Ever wonder how America fares on the global drinking front? A new report by the World Health Organization maps out which countries are boozing it up (cheers, Eastern Europe) or staying sober. Also interesting: a color-coded map that compares which countries drink the most beer, wine and spirits. No real surprises, but we’re curious what the Other category is that’s so popular in central Africa. Hmm.

Does the name Nolet sound familiar? They happen to be the family that produces a little Vodka called Ketel One. But before they made vodka, they were known for their genever (the precurser to gin). The Nolet’s have been producing genever for over 300 years and now have the 10th & 11th generations producing a modern gin.

Nolet’s Silver Gin is sure to take the cocktail world by storm. With vibrant floral notes of lavender and fruit that come out in the nose, to a light peach, juniper, and herbal finish on the palate. This gin is one of few that you can enjoy on the rocks with a twist. I’ve also found that it rocks in a classic martini and other variants on classic gin cocktails (I did the Casino cocktail and it blew my mind- yes I know it calls for Old Tom, but it’s MY drink).  There are three proprietary ingredients that Nolet’s has: Turkish rose, white peach and raspberry. This sounds like summer in a bottle. Which I don’t think is a bad thing, especially because it’s bottled at an abv of 47.6% (95.2 proof). This will definitely keep you warm.

Already being heralded as the perfect gin by many of the industry rock stars, make sure to get your hands on a bottle.

“Stay busy, get plenty of exercise, and don’t drink too much. Then again, don’t drink too little.” — Herman “Jackrabbit” Smith-Johannsen (born June 15, 1875 – died January 5, 1987) We’ve all heard the dangers of drinking too much. And even though cultures around the world tout a nightly glass of vino, or a daily dose of vodka, Americans don’t talk enough about the benefits of alcohol. Beyond the obvious anecdotal advantages – from establishing camaraderie with coworkers at happy hour to taking the edge off of stage fright – there is actual scientific evidence that alcohol is beneficial to the human animal.

By Miranda Jilka It’s time to say goodbye to the malt liquor-energy combinations in a can. This week the Food and Drug Administration has deemed them unsafe for consumption. It’s all buzz and fun until someone gets hurt. And in this case it includes multiple underage and inexperienced college drinkers ending up in hospitals and even death after drinking these concoctions, namely Four Loco, the energy drink that boasts 12 percent alcohol by volume and up to 156 milligrams of caffeine. And for the adult drinker who might be a little nostalgic for the original Sparks formula (in moderation), and the affinity to start the night out with one of the deceptive-looking cans, the stimulating alternatives including vodka Red Bulls, Jager bombs, and expresso martinis have yet to be prohibited by the FDA. However, doctors warn that consuming alcohol simultaneously with caffeine is much more dangerous than, say, having 3 [...]

By Miranda Jilka Nail Brewing Australia’s Antarctic Nail Ale has surpassed Brew Dog’s “The End of History” Ale for the most expensive beer sold in 2010. Neither beer boasts hops laced with eternal youth, bubbles glinting with diamond flecks or 24k gold dust, and it’s assumed that drinking it doesn’t cure cancer. However, the $800 bottle of Nail Ale is made from pure melted Antarctic ice, while Brew Dog’s $765 bottle boasts the strongest buzz. The blond belgian can be poured out of any number of taxidermy rodents (really), including a weasel and rabbit. The PETA-friendly Nail Ale was sold through an auction benefitting Sea Shepard Conservation Society. To read more go to www.huffingtonpost.com/…/worlds-most-expensive-bee_n_779765.html

by Lou Bustamante There’s been a lot of rumors and commotion lately about the new relationship between Proximo and St. George Spirits, specifically in regards the Hangar One Vodka line. To get the scoop, I got a chance to sit down and talk to St. George Spirits master distiller Lance Winters and distiller Dave Smith. According to Lance, “neither the Hangar One brand nor the distillery have been sold,” and that the only thing that has changed is that marketing and distribution rights for Hangar One vodka have moved from Craft Distillers to Proximo. Craft Distillers is best known as the folks behind the Germain-Robin brandy and Danzantes (recently changed to Los Nahuales) mescal brands, and Poximo are the marketers and importers of the 1800 Tequila and Three Olives vodka brands.

We’re offering you a special discount on all your tickets to the festivities this weekend! Drink Me Magazine and Pinot Days have partnered to offer our mailing list members a 10% discount on all of the festival’s spectacular events. Just enter the discount code DRINKMESF10 when ordering tickets from the Pinot Days web site and you will receive an immediate 10% discount on all events. This year’s Pinot Days Grand Festival is on Sunday, June 27th from 1-5pm at the Festival Pavilion in the Fort Mason Center, San Francisco.

Dinner for two at Solstice What goes better with delicious wine than amazing food? Drink Me Magazine has teamed up with online social resource Social Diva to give away two dinners for two, so you can indulge yourselves in Solstice’s delicious menu.  Don’t worry, each dinner comes with two glasses from their amazing – slash – eclectic list of vino. It seems Sol food can have sugar and spice and everything nice.  Send this to friends who will name drop you when they Enter To Win for our offer*.  If one of them win, maybe they’ll share some hand-cut frites two ways with you as a consolation prize.  Located at 2801 California @ Divisadero, 415/359-1222. *Winner will be drawn on June 30th.