Cafes & Cocktail Parties 2.0

The social networking movement has been gaining momentum for sometime now. First there was Friendster, MySpace and Facebook with their millions of members, but now we’re seeing smaller more specialized social networks popping up for every interest, including drinks—ranging from sites dedicated to enthusiasts to ones set up for industry folks.

We profiled collaborative wine review site Corkd.com in our Sep/Oct 2006 issue, and others have emerged since, including OpenBottles, Adegga, Cruvee and VinoShipperSocial, which connects winemakers to enthusiasts.

For beer, there’s the Aleuminati (check out Imbibe staffer Siobhan’s hops picture up in the header this month), BrewSocial (part of the livingsocial.com network) and even a network for keg fans at Kegerator. Coffee has an active social network in Barista Exchange, open to pros and enthusiasts alike. On almost all of these sites there are sub-groups dedicated to special styles of beer, wine and coffee, depending on your preferences.

If you’re already on Facebook or MySpace, you can seek and find groups dedicated to just about every type of drink from absinthe to tea. And while you’re there, check out our pages and, of course, become our friend.

So what’s your take on social networking? Have any favorites?