OK, this story comes from the Daily Mail, so cannot be relied upon, but if it is true then I am totally appalled.

We are told that supermarkets will have separate check-outs for people purchasing alcohol. This, apparently, will shame people into buying less alcohol and so counter Britain's 'binge-drinking culture'. What a pile of drivelly toss. It is another example of the scumbag Labour government trying to interfere with people's lives when there is no reason to do so.

I am too colourfully incensed with fury to rant about this coherently, so I suggest you read the excellent diatribe on the Devil's Kitchen.

A study has been reported on the BBC that alcohol consumption can lower the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. This is good news for me as there is a genetic component to it and my parents and grandparents all had it. None of them drank enough, in my opinionated opinion.

Real Perry (pear cider) can be quite delicious. This stuff, on the other hand, is actively repellent. I spit on the Jersey Cider Company for producing such evil filth.

St. Helier Pear Cider, 5%
Pale green colour. The nose is like essence of pear drops, incredibly confected and artificial. I can only imagine the temperature control system they used during fermentation to get it smelling this vile. Honestly, it smells utterly disgusting. The palate is similarly horrible, with flavours that remind me of vomit after consuming too many sweets and sugary fizzy drinks. If I attempt to raise the tone of this note above vomit, I'd say the closest drink I've had that tastes like this is apple-flavour Tango, and that really was the devil's own jizz*. I could not finish the bottle of that I purchased, and frankly I'd rather have all my teeth extracted without anaesthetic than drink another mouthful of this disgusting slur on the great name of alcoholic drinks.

*Yes, I realise moving from vomit to jizz isn't really raising the tone.

These fruit liqueurs are great for turning awful wine into a nice drink. If you have cheap white wine or fizz they can be rescued by adding a dash of a liqueur like this to become Kir and Kir Royale (respectively). They also add fruit and charm to crap red wine. Hmm... if anyone ever gives me a bottle of cheap Claret I know what to do. This blackberry-derived liqueur is made at the Chartreuse distillery and is a very good example.

Liqueur de Mûre Sauvage, Pères Chartreux. 21%/vol
A rich, fruity nose: concentrated essence of blackberries. This smells quite charming, although the alcohol is a bit hot on the nose. The palate is also very fruity, very ripe blackberry flavours are there and they are really tasty. This isn't a very complex drink, but a dash of this in some Pinot Blanc would be quite delicious.

We were given a present by a friend who visited for dinner just before Christmas, some VEP Green Chartreuse. For those who don't know Chartreuse is a herbal liqueur made by monks near Grenoble in France. The 'VEP' stands for Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolongé which means it has been aged in cask for an extended period of time before bottling. Normal green Chartreuse is really quite fiery, but this, whilst being 54%, seems a lot more mellow and refined. It is an excellent drink to sip on a cold winter's day and I am grateful to our friend for giving it to us. You can read more about Chartreuse here.

A winemaker friend has some yellow Chartreuse that has been aged in cask and bottle for approaching one hundred years. I hope he doesn't run out as it is a really special drink, mellow, smooth and herbal. After a long day tasting wine it is a treat to have a few sips of this magic essence.

Alcopops might be known as 'tart fuel', but one cannot drink Grand Cru Burgundy all of the time. My favourite are the Quinns brand. These are made from fermented fruit juice with extra fruit juice added after the fermentation has finished; they are made from 100% fruit juice rather than having extra alcohol added. Even though they are very fruity they are not overly sweet, there is a nice balance between the fresh fruit flavours and lively acidity. They are also only 4% alcohol so are not tiring to drink of an afternoon. My favourite flavour is the pressed raspberry and blueberry. You can get them from the supermarket Waitrose and their online operation. Since it is approaching midday I might well pour myself one now.

When walking around San Sebastian or Bilbao it is easy to be impressed at the very large number of bars that one can frequent. In the evenings most serve tapas (locally known as pintxos), and obviously one needs something to wash down these little morsels of goodness. You'll have to be honest when paying up, as you can order drinks and eat pintxos without being charged until you have finished and have to admit to how many drinks and pintxos pieces you have consumed.

The Basque country is a big producer of cider, and this is a good drink to go for when in a bar. They'll generally pour this from a great height into a tumbler until there is an inch or two in the bottom of the glass. The cider is generally flat, cloudy, dry and of reasonable quality. It is made in a fresh style rather than having prolonged cask ageing as lots of English ciders undergo. Unlike the scrumpy-type cloudy ciders it is not too alcoholic, so you can easily have a couple of glasses for lunch.

Gin and tonic is a popular drink, good gin is ubiquitous and cheap there. Again you'll be presented with a pint-sized tumbler which will be filled with ice and then the gin will be poured in until you say stop. Hooray! It is then topped up with tonic water. I suggest you order Tanqueray gin for your G&Ts as this is clearly the best gin. We stopped off in a booze merchant and got some for ten Euros a bottle.

The local white wine, Txacolí, is pretty basic stuff. It tastes a bit like Muscadet with which it shares a slight prickle of carbon dioxide. If you order this you'll get it served in the standard tumbler again usually poured in from a great height. The wine is really no great shakes, but it is a perfectly acceptable and refreshing drink.

In England drinking rosé wine is considered a bit girly, but there it is perfectly acceptable to be seen knocking back glass after glass of vinhos rosado. Again, most of the stuff served is at the 'EU wine lake'-end of the quality spectrum, but is generally fruity and refreshing on a warm evening's pintxos crawl.

Rioja is the nearest red wine region and this should worry you; Rioja is dreadful. The stuff served in bars is frighteningly awful, so avoid like the plague.

Drinking is very much part of the culture in the Basque country, so if you order Coca Cola when on a pintxos crawl you'll be given a funny look unless you order it mixed with red wine in which case it is called a kalimotxo (very popular with the youths).

This is another good that is on sale in Sainsbury's at the moment.

Duché de Longueville Cidre de récoltant Normany varietal cider "Gros Oeillet" 2005, 5%
The nose has a very over-ripe, almost mouldy, apple character; this is not a bad thing, though, the nose is very pleasing. It is reasonably sparkling, with a long finish of rich apple flavours. This is really good dry cider.

I am a big fan of good cider, this is a relative bargain from Sainsbury's. This is made by Westons in Herefordshire, who make some very good ciders.

Taste the Difference medium sweet cider, 5.5%
A characterful nose of ripe apple fruit. This smells quite complex for cider. The palate is lightly sparkling, with plenty of fruit and a lively refreshing finish. It is rich rather than sweet. It has a fruity finish of quite impressive length. Good cider.

I cannot afford to drink Grand Cru Burgundy every day, so I need something refreshing (and alcoholic) to keep me perked up; gin and tonic is a perfect drink for this. You have to use decent gin, of course, the dilute Gordon's just will not do. Tanqueray and Plymouth are my standard gins, and both of them have a heroic version (Tanqueray Export and Plymouth Navy Strength) for when a bit more happiness is required. I have tried other gins that are available, but these are my usual purchases.

I like my gin and tonics to be quite strong and quite large. The best place to obtain one of these is the spiritual home of the gin and tonic, the Basque country. On ordering a G&T there a pint glass with some ice in it will be put on the bar and gin will be poured into it. They keep on pouring until you say stop. It is then topped up with tonic water. On my one trip to the Basque country this resulted in many happy lunches and a reasonable number of relaxing afternoon kips. Better than drinking Rioja, certainly.

Perhaps the most memorable gin and tonic I had was in that region at a restaurant called Akelaŕe; it was a gin and tonic on a plate. The gin was a sorbet and the tonic was a fizzy jelly. It was really rather nice and really quite strong. We sat at the table with the best view over the sea. After the G&T on a plate I didn't mind that the view consisted of fog and driving rain with nothing beyond twenty metres visible.

An important note: G&Ts should be served with lemon. The use of limes is a foul abomination.