The heritage of alcohol in Britain goes far back; in fact there's brands and houses that have been around longer than many countries. In many cases, these brands have shaped their categories, and even the law surrounding them. Give these a go...

They say mud tends to stick, and tequila has had a hell of a lot of dirt thrown at it over the years. But I've been amazed, and very glad, to see how it continues to boom and shake off its tarnished reputation.

Ordering in a bar is easy; you chat to your bartender or server, and exchange some money for your goods and services. So why am I writing about it? Well, for one, have any of you felt particularly underwhelmed by a bar experience a friend has raved about? This piece is about maximising your chances of having an experience that lives up to this.

I'm quite inclined to make myself a cocktail at the end of a long day, and I'll certainly put together a few if I have friends coming over, but sometimes you just need something simple and easy.

I see nothing wrong with mixing your drinks. To be honest, the headache you're dealing with isn't because you've had wine then beer then whisky, it's because you've had wine and beer and whisky (with a couple of cheeky tequilas thrown in for good measure). It's excess, not the booze's fault.

I've experienced first hand some truly incredible behaviour. I've had sommeliers refuse to address a wine to a female companion, or a bartender refuse to serve someone a particular drink (baffling).

Cocktails require craft. If they're offering you half price drinks there's something fishy going on - they're not offering you half price beer or wine are they? Chances are it's cut price booze and a lot of sugar - neither which your head or liver will thank you for the next day.

The real disappointment is that it's often just one simple step that's overlooked, and that's the ice. You might've seen many bars putting a big focus on their ice- triple frozen, pride of place illuminated blocks glistening like glass, ice blocks cut into diamonds... the bar world has gone ice mad.