With so many quality bars around the country, it means a great deal to be labeled as “the best.” From the menu and cocktail quality to the atmosphere and bar teams, a lot goes into being recognized at the top of the industry. Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards have become one of the most prestigious and coveted honors a bar can attain.

“Whoa. That’s Instagram-worthy.”

In today’s digital age, there’s no higher compliment. That’s especially true in bars or restaurants. When a colossal-sized cheeseburger, an artistically presented slice of cheesecake, or a glowing craft cocktail arrives in front of us, our first instinct might be to reach for our phones and share these creations with the world. 

Keeping wine at ideal temperatures is obviously a critical element to success for any operations featuring a wine list. That being said, there are different ways to refrigerate wine, and this requires refrigerant.

Square footage. It's hard to come by no matter where the operation. Even restaurants in suburban or rural locations have to deal with the challenges of doing more with less in their attempts to maximize profits.

Bar and beverage. For many restaurants, it's hard to imagine a menu segment that brings in more revenue, and wine is an important part of this, especially as more and more Americans consume wine.

Taking these two ideas together, the challenge then becomes, how can we offer a wider range of wines in a smaller space.

"We've noticed the non-drinker has evolved," said award-winning bartender and founder of London's Dandylyan said in a recent article in Forbes. "It means you have people not drinking for a multitude of reasons, but they still want to socialize."

Eat. Drink. Shine. That's the way life is in Boulder, Colorado, where one of the most established groups in the local food and beverage industry has developed their latest legacy... potions.

What is a potion?

If you stop and think about it, you can probably come up with a few cocktails that incorporate vegetables -- Bloody Mary's, Mojitos made with cucumber, or even a jalapeño-infused Margarita. And while fruits are still far more popular than vegetables when it comes to cocktail flavors, don't count out the veggies just yet.

Summer is here, and one of America's greatest pastimes is traveling the country in search of the Great American Ballpark.

If there's one thing we recall from high school science class, it could be that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. What Newton was basically saying was that nature has a way of balancing itself out, but what he might not have realized was the same goes for an effective beer system. Everything you do, every change you make, has an impact to the system as a whole.

The Gin and Tonic is a cocktail we often associate with the U.K. or here at home in the United States. But if we're looking at how this barroom staple has changed over the years, and we're being objective when we do it, there's no denying the Spanish have mastered the Gin and Tonic.