Vermouth

Most fish markets will sell you the bones you need to make the rich broth, but avoid those from oily fish like mackerel or bluefish, which will overpower the stew's flavor.

Don't rush the browning of the onions—it's essential to the finished soup's flavor.

Sparkling wine and Jamaican rum make for a compelling riff on the Negroni. Plus, it's a quick finish once it's batched.

"We age drinks that have a wine component, such as vermouth or Sherry, because the wine will oxidize a little bit. That brings out a lot of nutty, grassy, earthy flavors." —Jeffrey Morgenthaler; Clyde Common, Portland, OR

You will find that the garlic has been tamed in the cooking and acquired a delicious buttery quality. Serve with hot toast or thin slices of pumpernickel—to be spread with the garlic sauce.

Here's a take on the classic Blood and Sand cocktail, using Flemish-style sour ale or kriek (which means "cherry") lambic instead of cherry liqueur. Lambic is a distinctively Belgian style of beer, made with wild yeast as opposed to the carefully controlled fermentation of conventional ales. It is often flavored with fruit, such as cherries or raspberries. Thanks to Eben Freeman, who serves a version of this drink at Ai Fiori in New York City.

St. John Frizell of Fort Defiance in Red Hook, Brooklyn, created this recipe for a Fourth of July drinks feature—this is the blue option in a special red, white, and blue Sangria series. The drink gets its oceanlike hue from just 1 ounce of blue curaçao, but if color isn't important to you, feel free to use regular (clear) curaçao instead. Frizell warns against using cheap vermouth: "An excellent dry vermouth, like Dolin, is necessary for this recipe." The drizzle of Maraschino liqueur, Frizell explains, "adds a nutty, bittersweet note."

This recipe is versatile. You can use any firm-flesh pears or apples—or a combination; just be sure the size of the fruits you use is uniform. You can also try another dry whole spice (such as cinnamon or cloves) in place of the star anise.

Roasting the garlic in its skin mellows and sweetens its flavor; to remove the cloves, squeeze them with your fingers or press on the cloves with a butter knife.

This recipe is simple but packed with flavor. You can substitute other shellfish, such as mussels or shrimp or cracked crab, or a combination of all of these. This version gives a nod to Provence, using herbes de Provence and Pernod. The rich liquor created by the combination of the shellfish, garlic, wine, and herbs is the best part! Bake up some No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread (page 85) to accompany this delightful dish.

(Note that this is always called a stew but it is actually a braise, because the meat is browned.)