Entertaining

Vessels fashioned from twine give spring home makeovers a beautiful twist.

A not-so-soft drink from the deeper recesses of the cocktail canon.

The local gin craze is in full swing. Max Allen taste-tests the nation’s offerings, from traditional dry to radical botanical.

First, it was boutique Australian gin; now vermouth is on the make. Max Allen savours the sweet and the dry.

Shaking things up with Adelaide’s best cocktail bar.

There’s more to gamay than a merry drink-now drop – it’s a seriously seductive grape, says Max Allen.

It’s high time to give high tea a shake-up – score style points with these on-trend cups and mugs.

Supercharging the classic Champagne cocktail.

Pulling up a chair at the table with Italy’s champion of innovative design.

Once the sweet purple plonk of choice for yesteryear teens, Lambrusco has come of age, writes Max Allen.

John Irving raises a glass to the original aperitivo as we know it, the Italian concoction of herb-charged wine...

Can’t make it to the red carpet? Celebrate the Oscars at home with these winning cocktails, snacks and desserts.

Italy produces a boggling array of pecorino cheeses, writes Will Studd, and they’re (almost) always delicious.

Italianate snacks and drinks ahoy.

Italy’s relationship with chinotto has been a bittersweet affair...

We might not be living in a Jetsons-easy robot-powered future yet, but we're getting there. From talking barbecues to candy-making printers, we've rounded up some of the kookiest high-tech kitchen devices announced at this year's Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show. Hey, some of them might even prove useful.

The great Australian cider bubble keeps expanding, writes Max Allen, but when it bursts, who will be left standing?

Shooting to thrill with a hint of the wild Aubrac.

A cold one is as obligatory at a barbie as a sausage sandwich on Australia Day, and these handy tubs are made for the job. Just add ice. Cheers!

There’s no shortage of options at the bar for gin – but what about the tonic?

Young, fresh and juicy – that’s how we like to drink our wines these days. Max Allen picks 20 of the best of the new vintage to crack open and enjoy right now.

Sand, sea and Floridian Fizz – it’s time to get lei’d.

Eight handy apps to help you get through the holiday season.

While the dining table is at the centre of any Christmas celebration, there’s more to it than food. Here, six florists create arrangements inspired by their own feelings about Christmas.

Just the thing to leave out for the chubby guy in the red suit.

The Melbourne Cup is the city's biggest party. Here is your guide to this year's festivities.

Step away from the cheeseboard with that gutsy red wine. Max Allen and Will Studd have found more harmonious pairings.

Tony Conigliaro pours a mean cocktail. Not only is his London bar, 69 Colebrooke Row, consistently named one of the best in the world, he's also been Heston Blumenthal's go-to guy on matters mixological...

Here at GT we take our entertaining seriously, so we quizzed kitchen science guru Harold McGee on the winning formulas for our party ingredients.

Fresh as it may be, this drink comes with a pedigree.

H.A.G. Imports CEO Max Grundmann talks 50th anniversaries, style and entertaining.

Whether it’s a spread for six or dinner à deux, a touch of the tricolore is set to please.

Whichever way you cut it, the cheese course should be an event in itself and deserves to be served with an elegant knife.

Hedonism in a glass, just waiting for the right beach bar.

Thirty of our favourite drinks from Australia's best bars and restaurants.

A carafe for wine or water can add a touch of class or an element of drama to a table setting.

A smoky take on the classic precursor to the Daiquiri.

Three brown spirits are better than one in this multinational winter cocktail.

A Martini for whiskey drinkers? What better winter tipple?

The thinking person’s cure for seasonal affective disorder. Now with added whisky.

Sydney-based stylist Jason Grant believes that any space can be beautiful, regardless of its imperfections. The interiors in his new book, A Place Called Home, are a case in point.

A spiced citrus curiosity for your autumn drinking pleasure.

An uptown classic from a downstairs favourite.

An Americano-ish refresher well worth getting marooned with.

Online exclusives [Jason Williams’ Florabotanica recipe ](/florabotanica.htm) Jason Williams’ Southside recipe video  What will you be drinking to beat the heat? We asked some of the nation’s top barkeeps, chefs and sommeliers that very question and here’s the result: your ultimate guide to summer refreshment.  **Adam D’Sylva, chef, Coda, Melbourne ** I’ll be drinking a […]

A drink with a kick – and then some.

The Bloody Mary takes a southern Italian turn – for the better.

Beautiful packaging is more than a marketing device: it can bring joy in itself, writes Bianca Tzatzagos.

In this refreshing artichoke-fuelled twist on the Negroni, three is definitely a crowd (pleaser).

Looking for insider knowledge on making your next bash as effortlessly glamorous as the ones you see in magazines? Ten of our favourite stylists have got you (and your table) covered.

From the fringes of Melbourne’s mixology scene, Sam Ross has shot to the top in the US and created a new classic drink.

A nutty, boozy libation fit to do nanna proud.

An old-school DIY favourite, ripe for a spring fling.

The best defence is a good offence, not least of all in the cocktail cabinet, as this little-known classic amply demonstrates.

Lusty, boozy, potent and ever so slightly lewd, it’s a cocktail tribute to the Bard from a theatrical watering-hole.

Salty, smoky and with bonus pork, this boilermaker is tailor-made for the latest wave of the Brisbane bar revolution.

Go Greco-Italo retro with George Calombaris, some almond-flavoured liqueur and plenty of lemon juice.

The Chekhov of the suburbs, one of the great American masters of the short story, immortalised in cocktail form.

Take your Margaritas to the next level with the smoky citrus punch of mezcal and grapefruit.

Taking you higher with the flavours of rum, ginger and pineapple.

Taking it easy with a late-spring refresher.

Yoghurt drinks are coming at you thick and fast.

Taking Tiki uptown with a twist.

Unlikely bedfellows that they may be, eucalyptus and whisky make for winter warmth in this drink.

Winter just got that little bit cosier.

She’s issued the invitations – now Kelly Eng examines the five emotional stages of hosting a dinner party.

An improvement on the perfection that is the Negroni? Certainly something worth trying.

The Horse’s Neck goes uptown in Adelaide.

This is one D.I.V.O.R.C.E. that’s easy on the palate and the purse.

Watermelon. Honey. Lemon. Gin. Just add summer.

In our inaugural Cocktail List of the Year awards, GT cocktailian Pat Nourse raises a glass (and a highball and a flute) to the nation’s smartest collections of drinks.

The best thing you can take to a party, according to cocktail authority David Wondrich, is a bag of ice.

Kelly Eng rehearses her restaurant game plan, flexes her forearms and masters the art of stealth – all in the spirit of Chinese hospitality and generosity.

Keep your cool with a selection of drinks from the country’s finest bar talent that are as easy to make as they are to down.

Does the idea of entertaining throw you into a mad panic? Hosting a great party doesn’t need to be an extravaganza. If you’re no Tetsuya or Neil – and let’s face it, who is? – here’s a smörgåsbord of great (and easy) ideas to make you the host with the most.

Melbourne’s caterer to the stars, The Big Group, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. We asked CEO Bruce Keebaugh for his top 10 (or 13) tips on hosting a great bash.

He’s shaken up Sydney’s restaurant scene. Now Tetsuya Wakuda reveals he’s a mixmaster behind the bar, too. Here he shares his love of a well-made drink and some of his own concoctions that are favourites from the bar at Tetsuya’s.