Beer is going to be harder to get in West Palm Beach.

​We're filing this post under High Suckage Factor.  According to the Palm Beach Post, an ordinance was passed yesterday that would make it more difficult to buy alcohol in downtown West Palm Beach.

Ordinance No. 4394-11, which was passed on January 23, restricts "the sale of alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption in the Clematis Waterfront District and the Northwest Neighborhood District."

That means that new grocery stores will not be able to obtain a license to sell beer or spirits, though stores currently selling booze will be grandfathered in.


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​The Washington City Paper wrote last week on how difficult it is to keep Pappy Van Winkle in stock. The bourbon from Old Rip Van Winkle distillery has a cult following for its 15-, 20-, or 23-year-aged booze and has been a thing for quite a while now.

"The strategy of scarcity" builds a following and drives up the price, Julian Van Winkle III told Fortune last year. The 20-year-aged Pappy costs $239 a bottle, and the 23-year-aged costs $399 a bottle.

Perhaps it's the weather -- is bourbon a winter spirit? -- or perhaps it's because bourbon fever isn't as fervent in South Florida: There seems to be less demand for Pappy Van Winkle in these parts. I had some this past weekend at The Raleigh, which carries all three on the menu. "Is that the last of it?" asked a server when he poured me the end of the 15-year-aged bottle, priced at $23 a glass. He was able to find a replacement as well as bottles of the older stuff.

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Celebrate the Pisco sour at Buddha Sky Bar if you can't get to Lima.

​February 4 is Dia Nacional Del Pisco Sour in Peru. We're not sure if banks and schools are closed, but we imagine a country where work stops for the day to celebrate a cocktail, and we are happy.

We see this as a great opportunity to improve foreign relations with our friends in South America. Since the going rate for a round-trip ticket to Lima starts at around $500 before all those annoying taxes and fees, we're offering a more affordable celebration option.


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good.is

​Though I would have thought beer was kicking wine's ass, a Gallup Poll of American adults taken last year concludes that the numbers of people who typically choose beer has declined nationwide, while those who choose wine has slightly increased. Hard liquor seeds third, though more people are drinking it than ever before.

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Picklebacking. No, it's not some sex position... it's a drink.

​On Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Rachel Maddow introduced him to a new discovery of hers -- the pickleback. Maddow explained that the drink -- part whiskey, part pickle juice -- is a shot that cures what ails ya.

She's not crazy -- she's got a point! As an ultra marathon runner and past running coach, stories circulated about how pickle juice is a great cure for muscle cramping. Nutty?

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Celebrate the New Year with beer - it's still bubbly, isn't it?

​New Year's Eve is one jacked up holiday. Long known as amateur night, it's basically one of two evenings each year (the other being Valentine's Day, but don't get us started on that one) in which people gladly pay $200 for some surf and turf and a glass of lukewarm Champagne that's lost it's fizz. Bah, humbug.


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If NYE sucks, try again on Sunday night - with sushi.

​No doubt at this point you've got a handle on what you're doing for New Year's Eve. Right? Right?! Slackers can find more than 100 ideas for NYE in the handy Broward-Palm Beach New Times calendar.

But what about if you're one of the peeps in the service industry who will be working hard to ensure the rest of us are sufficiently plied with liquor and bubbly as we bid adieu to 2011?

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Kirti Poddar via Flickr Creative Commons

Whet your appetite for drink at "Cocktail Culture."

​As if you need an excuse to partake of a festive martini or highball this time of year, Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach is hosting an ode to all things shaken and stirred with "Cocktail Culture."

The 150-plus-piece exhibition features ads, accessories, fashion, and objets d'art that prove America's current cocktail infatuation ain't nothing new.

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​Traditions surrounding the December holidays put incredible emphasis on drinking -- and we're not talking about Publix eggnog.More >>

Michelle C.

Michelle C. Teaches us naughty tipples.

​Clean Plate Charlie would now like to ask all the kiddies to leave the room because it's time to learn to make some naughty tipples with a sexy Santa as your bartendress.

Michelle C's YouTube channel is filled with helpful cock-tail recipes.

As she helpfully demonstrates these delicious drinks, it's hard to keep your eyes on the tipple and not... ummm... elsewhere.

Nevertheless, Michelle's drinks are actually easy and delicious. Now sit back and learn a thing or two as this Betty Page lookalike who says she's double-jointed and can imitate a munchkin makes us three drinks, after the jump:More >>