Uh..are you really drinking that?

Fashions change in bar drinks, as in everything else, and probably the days of elaborate cocktails served in something that looks like Carmen Miranda's hat are over. Now, however, bartenders are scrambling to invent ever more astonishing drinks by combining ingredients that have never been in the same glass before.

Here, as reported in the Vancouver Sun, is what is mixed in one variation on a classic: rye whisky, Grand Marnier, sweet vermouth, Pernod, and two varieties of bitters. Obviously, Canadians have reached a level of drinking sophistication worlds beyond No. 1 Hard Rye and 7-Up, or Calgary Red-Eye: tomato juice and beer.

So this New Year's Eve, you may be daring enough to experiment. Our choice? We'll stick to Veuve Clicquot, thanks.