Champagne

Eben Freeman, bartender of Tailor restaurant in New York City, created this Champagne cocktail. As you add the sparkling wine, note how the drink changes color from green to pink. Freeman uses frozen cherries to make a cherry purée, but you can also use all-fruit spread.

This holiday twist on the traditional brunch cocktail sparkles ruby red with pomegranate juice, its tart intensity offset by a hint of sweetness from fresh orange juice and Cointreau.

Camper English, a San Francisco–based writer, developed this adaptation of a classic drink recipe to showcase the use of absinthe, but Ernest Hemingway gets credit for the recipe. His advice, circa 1935: "Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly." We recommend drinking fewer than five. You may also try pouring the absinthe on top instead—some brands of absinthe will float for a time on the Champagne, and this makes for a nifty visual effect.

Bartender Naren Young developed these cocktails at Bobo Restaurant in New York to showcase the flavors of cachaca, a Brazilian spirit made from distilled sugarcane juice.

Rumor has it that this cocktail was named in honor of the famous French 75 light field gun of World War I. Quick and potent, the drink was popularized by Harry's New York Bar, in Paris.

If you only have time for a dessert after the kids are in bed, try something elegant and expedient, like poached pears. This recipe works best with pink champagne.

Champagne always brings sparkle to the holidays.

Bubbly with benefits? Ginger may help prevent cancer by halting abnormal cell growth. (We'll take two!)

Present the shrimp atop the green beans.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Fonda San Miguel: Thirty Years of Food and Art, by Tom Gilliland, Miguel Ravago, and Virginia B. Wood. . This traditional wine punch presents the opportunity to turn robust jug wine and fresh seasonal fruits into a festive party drink. The recipe includes a mix of firm fruits (such as seedless grapes, apple slices, pear slices) and soft fruits (like strawberries, peaches, and kiwi). The soft fruits are added to the glasses at serving time.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Jamie Oliver's book Happy Days with the Naked Chef. For Oliver's Valentine's Day tips, click here. This great little cocktail was made by the barman after my mate Ben and I started working at Monte's.

Part of what makes this luxurious dish so delicious is that the spinach, artichokes, and oysters have a similar texture and the same soft, gentle flavors.

This recipe is adapted from Audrey Saunders, owner of Pegu Club in New York City. The slightly bubbly riff on the Bloody Mary goes wonderfully with Oysters on the Half Shell with Spicy Vinegar. For expert advice on pairing cocktails with food, click here. Editor's note: Saunders suggests that you use your favorite Bloody Mary recipe for this drink. In case you don't have one, we've provided one of our best.

This recipe is adapted from Ryan Magarian, the Seattle-based cocktail consultant behind Liquid Kitchen (www.kathycasey.com/liquid_kitchen). This autumn cocktail, with its palate-enlivening bubbles, is light enough not to overwhelm the delicate meat in Roast Turkey with Bacon and Applejack Gravy . The subtly sweet pear flavor echoes the presence of fall fruit in the gravy. For expert advice on pairing cocktails with food, click here.

This drink was featured as a Cocktail of the Month.