Mezcal is not tequila. The agave is roasted in a pit in the ground rather than steamed, and that is where the smoke comes from. Four bottles on our shelf from $34.99 to $89.99 - El Silencio, Del Maguey Vida, Rosaluna and Casamigos - what separates them, and which one to start with.

A handle is 1.75 litres, 59 ounces and about 39 shots. Here is every vodka bottle size in plain numbers, how many drinks each one pours, and the brands where the big bottle saves you 42 percent - and the ones where it saves you almost nothing.

Shiraz and Syrah are the same grape with two names. Here is what it tastes like, why Israel does it so well, and the bottles worth buying from $13.99 to $62.99.

Rosé covers everything from bone-dry Provence to sweet pink Concord, which is why people get burned buying it. Here is how to tell them apart and what to buy.

Israel makes more good red wine than most people realise, and almost all of it is kosher. Here is what the regions taste like and which bottles are worth your money at every price.

Nine days of walking into other people's sukkahs. What bottle to carry, what to spend on it, why mevushal matters more here than anywhere else, and three things not to bring.

The hamsa-shaped bottle on the tequila shelf, explained: where it is distilled, what is in it, how blanco, reposado and anejo differ, and which one is worth your money.

The letters on a cognac label are age minimums, not quality grades. What VS, VSOP, Napoleon and XO each guarantee, why XO changed in 2018, what Grande Champagne means, and which kosher bottle to buy at each tier.

The most-visited bottle on our site, explained. What is in Russian Standard, what separates the red label from Platinum and Gold, which one to buy for mixing and which for drinking neat, and where it stands on kosher.