While my favorite way to drink whisky is warm and neat, that’s a hard beverage to stomach during the scorching-hot summer months. So to help you cool down, while still keeping whisky solidly in your diet, the best way to go is the cocktail. My two favorite whiskies to mix are Canadian Club 10-year-old and 12-year-old. These two refreshing yet flavorful spirits go great with a wide variety of mixers. Here are the 6 Canadian Club cocktails I think kick the most ass.

NOTE: To all you whisky fanatics out there, be sure to try the Canadian Club 30-YO. Unless you’re a Goldman, Sachs employee, the $200 price tag makes it not the best for mixing. But with a nice, healthy pour and an ice cube, this smooth, vanilla whisky will practically wash your problems away. (You know, problems like having just spent $200 on a bottle of liquor…) (more…)

For many drink enthusiasts, Scotch and Bourbon stand strongest at opposite ends of the “brown spirit” battlefield. To the West, the sweet punch to the face of Bourbon, America’s whiskey; to the East, Scotch whisky — a deep, smoky Highland warrior.

While plenty of whisky — or “whiskey,” take your pick — drinkers cross sides, most have their favorite kind. Far more, however, couldn’t tell the difference between a Maker’s Mark and a Johnnie Walker, or don’t realize there’s a difference in the first place.

If you’re only experience with drinking whisk(e)y involves a chaser, you’re doing it wrong. Not that shots suck (never would I say such a thing), but they do limit the drinking experience to “not drunk” and “drunk,” without leaving room for a bit of beverage enjoyment – you know, tasting the whisky, not just washing it down.

Between that and not knowing where to start among the thousands of different whiskeys, it doesn’t seem worth the effort when alcohol still works, regardless of what you know.

But with a little bit of knowledge, a whole new world of drinking is opened up to you. Plus, people will think you’re smart. Here’s how to spot the differences and appreciate Scotch and Bourbon alike. (more…)

So you wanna be a badass, eh? Here’s your chance. Scotch liqueur maker Drambuie is giving away a spot in their annual Dambuie Pursuit, a grueling and ridiculously rad 100-mile adventure race through the Scottish Highlands, which includes a canoe race on the river Ness, an uphill mountain bike race, rock climbing and off-road dune buggy racing, all of which re-trace the footsteps of Bonnie Prince Charlie, for whom the spirit was created in 1745.

Just head over to Pursuitof1745.com by December 31st to register you and a three of your friends on a team. Or, if you’d rather not be a team leader (or don’t have three friends), you can sign up to land a spot on the “celebrity team,” headed up by actor Sean William Scott. If chosen, you and your team will have all travel and hotels expenses paid, a shot at Drambuie Pursuit-winning glory – and a hell of a lot of whisky.

Remember the last time you drank a case of beer, half a bottle of tequila, four cups of jungle juice, and hated yourself for it in the morning? Yeah, well now you’re really going to regret it. A study by the American Heart Association (AHA) found that heavy drinkers have double the chances of developing heart disease, compared to moderate drinkers.

The culprit of the problem comes from an increase in something called a C-reactive protein (CRP), which marks inflamation in the body, increases of which can lead to cardiovascular problems. “Moderate drinkers,” or those who drink only two to five drinks at a time, one or two days a week, have half the CRP levels of those who drink in greater execess. (more…)