Alcoholic Beverages

The Food and Drug Administration requested information from nearly 30 makers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages on why they believed their products were safe. The companies have 30 days to send data showing how caffeine can be "safely and lawfully" added to alcoholic drinks.

Prodded by the attorneys general of California and 17 other states, the Food and Drug Administration is asking the makers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages to provide evidence that their drinks are safe. The FDA this morning said it has contacted nearly 30 drink manufacturers seeking safety information on the drinks. Under federal law, an ingredient can't be added to a food or beverage unless it's been approved by the FDA or is generally recognized as safe. The FDA has never approved caffeine as an additive to alcoholic beverages.

Now that Brazil is slated to become the first South American country to host the Olympics, maybe Americans will pay more attention to one of its finest exports: cachaça . Made from fermented sugar cane juice, the clear, fiery liquor puts the defining kick in Brazil's national cocktail, the caipirinha . Made with cachaça , muddled lime and sugar, a caipirinha is a profoundly simple beverage that perfectly captures the restless,...

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said today it has fired the two agents, as well as their supervisor, who took part in this summer's raid of a Fort Worth gay bar that resulted in law enforcement clashing with hundreds of patrons and leaving one man hospitalized with a serious head injury. Christopher Aller, who had been with the agency for five years, and Jason Chapman, who joined the Texas ABC less than five months ago, were terminated as of today over the raid at the Rainbow Lounge.

Armed with a cocktail shaker and a dream, Marcos Tello is on a mission to elevate the profession of bartending. A mixologist's mixologist, he has helped bring together a community of Southern California bartenders and cocktail aficionados in a club called the Sporting Life, a monthly gathering that started last year with only eight people and has grown to more than 100, among them some of the region's top barkeeps and most devout imbibers. It's a testament to L.A.'

The mayor of this Texas city apologized Tuesday for a raid on a gay bar that sparked claims of brutality and procedure violations. About 250 people packed City Council chambers and an additional 150 watched on televisions in the hallway or overflow rooms as officials briefly discussed the June 28 raid that left one man hospitalized with a serious head injury. At one point during the meeting, someone in the audience called out for an apology.

How about a margarita with that matzo ball? Until recently, syrupy sweet wine was a staple of the Passover Seder, the ritual meal that celebrates the liberation of the ancient Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

As master brewers have done for 13 centuries before him, the sake factory boss is everywhere at once in his rustic timbered building along Japan's rugged northern coastline: helping to drag sacks of rice, gently issuing instructions to his four brewing assistants, consulting with his own boss, a fifth-generation owner.

Happy hour is getting happier, and that's making restaurants sadder. As the recession drags on, drinkers such as Luis Romero of Anaheim are gravitating to happy hour -- that late-afternoon period when bars and restaurants sell discounted drinks and food to attract customers during what otherwise would be a slow time. "You start watching your pennies a bit more," said Romero as he sipped a $3.