One of summer's greatest pleasures is sipping an icy, refreshing beverage in the sunshine -- or the nearest patch of shade. Summery cocktails and punches aplenty are finally ready for their seasonal debut, and just about all of them could do with a bit of salt.

I don't really do resolutions like "running" or "clean eating," but I do enjoy the "take charge of your life!" energy that each January brings. Instead of harnessing that energy to start a diet, consider making a few resolutions that aim to improve your kitchen and kitchen-related skills.

Today I'd like to talk to you about the best of warmer weather gimmicks: frozen alcohol. During this time of year, I vacillate wildly between wanting to make and consume all the boozy ice blocks, and railing against the whole genre as a cheap gimmick. ("Just eat a ice blocks and drink a cocktail like an adult," is something I've muttered more than once.)

A bunch of punch screams "party", but a glass bowl - while very pretty - is not the best choice, thermodynamically speaking, especially if you're serving out of doors. Couple that with ice, which is famously known for melting, and your punch can get warm and watery real fast.

The weather is heating up already and finding ways to keep cool in the heat is at the forefront of everyone's minds. Food and drink can help to keep you cool during these hot months, including this tip on chilling drinks with melons.

Adding frozen fruit to cocktails to keep them cool is a pretty common practice, but some fruits are simply more chill than others. For fruity cubes that will actually keep your beverage cold for an appreciable amount of time, you want to reach for melon.

Every squad has a preferred term for getting inebriated. To quote and then immediately regret quoting Eminem, "Get buzzed, get crunk, get drunk, get f**ked up." For my particular band of uni pals, that phrase was always "Drinkin' Outta Cups." As in,"Hey Jack, we drinkin' outta cups tonight?"

Happy weekend, everyone, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. Claire is busily filming exciting Thanksgiving video content, so this week is a guest post — written by me, A.A. Newton — dedicated to a true classic: the Negroni.

Happy weekend, everyone, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. This week I’m making a “Western-themed” cocktail, because a man on Twitter asked me very nicely.

Happy weekend everyone, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. Today we’re making a ménage à trois of assertive, flavorful booze to help us forget the woes of the workweek.

As with anything, learning to make excellent cocktails takes some practice, and even professionals screw up every once in a while. To prevent wasting costly booze, bartender and all-around ethanol expert Jim Meehan builds his drinks starting with the cheapest ingredients.

The ability to pay attention to the little things is a quality all truly skilled hosts possess. A little bowl for olive pits, a scented candle in the bathroom, and a chilled cocktail glass all show that you care about your guests' comfort and their overall party experience.

Happy weekend, everyone, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. This week we’re making our first ever reader-suggested cocktail, and it’s a good one.

Savoury cocktails are having a moment, but the fancy concoctions you see in magazines always seem to involve three custom infusions and a hand-crafted garnish. If that's not quite your style, check your fridge — you might already have what you need for complex, savoury adult beverages.

Video: A bar cart is a deeply personal part of the home, but there are still certain basics you should keep around to make all your favourite classic cocktails. Here we show you the essentials you need to build a functional, adult, properly-stocked cart of booze.

Happy weekend, everyone, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. This week we’re making the rum-heavy Dark ‘n’ Stormy, because this week has been, for lack of a better phrase, total garbage.

Happy weekend, everyone, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. This week we’re mixing up a daiquiri of a slightly different flavour by utilising my bff, maraschino liqueur.

Gin is kind of having a moment right now. For distilleries, gin is a lot easier to get started with, simply because it doesn’t require barrel ageing. If you’re a new distillery you can distill a gin and start selling it almost immediately, while a new whiskey distillery might have to wait a few years before it has a product to sell.

Happy weekend, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. This week we’re making a woodsy, herbaceous Manhattan-style drink, based on Audrey Saunders’ Little Italy cocktail.

Happy weekend, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. This week we’re making the drink that gave me my first truly terrible university hangover: The rum and Coke.