Ice wasn't always easy to come by, especially in America during the 1800s. So we wanted to see what drinking was really like ...

The problem with winter is that you can be done with it long before it’s done with you. For me, it always hits around mid-February: That feeling when you wake up and with heavy lids look outside to ...

While often eclipsed by spirits like gin or whiskey, brandy can provide a delicious boozy base, too. Distilled since the Middle Ages — an early favorite of American colonists — the spirit appeared in ...

At a time when more forthright cocktails like the old fashioned, the Sazerac and rocket-fuel martinis hold sway, you won’t win tough-guy points for ordering a Brandy Alexander. You know: cognac, cream ...

Cocktail Queries is a Paste series that examines and answers basic, common questions that drinkers may have about mixed drinks, cocktails and spirits. Check out every entry in the series to date. At ...