After a week in Sugarlandia with Don Papa, Eleanor Yates explores the history and production of Filipino rum.

The timing of the acquisition is perfect, as the premium sector continues to gather pace. Oli Dodd reports.

It’s been around a long time, but the rum favourite is still constantly being reimagined, finds Shay Waterworth.

Often overshadowed by its more intense cousin, ginger ale is piggy-backing on the rise in popularity of lower-abv serves.

In September, Diageo acquired Australian cold brew coffee liqueur brand Mr Black from accelerator programme, Distill Ventures. Drinks International caught up with Frank Lampen, chief executive and co-founder of Distill Ventures to talk about the purchase and what’s next for the programme.

Cream liqueurs may have been a fairly stuck category for a while, but new players are introducing exciting options.

Climate change and economic challenges are taking their toll on production of Italy's favourite digestif.

Mezcal has become a spirits category for the cool kids. But so much sudden attention on the agave spirit leaves its producers, which are often small-scale operations, and the slow-growing agave crop, open to exploitation.

A project to show how chefs and bartenders can work together has resulted in a new menu for Le Syndicat. Co-founder Romain Le Mouëllic explains how it worked.

Players big and small are benefiting from a rise in demand for premium products in this mixer category.

Aquavit is being touted as a spirit that has all the ingredients for an explosion in popularity. Oli Dodd reports on the Nordic hero.

Innovation in the category is aimed at attracting younger consumers, especially through cocktails.

The Negroni Sbagliato has become the darling of millennials thanks to a TikTok clip. Shay Waterworth says it’s opening new doors for vermouth producers.

Moebius, the Milan-based venue owned by Lorenzo Querci, includes a cocktail bar managed by Giovanni Allario, former bar manager of Le Syndicat, Paris, a bistrot restaurant, and a fine dining restaurant run by two Michelin Star chef, Enrico Croatti, it focuses on modern mixology.

In September, Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto celebrated the anniversary of its sixth year. To mark the occasion, the brand announced the release of a new book outlining the first five years of Italicus. Drinks International caught up with founder Giuseppe Gallo to talk about the evolution of the brand.

More and more bartenders are embracing the allure of exotic islands. Hamish Smith discovers why.

Kurt Schlechter and Leah van Deventer's community-based bartender training course is helping to get people back into employment while raising awareness of hospitality. Schlechter tells us how it works.

Kyiv’s bartenders are fighting back against the Russian invasion, as Hamish Smith discovers.

A spirit historically bound to the South Korean market, soju consumption is rapidly increasing in key global markets.

The cost of living crisis is a sobering prospect for hospitality. Of course, the entire drinks industry will be affected, from production to distribution, but hospitality is once again likely to take the biggest hit.

On 8 September 2022 Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in British history, passed away peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland aged 96.

Over the last few years, Kuala Lumpur has emerged as a cocktail city to watch. Drinks International caught up with Divyesh Chauhan, co-founder and director of JungleBird, one of the bars putting Malaysia’s capital on the bartending map.

Young Spirits was founded in 2019 as a small batch bottling site for craft whisky and rum producers. In three years, the business has gone from strength to strength, tripling its revenue and growing from two to 42 employees. 

VintageCellar is a member-only fine wine investment app that launched in the UK in July. Drinks International caught up with chief executive and founder Selim Bocti to talk about his mission to bring fine wine investment into the 21^st century.

Producers of the always tricky-to-make wines are facing further challenges as the climate heats up, finds Oli Dodd.

White rum has long been a star ingredient of cocktails and with consumers now demanding better quality drinks, it is ripe for premiumisation. 

Thousands of microdistilleries are helping to change the face of Brazil’s national spirit, creating aged and wood-blended expressions that are pulling in new fans.

Drinks International sits down with Spirit of Harrogate co-founder Marcus Black to talk heritage, sport, and how to create a gin that stands out from the crowd.

Cocktails in the City has returned to London for a series of garden parties featuring some of London’s finest bars. 

On 1 July The Balvenie launched the latest in its Stories range, a 27-year-old single malt finished in Caroni rum casks, Drinks International caught up with brand ambassador Alwynne Gwilt to talk about the distillery's unique relationship with rum.

Japanese whisky continues to go from strength to strength as shochu producers turn to the category to make their mark in international markets.

From the bartenders’ handshake cocktail to being sold in cans in supermarkets and restaurants, the negroni continues to dominate menus across the globe. Millie Milliken takes a closer look at the evolution of the Italian classic.

Businesses all over the world have boycotted Russian vodka in a show of solidarity with Ukraine, but what does this mean for the wider vodka market?

When it comes to the production of rhum agricole, terroir is key to quality. Oli dodd meets those at the forefront of this lesser-known spirits category.

Owner of Martinotti prosecco bar in Nihonbashi, Japan, gives an insight into the country’s prosecco trends. 

Italian bitters are enjoying something of a golden era as consumers’ tastes evolve.

Flavours, packaging and a concentration on cocktails in the on-trade could be the way to a new audience for the Italian liqueur.

The apple-based spirit’s newest incarnations are at odds with outdated consumer perceptions, but a new breed of producer is working to change this.

With Patrón discontinuing its popular XO Café, the tequila liqueur category has opened up to other brands – and it’s a popular space, finds Shay Waterworth.

Trade disputes resulting in crippling tariffs have been lifted after four years, but will America and its export countries find a permanent peace?

Famously the hero country for Malbec, Argentina has so much more to give when it comes to wine, thanks to the pioneers who are capitalising on the climatic possibilities. Sorrel Moseley-Williams takes a journey through some of the latest trends in this vast and varied land.

Whisky's rising star Dhavall Gandhi talks to Drinks International about his new consulting venture.

Spain’s most famous alcoholic export is on the cusp of some major changes. Millie Milliken takes a look at the incoming regulations in sherry and what the future could hold for the category.

While exotic woods from around the world have gained popularity for finishing Scotch, indigenous oak looks to be making a comeback for some producers, finds Shay Waterworth.

The Old Kent Road in south London is one of the country’s oldest and most storied. The original track was paved by the Romans and used as their principal thoroughfare between old Londinium and the coast. Geoffrey Chaucer wrote about its use as a pilgrim’s way in The Canterbury Tales and later it was the route by which King Henry V and his men returned triumphant from the battle of Agincourt.

Thousands of leading wine and spirits buyers will descend upon Verona from April 10-13 to taste new vintages and innovations from prestigious producers.

It is in the lives of normal people that war’s impact is most profound. In Kyiv, under attack by Russia from land and air, the city’s bartenders are a compelling illustration. They are everyday civilians living everyday lives that now look unrecognisable from a week ago. 

Few drinks categories have seen as much start-up activity as alcohol-free spirits in recent times. Lyre’s chief executive Mark Livings concedes his brand was beaten to the market by the likes of Seedlip and others, but he’s convinced that rapid scaling, rather than being early to the game, holds the key to success.

Last year’s launch of Panther M*lk, a vegan oat milk RTD made with gin, rum, brandy and overproof spiced rum, shows just how quickly the pre-mixed cocktail industry has evolved since the days of mediocre Gin & Tonics.

Irish whiskey exports soared by 25% to reach €856m in 2021, according to new government gures, which also show that cream liqueur exports increased 19% to €367m, while gin exports were up 38%, albeit from a lower base.