Cocktails have come a long way from gloopy, day-glo, syrupy sweet drinks garnished with pineapple and tasting of tomorrow's hangover.
Nowadays, if you go to the right bar, your cocktail is likely to be shaken and stirred by a talented mixologist who'll conjure up a dazzling creation perfectly suited to your mood. Fresh fruits, herbs and spices are used, as well as techniques like barrel-aging to make the perfect drink.
There are even cocktail festivals where you can sample your way around the latest drinks. Here are our favourites for autumn. Make ours an Aviation, please. 
Berlin Bar Convent
For pros, those in the bar biz and (very) enthusiastic amateurs, the Berlin Bar Convent draws a crowd of world-renowned mixologists and every spirit under the sun. This is a serious show where you can attend talks on everything from the origins of the Bloody Mary to discovering the golden age of Cuban cocktails. There are also stages to watch demos and, of course, stands to try new spirit launches and sample old favourites. Mixing takes place on 9 and 10 October.
Sydney Bar Week
Starting this weekend, for one week, Sydney will be going cocktail crazy with a host of fun events for all cocktail lovers. After a decade of being a trade-only show, Drinks Fest will be opening to the public and you can attend cocktail workshops and learn the secrets from the experts as well as get great deals on spirits and all the paraphernalia you need to create professional cocktails. All week long there are parties, drinks safaris and even sessions on how to make like a Mad Man and drink like Don Draper. If you're down under, it's the only place to be.
New York Whisky Fest
Get ready to get your single malt on at the whisky weekender in New York, October 26 and 27. With more than 250 of the world's finest whiskies to try, you're bound to discover something you love. Sign up for whisky-paired lunches, tutored tastings, learn more about Scotch, American, and Irish whiskies and explore what makes a great whisky cocktail.
London cocktail week
A week of non-stop partying comes to the capital from Monday 8 October - just the thing for a post-Olympic slump. Jump on board the special cocktail week buses and take a cocktail tour, bar-hopping with like-minded spirits lovers. Sign up to cocktail boot camp, a hands-on DIY assault course designed to lick you into shape and get you swizzling, stirring and shaking like a pro. Plus there are dozens of events every day and bars across London will be doing special offers. Cheers!
Victoria Art of the Cocktail
Canada's most English city, Victoria, will hosting a three-day cocktail-fest from 13 to 15 October with workshops, tastings, contests and talks. Explore the city in a 'Tour de Cocktalia' (think Easter egg hunt mixed with scavenger hunt plus quality booze), solve mysteries to gain entry to secret Prohibition-style workshops and enjoy some of the wonderfully berry-ish local Victoria Spirits small-batch gin while you're there.
