College students may have a new beer of choice when football season kicks off this week-- 7-Eleven Game Day Beer.

Beer is big business. It’s a recession-proof industry that has only grown in recent years, with more and more people skipping the bars and staying home to drink and entertain their friends. But for convenience store giant 7-Eleven, beer is more than big business. The company is the third largest beer retailer in the country, so it only stands to reason that at some point it would branch out and market its own line of private label budget beer. 7-Eleven even cites a Nielsen study stating value-priced beer sales are on the rise while sales of pricier imports and premium brands have faltered.

A 28 year old lifeguard from Bulgaria has won an Irish whiskey lover's ultimate dream.

Ivan Ivanov was chosen by Bushmills Irish Whiskey as the winner of the Make it at Bushmills challenge.  Ivanov was crowned the winner at a gala dinner Thursday night in the village of Bushmills on Ireland's north coast. The historic area has been producing whiskey for more than 400 years.

A late summer downpour did little to stop Brooklyn’s beer enthusiasts from venturing outdoors doors last week in celebration of Brooklyn Brewery’s newest reserve, Detonation Ale. The launch party took place at The Boathouse of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, with the brewery’s famed brewmaster Garrett Oliver himself serving at the tap.

American sake maker Rock Sake is launching a nationwide campaign aimed at branding their drink as a nutritious alternative to traditional white spirits.

In a press release, the company said they launched the new campaign because of "the movement toward high quality, all natural food and drink continues to gain momentum and Americans need a cocktail that fits in with their healthy lifestyle."

It's a PGA first, mixed drinks available to spectators on the course during play.

The PGA is testing out the concept and Austin-based Tito's Handmade Vodka is providing the service at the Wyndham Championship.  Spectators can purchase cocktails and cordials on the rocks at a tent prominently placed near the first and 18 holes.  The main focus here however is the Vodka, Tito's Handmade Vodka to be exact.

Brooklyn Winery, Williamburg’s own, and Brooklyn’s first, wine making center is now offering Hard Hat Tours of the soon-to-be-opened space. Co-founders Brian Leventhal and John Stires recently took Dine & Cook on a personal tour of the already impressive premises during the construction period.

The winery is divided into five public spaces that take up nearly a half block on North 8th between Roebling and Driggs: a front garden at the entrance; a large bar and seating space; a wine making center; a barrel room; and a private dining and tasting hall. 

The best selling premium Scotch brand in the United States is getting a face-lift from an unlikely source.

Dewar's Blended Scotch Whisky turned to famed rock-and-roll photographer Danny Clinch to help showcase their packaging redesign.

Clinch began his career as an intern for famed photographer Annie Leibovitz and has gone on to photograph some of the biggest names in music.  He has since photographed musicians such as Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Tupac Shakur, The Smashing Pumpkins, Blind Melon, Dave Matthews, Phish, and Björk.

If you are from, or have visited the Southeast, and like beer, you surely have had the pleasure to try some of the offerings from the Terrapin Beer Company.  Their first beer, the Rye Pale Ale was an instant success, winning Gold at the 2002 Great American Beer Festival.

Like the animal they are named after, Terrapin Brewing Co did not spring up overnight. Spike Buckowski, brewmaster and co-founder of Terrapin got his start early on with homebrewing. Shortly after college Buckowski moved to Atlanta and got into homebrewing. In the early 90s he really got the brewing bug and won several awards in homebrewing competitions-- he was doing this all while working as an audio visual tech in a hotel.

Winery Kendall-Jackson has invited a unique guest to their 14th annual Heirloom Tomato Festival, a breathalyzer.

When the event opens on September 11th at the Kendall-Jackson Wine Center in Santa Rosa, Ca, for the first time festival goers will be provided free access to breath-alcohol tests.

San Francisco-based KHN Solutions, makers of the BACtrack breathalyzer, will have a booth at the event and will provide free tests to anyone who wants one.

They used to be the butt of jokes all over, the dreaded wine spritzer.  But now wine cocktails are back in force and are a great way to beat the heat.

Mixing wine with other ingredients is a practice as old as the beverage itself and wine cocktails have never really lost their popularity in Europe.  Some of our most popular mixed drinks call for wine: both the martini and Manhattan call for vermouth, which is a type of wine.

Canadian Mist Whisky announced Wednesday that it will release "Canadian Mist Black Diamond", a premium whisky, late this month.

Canadian Mist Black Diamond is blended at 86 proof and has a higher sherry and rye content to give it a deeper, smoother profile.  The company describes the taste as "richer" and "more robust."  The whisky is the creation of Canadian Mist Master Blender Steve Hughes, whose signature will adorn each bottle.

Thoughts of tequila immediately conjure up images of life south of the border. Rightfully so, since it is the birthplace of the drink. But tequila’s roots run deep in America-- including a region known more for lutefisk than the fish taco.

Minnesota is the birthplace of the high-quality tequila, Ambhar.  Ambhar is the brainchild of Billy O’Rourke, a native of the "Land of Ten Thousand Lakes" and Senior Vice President of Santo Spirits, Inc. of Austin, Texas.

D&C Managing Editor Ryan Sloane sat down with master mixologist and beverage director at the Green Table in New York, Rick Hickman, for a truly fruitful conversation.

Hickman discusses how the organic movement made its way behind the bar, the art of the perfect mixed drink and Patron's Greenmarket Cocktail campaign.

For those tired of generic Chardonnays and light beers, Patron has released a line of drink recipes using wholesome, organic, locally sourced ingredients that are ripe for the picking all summer long.

Boston has rightfully earned the reputation of being one of the United States’ most historic cities.  Between colonial history, presidential legacies, museums, tours and memorials, it’s hard to turn a corner in this city without being reminded of America’s past.

And a lot of this history was made in Boston’s pubs, what’s more patriotic than enjoying a pint or two?

Hefeweizen is a light beer brewed with mostly wheat malt. They are always low gravity (between 4.5 and 5%) and are considered session beers that is you can consume them in quantity without becoming too intoxicated. This, combined with a slight bite from the wheat and high carbonation, make it a great thirst quencher in the summer.