Don Kavanagh tastes oodles of sparklies and finds only a few that please his palate.

A pureness within Irish whiskey is enough to warm any heart, says Don Kavanagh.

Taking to the stands leaves with a taste for more rugby hysteria.

Don't be shy to buy a round, lest your mates don't forget it, warns Don Kavanagh.

I find myself in the strange position, at the moment, of feeling vaguely homesick for a place that isn't really my home.

It had been a while since I'd tried any Renaissance beers, until I was prompted to do so by the results of a recent brewing competition in Australia.

The Christchurch earthquake is the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to small tragedies.

I had an interesting morning recently, one of those days you think is going to be dishwater-dull, but turns into something much more exciting.

With all the cheap wine that's doing the rounds these days, it's nice to sometimes open a bottle of something reassuringly expensive.

I have a friend, you'll be surprised to hear, who likes a drink.

Now that the weather has packed in, it's time to think of indoor pursuits rather than simply lazing the day away in the garden or at the beach.

Liqueurs are the sort of thing that tend to hang about in the back of the cupboard forever.

It's hard being a chardonnay drinker these days.

There is nothing I like more than a decent session.

We've all got one. In each of our psyches there lies an awful memory indelibly associated with a drink. This memory has prevented us from ever going near that drink again and even the smell of it is enough to send us fleeing from the room.

Brewing. It's a typically blokey thing: it involves a combination of light engineering and biochemistry, involves using tools and the end product is beer, so it's understandable it tends to be associated with men.

There's a perception that beer is colour-coded for easy reference, and to a certain extent it is.

They say there are two constants in life, but really there are three: death, taxes and the fact that everyone has had a bad experience with tequila at some stage.

There was a time when American beer was a byword for tasteless, watery, bland rubbish. How things have changed.

I looked at the calendar the other day and was shocked to see that it's almost St Patrick's Day.

It never ceases to amaze me how much better beer is becoming in New Zealand.

Thanks to the recent soaring temperatures I've fallen in love with my fridge over the past few weeks.

Liqueurs - even the name sounds thick, rich and sweet. But are they glutinous, fruit-based sugar syrups, or is there something a bit more to them? Well, of course there is.

The more breweries I visit the more I realise just how good New Zealand beers have become over the years.

I managed to spend some time on Waiheke Island over the break, soaking up the sun and catching up with friends.

Don is the editor of Thirst magazine.

The summer holiday period can be tough going sometimes, with plenty of parties, functions and barbies to attend, as well as the more relaxed few drinks at home.