FAQs & how to use

What is Premium

Premium is a tier of membership enabling a whole new level of functionality and advanced features in Difford's Guide. Here's a full introduction to Premium.

What features and benefits are included with Premium

We will continue to develop, improve and add new features to Premium; as we do, we will update our table illustrating and comparing the benefits of free membership and Premium membership .

How much does Premium membership cost?

Premium membership costs less than £1 per week (US$1.04 / EUR€0.98 / AU$1.50) if you purchase an annual membership. Due to minimum fees per transaction for payment processing, paying monthly rather than annually is more expensive. Our membership fee is in a currency dependent on your location:
USA – $4.50/month (billed $54.00 annually) or $6.50/month (cancel any time)
Europe – €4.25/month (billed €51.00 annually) or €6.00/month (cancel any time)
Australia – AU$6.50/month (billed AU$78.00 annually) or AU$9.50/month (cancel any time)
UK & Rest of world – £3.50/month (billed £42.00 annually) or £5.00/month (cancel any time)

What is the 14-day free period?

Wherever you are and in whatever currency, ALL Premium memberships start with a 14-day free trial, as we believe allowing you to experience the benefits of Premium for free is the best way to demonstrate the benefits of membership. You will be asked for your credit/debit card details when you start the 14-day free trial, but your card will not be charged until the end of the 14-day free period. You can cancel your membership at any time during those 14 days, and your card will not be charged.

How many cocktails can I add to Difford's Guide?

Becoming a free member of Difford's Guide allows you to add up to three cocktails to Difford's Guide. However, with Premium membership, you can add up to 300 cocktails to Difford's Guide.

The three-cocktail limit was introduced with the launch of Premium on 27 August 2024. If you had more than three cocktails before that date, you can still view and edit them. However, if you already have more than three cocktails, you will not be able to add additional cocktails without becoming a Premium member.

Why have the brands I see in cocktail recipes changed?

Previously, the brands you placed in Your Ingredients would automatically be shown in Difford's Guide cocktail recipes. This caused much confusion to those with multiple brands in the same categories.

Now, our recommended brand or generic ingredient will display in Difford's Guide recipes unless you change the brand displayed using the new preferred brand function available to Premium members.

How do I set my preferred brand to show across a generic category such as vodka?

Premium members can set their preferred brand in each category of ingredient to display in all cocktail recipes. (e.g. Ketel One for vodka.) To do this, either:
1. Search for and visit the brand's page on Difford's Guide, then use the 'Personalise' button at the top of the brand's page to access and set your preferred brand for a category.
Or
2. Add the brand as an ingredient in at least one of your cabinets, then use the 'Personalise' button associated with that brand to set it as your preferred brand for a category.

How do I set a preferred brand to show as an ingredient in a specific cocktail?

Premium members can set their preferred brand for each ingredient in each and every cocktail. (e.g. a different brand of vermouth in your Negroni to your Manhattan). To do this, first ensure your chosen brand is an ingredient in at least one of your cabinets. Then, search for and visit the cocktail's page and use the 'Personalise' button at the top of the page to set your preferred brand for the relevant ingredient in that cocktail.

Can I have more than one cabinet?

Premium members can create and edit multiple cabinets to represent bars in your bar, garden bar, super yacht or caravan. Each cabinet can be custom-named and then populated with the brands/ingredients in that location.

Can I add my own personal notes?

Using the "personalise" button below every cocktail and brand (beers, wines, and spirits), Premium members can add notes to cocktails and brands which are only viewable to them whenever they return to that cocktail or brand.

Anyone who made such a personal note before the introduction of Premium (on 27 August 2024) will still be able to read their existing notes but will not be able to make new notes. Members who have not joined Premium can still leave public comments, and such comments can be useful for other members of the community, so we are keen to encourage their use. However, private notes can only be seen by, and so are only of use to, individual members; hence, private notes are one of the many benefits we reserve for Premium members.

What functionality used to be available in Cocktail Finder that is now not available without Premium membership?

The launch of Premium was chiefly about introducing new functionality and technology, not taking it away. With it came a lot of new search criteria in Cocktail Finder with very few revoked for non-Premium users.

Existing search functionality still freely available to all:
- Cocktail name or keyword
- Selected ingredients
- Created by
- Diffords Guide rating
- Difford's Guide or Community recipes
- Edition of our books

NEW search functionality freely available to all:
- Alcohol-free recipes

NEW search functionality introduced and exclusive to Premium members:
- Select cabinet
- Community rating
- Your rating
- Wish list
- With personal notes
- Must try
- Tried & liked
- Tried & disliked
- Hall of Fame
- Alcohol by volume
- Allergens
- Number of ingredients

Existing search functionality that's now exclusive to Premium members:
- Favourites
- Classic/Vintage
- Contemporary Classic
- Sweetness
- Strength
- Calories
- Styles
- Flavours
- Time of day
- Occasion or season
- Glass type

How do I cancel my Premium membership?

We're sorry you wish to end your membership.

So that we can learn and continue improving, I'd appreciate it if you could take a few moments to share your feedback on any particular problem you encountered or anything we could be doing better. My email simon.difford@diffordsguide.com

To cancel your membership:
1. Via your dashboard on the homepage or your name & avatar at the top of every page, click "Edit Profile".
2. Scroll to the bottom of that page and click "Account."
3. Click "Premium."
4. Click "Cancel your subscription".
5. Click "Yes, cancel subscription".