One of the best parts of my job is creating cocktails for every single special occasion or calendar date that comes a'knockin. And Eurovision is no different. So I've created a special cocktail to embrace the glitz this weekend - for those that don't fancy knocking back a drink for each country.

In terms of fine wine the words 'Bordeaux' and 'bargain' rarely get put into the same sentence. Everyone knows that in order to drink the premium wines of this region you will either need to be working in the wine industry, have a rich friend who serves such wines at dinner parties, or be that rich friend.

Since time began, love and dating have been doused in booze. Be it a romantic dinner and a bottle of pinot, a cheeky snog anointed by rum and coke or an outrageous one-night affair after slurping on a fishbowl cocktail - Brits' love affair with dating and drinking isn't going to fizzle out any time soon.

Garganelli.... wow! Chef mentioned to me seven pieces to a portion, after spending 15minutes doing one portion I realised it wasn't as easy as chef had demonstrated to me earlier. 22 portions later chef pre-dressed a dish of the garganelli pre-service so we all knew how it should look.

I've often said that planning a party sorts the men from the boys. It's either a total shambles, with relations strained and blood shed; or as easy as, well, organising a piss up in a brewery. And as a barman working in bars that sees every single type of party, I've been privy to a few 'do's (and the very definition of don'ts) in my time.

The taste of beer releases a chemical in the brain which makes people want to drink more and take other drugs, research published on Monday claims. ...

We've got it all backwards. Horribly backwards. And its killing us. This awful catch 22 situation. If we wait to admit and accept we have a drinking problem in our society? We are waiting for end-stage alcoholism. Or alcoholic Alzheimer's. Or being arrested. Or being injured horribly.

What do you do when an invite pops into your inbox for your best mates blow-out stag weekend and it's slap bang in the middle of your training plan? Obviously you can't say no, so how can you stick to your training regimen and not let the weekend's frivolities derail your fitness?

Forgive the unexpected intermission. Where were we? Yes, that's it. I was fumbling around, trying to get the hang of living in a wheelchair in a new part of London, waiting for my broken back to heal a bit more. But in my last update, I glossed over some of the worst of what was happening.

So here is my confession: too many women feel they need to drink like men. It's something we see time and time again at the bar, always the flick of the eye towards the other drinks being pulled and then the order for something meaty in a pint glass. When did this happen? What happened to girls being allowed to drink fruity cocktails? Is feminism now brandishing a pint glass rather than a bra?

The idea of holding your own whisky tasting is en vogue at the moment, but can be a daunting one. However there are a few basic tips that can make your event successful and enjoyable for both yourself and the people you invite.

Snaketails of umbrella-led tour parties predominate. While luckily less so in the spring, the cruise ships and coaches still regurgitate vast lumps of the very old and very young, united in their ability to irritate as they wind down the narrowest of streets.

England is a nation of secret boozers, with more than a third of the population drinking unhealthy quantities of alcohol, new research suggests. Th...