BEN McFarland and Tom Sandham, authorities on all things alcohol, are once again touring with their Thinking Drinkers act, this time seeking to entertain and enlighten the good folk of the United Kingdom on the Legends of Liquor.

These two titans of tipple have written extensively on the subject of booze and bars, both at home and abroad, before debuting at the Edinburgh Fringe with The Thinking Drinker’s Guide To Alcohol in 2011.

The York venue, a mirrored spiegeltent, looks fantastic and has plenty of comfortable seating, giving the whole thing a very cosy, relaxed atmosphere. So, when the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey begins to play and our hosts appear on stage dressed as monkeys, it is all the more bizarre and unexpected.

What then follows is a heady concoction of rapid-fire skits, comedic characters and purposefully terrible puns, mixed together with a generous measure of drink trivia and alcoholic history lessons, covering everything from ancient Greece to Andre the Giant.

However, in addition to serving up some first-class comedy, the Thinking Drinkers also lay on an interesting selection of drinks for the audience to sample as the show goes along, including a West Indies porter, Polish vodka, American whiskey, Irish Whiskey and Plymouth gin.

The Thinking Drinkers’ motto – “Drink less. Drink better” – is certainly adhered to by the quality of their offerings, but I would still say that one should probably avoid driving or operating heavy machinery after the show, especially as the pace quickens towards the end.

All in all, the Thinking Drinkers deliver sharp, clever comedy in a very unique and enjoyable manner. Cheers!

Great Yorkshire Fringe: The Thinking Drinkers’ Guide To The Legends Of Liquor, The Turn Pot, Parliament Street, York, today at 8.30pm. Box office: 01904 500600 or greatyorkshirefringe.com