From beer towers to stripper poles, the Bar Show had every gimmick imaginable, even this shameless tequila-shot ice slide. Open wide! (Photo: Michael Anstendig)

While we at the Feed generally promote spirituous discernment, the annual Bar Show reminds us what most watering holes are really all about: getting drunk, playing silly games, ogling hotties and maybe even getting laid. This unabashedly politically incorrect trade event at the Javits Center on June 14 and 15 was packed with often questionable booze, promo models in Daisy Duke shorts and “entertainment,” from flashy beer-pong sets to mechanical bulls. For anyone seeking to open a bar—speakeasy, biker bar, cowboy bar or strip club—this is your one-stop shop. For everyone else, it’s a spring-break regression in a professional disguise. Click through for the slide show and more depraved diversions. Read more »

The legendary Dale DeGroff makes a rare behind-the-bar appearance, showing those young'uns how it's done. (Photo: Michael Anstendig)

Probably unbeknownst to you, yesterday was the 203rd anniversary of the birth of the cocktail, and what better way to celebrate than by downing terrific tipples mixed by nearly two dozen top mixologists like Dale DeGroff, Gary Regan, Dave Wondrich, Audrey Saunders and other boozy luminaries. The bacchanalian extravaganza took place at Pranna, with the proceeds benefiting the Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans. Read more »

One person's vision of heaven—or the (ri)1 launch party.

With a name guaranteed to raise an eyebrow, (ri)1, a new rye whiskey, made its New York City debut at The Eldridge earlier this week. Pronounced “rye one,” it’s a high-style take on an often overlooked spirit that has resisted a remake to date. Aged an average of 4.5 years in oak barrels, (ri)1 has a slightly sweeter profile than most and a tad less funk, making it “more accessible to a broader audience,” according to Allen Katz, the bearded rye maven extraordinaire. At 92 proof, it held its own when mixed in cocktails by the striking Katie Stipe of Clover Club renown. Read more »