Gin

Your neighbor saw your 5,000-watt crèche with the Light-Up Holy Family and raised you Three Luminous-Halo'd Wise Men. You countered by adding the Animated Waving Santa and Nodding Reindeer to your roof; he got the Ho! Ho! Hover-Over-the-House Motion-Sensored Santa Sleigh Track. Before contemplating your next move, relax with a sparkling, ginger-infused refresher and review the inconvenient truth of your kilowatt hours.

This aphrodisiac-laden mocktail comes from NYC's Museum of Sex and is a perfect way to set the mood on Valentine's Day. The recipe makes enough rose elixir and rosemary crystals for eight drinks; if you're making only two, refrigerate the remaining elixir and store the crystals in an airtight container at room temperature (both will last up to two weeks). If you're short on time, skip the rosemary crystals and use just the superfine sugar instead. To make the Shanghai Rose alcoholic, add two ounces of gin or vodka to each drink.

After Thanksgiving, serve the sauerkraut with kielbasa and mashed potatoes—or try it in a Reuben sandwich or as a hot-dog topper.

I'm pretty much a purist when it comes to martinis. I can't bring myself to imagine what's involved with Martini: The Game, a cards–and–dice game that makes each player a bartender working to whip up cocktail creations. My version of that game would be pretty boring: a bunch of gin cards, the occasional dry vermouth card, and a die that just says "olive" or "twist" on all sides. Not a fun game, but these ingredients do make a superior cocktail in my opinion! So I'm not big on martini variations, but this one minor twist on the classic martini simply adds a bit more herbal and savory character to the aromatics already present in the gin—a little more depth of character without going overboard. This cocktail will be best with a London dry–style gin. Some newer and small–batch gins—much as I love them—can have distinctive character that may or may not meld well with the rosemary. To ensure that the olives take on some of that savory rosemary flavor, they should soak for at least a day before mixing the martinis.

A Gin Rickey is a mix of gin, lime juice, and club soda. We've added crushed raspberries and rose water, which makes the berry flavor sing. Any gin will work, but the cucumber and rose notes of Hendrick's are particularly good here. Garnish with lime slices and whole berries.

At 1105, a bar in Copenhagen, juniper-inflected gin is paired with caraway-flavored aquavit, Scandinavia's traditional eau-de-vie.

Kathy Casey is one of Seattle's most talented chefs, and this cucumber sake-tini was inspired by her specialty drink, the Katana. We warn you that this martini is absolutely lethal, because the cooling cucumber masks the potency of the gin. The sake adds a little "je ne sais quoi" and the mint heightens the overall floral bouquet. The result is a drink that it is soooooooooo sippable that it's hard to stop. Due to popular demand, we often serve this at our Southern supper club.

Clementines provide the orange flavoring in this update of a classic cocktail. Chill the Martini glasses in the freezer for a few hours beforehand. Hendrick’s Gin, a smooth Scottish gin infused with cucumber and rose petals, is worth seeking out: It is the perfect choice for this drink.

A few years ago I created a menu of regional American dishes (both traditional and invented) for a special Fourth of July wine dinner. I wanted something particularly clever to represent Manhattan. I kept thinking of sophisticated New Yorkers drinking martinis and decided to try my hand at making a sauce with similar ingredients. I like the double dose of juniper with the deep, rich taste of wild salmon, and the olives add a distinctive briny note.

This classic cocktail is said to be the predecessor of the Martini. Bartender Eben Freeman developed this version at Tailor restaurant in New York City.

This adaptation of a classic recipe comes from Eben Freeman, bartender of Tailor Restaurant in New York City. Note that a Gibson is a Martini with a pickled onion instead of an olive as garnish.

This recipe is from Eben Freeman, bartender of Tailor Restaurant in New York City. For this classic cocktail, essentially a gin sour with a cherry garnish, Freeman believes that the quality of the ingredients is paramount. He prefers Maraska maraschino liqueur, which has a cleaner and less funky flavor than other brands, and he replaces the traditional, artificially flavored maraschino cherry with a homemade version. For instructions on making homemade maraschino cherries, see the bartender's note, below, or simply substitute a pitted fresh cherry.

Begin making this one day ahead, and serve with a platter of oysters on the half shell.

An aromatic syrup that calls to mind the clean smell of the forest enhances the flavor of fresh blueberries. Also, since it's poured over the berries while hot, it colors them a gorgeous sapphire and softens them, making their burst in the mouth even more intense.

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.

This recipe is from University of Georgia fan Thomas Lanford Jr., who says: "Satan's Whiskers is in honor of University of South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier, who most University of Georgia fans believe is Satan incarnate." Ah, the rivalry!