want to order something unique and different and probably something the bartender who's only real skill is the ability to blend the Choco-Banana 'Tini. Conversation ensues (and is taken from real experience): "I want an Aviation." "Um. How do you make that?" "With Gin." "Oh, ...

You see them at restaurants all the time. Bottles that are bigger than the normal 750ml bottle. Most people just call them a "Magnum" and go on to the rest of their night. However, each bottle size has a different name and amount and you'll look like quite the pro when you can tell a Jeroboam from a Balthazar. Click on the picture to see each of the names or head on over to Avenue Vine and get the full rundown on the names and just how much wine is in each bottle. Bottle Size Names

About two years ago, Morton's commissioned the world's largest bottle of wine to be made to celebrate their 25th anniversary. The result was "Maximus." Maximus was 34 gallons of Beringer Cabernet Savignon love, stood 4.5 feet tall, weighed 340 pounds and ended up auctioning off at Sotheby's for the simple price of US$55,812. The Aussie's have now taken it to the next level. They have created a 64 gallon, 6 foot 5 inch bottle that carries the equivelent of 387 regular sized bottles of Shiraz. The "Five Virtues" vintage was created specifically for this bottle and is made from the efforts of 5 winemakers. The Guiness Book of World records has declared it the largest bottle ever made and the owner has claimed to already have turned down offers of US$100,000 for it. Apparently, there's quite a bit of the stuff as 12,000 regular bottles of the vintage were made to sell alongside the promotional giant. World's Largest Bottle Of Wine Makes It...

Wineries and Spirits both grew like crazy in 2006, new studies show. In California alone, there were 460 new wineries setup last year bringing the total market cap in the U.S. to an amazing US$11.4 billion. Of course, this is still no match to California's production, by itself, of $13+ billion in marijuana. Spirits grew at a steady clip as well, showing a 7% increase over the year before. I'm looking forward to see A.A.'s membership numbers and see how well they did too.

The University of Rochester has published a fairly good list of drinks and their calories. The list includes beers by brands with their associated carbs, hard liquors, wines, and even the "Alcopops" like Mike's Hard Lemonade. Your worst bet? A Long Island Iced Tea at 789 Calories, about 1/3 of your recommended daily calorie intake. If you want to get tipsy but still keep the pounds off, then you'll want to drink a nice Rose Wine at 62 calories or a Molson Light beer at 82 calories. Caloric Values of Alcoholic Drinks