When it comes to innovative fare, San Francisco’s Mission District is an embarrassment of riches. Yet within this diverse culinary landscape Hog & Rocks (3431 19th Street) has managed to carve out its own distinct identity as the Bay Area’s ‘first ham and oyster bar.‘ Executive Chef Robin Song recently took over in the kitchen, making some interesting changes to a menu that pairs exceptionally well with a comprehensive list of seasonally-rotating cocktails. He sat down with me last week over a few drinks to explain what led him to this two-year-old neighborhood fixture.

At the beginning of the month Anchor Brewing Company unveiled the annual iteration of their Christmas Ale, continuing a tradition that extends all the way back to the mid-70s.

Vic’s Bagel Bar (544 3rd Avenue) is a customized cream cheese bar on the east side of Manhattan, providing an array of seasonal toppings that can all be mixed into traditional spreads according to your very own specifications.  Clever idea, to be sure.  But why would I be mentioning this here on DrinkMe, you might ask?  That’s a fair question, and the answer might surprise you: every evening from Thursday thru Saturday, Vic hosts Beer Pong Nights at his bagel bar. Offering customers pitchers of beer as they play one of the most popular drinking games on the planet, Vic lets patrons customize their own pizza bagels while they compete. Beer Pong NYC is an actual league devoted to the game that you probably spent too much time playing in college when you should have been cramming for the big exam.  But now that you’ve graduated, you have no viable excuse [...]

Howdy, folks! Welcome back to Booze In The News, where you’ll find the latest, funniest and most obscure newsworthy, alcohol-related bits all in one place. 1.) A famous Burgundy winery was recently threatened with a poison extortion plot . Don’t worry, their wine and the people who work there were not poisoned. The victims of this plot? Two innocent grapevines. Luckily, the extortionist was caught, and the vines are expected to survive. Phew.

Howdy, folks! Welcome back to Booze In The News, where you’ll find the latest, funniest and most obscure newsworthy, alcohol-related bits all in one place. 1.) If binge drinking were a competition, the UK would be the winner of Europe. A recent survey shows that people in the UK typically consume more alcohol in one sitting than in any other part of the European Union. Looks like they like drinking as much as we do!

Howdy, folks! Welcome back to Booze In The News, where you’ll find the latest, funniest and most obscure newsworthy, alcohol-related bits all in one place. 1.) Among controversial speculated benefits of moderate wine consumption, such as weight loss in women and prevention of cardiovascular disease,  a doctor at John Hopkins is now saying that tipping back a glass may help prevent brain damage from a stroke. How did they find this out? By feeding Resveratrol found in grapes to mice, of course. The  more important question remains… can you hear a mouse hiccup?

Howdy, folks! Welcome back to Booze In The News, where you’ll find the latest, funniest and most obscure newsworthy, alcohol-related bits all in one place. 1.) A man in Germany has set the world record for the largest house made out of beer coasters. Using more than a quarter of a million beer coasters, and spending 42-56 hours per week since January, Sven Goebel secured himself a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Someone should also give him an award for being the most unproductive productive person in the world.

Howdy, folks! Welcome back to Booze In The News, where you’ll find the latest, funniest and most obscure newsworthy, alcohol-related bits all in one place. 1. The secret is in the seal; Maker’s Mark has won a lawsuit against Diageo, the parent company of Jose Cuervo, deciding once and for all that the trademark hand-dipped wax seal on the top of the Maker’s Mark bottle is solely theirs.