Gizmodo’s Best Booze Articles Of 2013

Gizmodo’s Best Booze Articles Of 2013

2013 was a good year for drinkin’. We investigated Australian beer science, we traveled the earth to see how your favourite spirits are made, and we drank cognac out of a bone. We had a great time, and we were glad you came with us. Here now are our favourite Happy Hour episodes from 2013, including some you might have missed.


Aussie Researchers Unlock Secrets Of Longer-Lasting Beer

Let’s face it: we’re all stockpiling beer. Whether it’s for a public holiday, “personal use” or just the end of the world, the great Aussie beer fridge is part of our culture. The worst thing about stockpiling beer, however, is the potential for it to go bad after a while. Despair no longer, Australian beer drinkers: science is here.
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The Greenhound: Our Favourite New Summer Drink

We are officially in the dog days of summer. Here in New York it’s brutally hot, and the air has the consistency of bath water. You need something refreshing. The Greenhound is that something.


The Bone Luge: Gross, Weird, But More Than Just a Gimmick

There’s a growing trend among North American boozers: sucking down shots through beef marrow bones. Yes, the Bone Luge sounds macabre, savage, disgusting, and fratty, but don’t let the name fool you. It’s a high-end (read: expensive) affair, but all the pomp isn’t just for show. It’s actually, you know, good.


Aussie Scientists Invent The Holy Grail Of Booze:
Electrolyte-Enhanced Beer

In the never-ending quest to create a hangover-proof booze, a team of Australian researchers have developed a beer that rehydrates you as you drink, thanks to a healthy serving of electrolytes. Think of it as beer-flavoured Gatorade — only less disgusting, presumably.[clear]


Can Drinking Cure Your Cold?

There’s a lot of nasty, virulent bugs going around this year. Colds and flus are putting people out of commission for weeks on end. This means that by now one of your friends has told you to drink some whiskey because that’ll knock the cold right out. Some people swear by it. But is there any scientific evidence to support that (admittedly fun) hypothesis? Let’s see.


Gizmodo’s Guide to Setting Drinks On Fire

“Fire is cool,” quoth Beavis, and yea verily, Butthead did agree. And, honestly, so do we. There’s a little bit of a pyro in most of us, and a flaming drink is certainly a spectacle. That said, there’s a right way, and a whole lot of wrong ways to do it. Here’s the red hot skinny.


How Bourbon Gets Its Beautiful Flavour

If there’s one thing the Gizmodo crew agrees on, it’s bourbon. Sweet liquid gold. It’s pretty much the classic American spirit, and it’s experiencing a massive boom at the moment. Whiskey producers are going to great lengths to keep up with demands. So we thought it was high time we took a look at how this delicate and beautiful creature is made. (Play the sexy music.)


Do You Really Get Drunker at High Altitude?

There’s a phrase people like to repeat in Denver: “Be careful when you drink here.” The claim is that the altitude (elevation 5,280 feet) makes one drink between 1.5 to 3 times as potent. If you visit the area to ski for the US winter, the city officials will even warn you about it when you get to town. Is there any thing to it?


Turn Your Favourite Beer Into Your Favourite Cocktail

Do you want a beer, or do you want a cocktail? The answer is yes. You want both. Right now. Simultaneously. In a single glass. Today we’re going to show you how to turn your old favourite beer into your new favourite syrup, and how to use it in a cocktail.


That Time We Turned Coke Into Whiskey

Think you can only make whiskey from rye or barley? Think again. At least at Brooklyn’s Kings County Distillery, they’ve made the spirit with some crazy components. When Gizmodo stopped by for a visit earlier this week, we spent a fascinating day with co-founder Colin Spoelman as he pulled some transubstantiating magic and turned Coca-Cola into whiskey.


DIY Alcoholic Dippin’ Dots: The Hangover of the Future

Dippin’ Dots, the American ovelty ice cream, are fun to eat. But the flavours are, well, a little childish? Wouldn’t you rather make dots that taste great and help numb yourself to the world? Of course you would. Right this way.


The Easiest Way to Upgrade Your Gin and Tonic

As the name suggests, there are really only two components to a gin and tonic (unless you count the lime), which means only two ways to screw it up. It’s easy enough to avoid a bad gin. Bad tonic water, though, is the rule, not the exception. Look at a label and you’ll see cheap high-fructose corn syrup is the first ingredient in almost all of them. There’s a better way.


How to Make Cocktails With Your Keurig

If you’ve ever worked in an office you probably know the ubiquitous K-Cup machine, made by Keurig. It quickly and painlessly dispenses single-servings of the hot beverage of your choice. Even, it turns out, if that beverage is 100-proof. We just happened to have one of these discarded machines lying around, and decided to see what would happen if we used it to make hot, boozy deliciousness instead of boring ol’ coffee. Game on.


11 Origins of Common Drinking Phrases

There’s a lot of slang associated with drinking. Three sheets to the wind. Hair of the dog. On the wagon. We all know them, we all use them, but most of us don’t know where they came from or what they really mean. Read on, and you’ll be the smartest person at the bar.


How Tequila Geniuses Made the Best-Tasting Spirit I’ve Ever Had

Tequila is a much-maligned spirit here in the United States. Most of us think of it as something so nasty you need to do it in a shot with salt and lime so that you’ll taste it as little as possible, or take it mixed into an over-sweet margarita. All of that is changing.



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