Vermouth

The addition of the sweet vermouth here punctuates the natural sweetness of the canned tomatoes, making this quick sauce taste as if it's been simmered for hours.

When this classic cocktail was invented, in the late 1800s, it called for rye. Here, bourbon gets to be the star, and the combination of sweet and dry vermouth makes our version "perfect."

Cynar, the artichoke-derived Italian liqueur, is popular in the Swiss border region of Ticino, where Italian is spoken; here, shot through with vermouth and soda, it maintains that bitter-followed-by-sweet sensation you get when eating an artichoke (plus a little fizz). And, like the vegetable itself, it goes well with cheese — which is to say it goes very well with the Appenzeller crisps below.

Here, the word "perfect" refers not to the quality of the cocktail (though we do love this version), but to the equal amounts of sweet and dry vermouth used to make it.

This drink was featured as a Cocktail of the Month. Click here to learn more about the Manhattan and for two more great recipes.

Cocktail historian David Wondrich prefers his martinis this way—that is, with equal parts gin and vermouth, as they were served circa 1910. To achieve the right flavor balance, he suggests using a high-proof, full-bodied gin—such as Tanqueray—that can stand up to the vermouth. For the sake of historical accuracy, he also recommends straining the drink into a chilled cocktail coupe (a stemmed glass with a wide, shallow bowl), because the martini glass as we know it didn't come on the scene until the 1920s.

This drink was featured as a Cocktail of the Month. The original Martini, which is made with sweet Italian vermouth, sugar syrup, and orange bitters, lost out to the type made with just dry French vermouth, but it is still an excellent drink. This recipe, adapted from the estimable The Old Waldorf Astoria Bar Book (1935) by Albert Stevens Crockett, calls for Old Tom Gin, which is sweeter than dry gin. Since Old Tom isn't easy to find nowadays, we've substituted a combination of dry gin and simple syrup.

Toast St. Patrick's Day with our drink that combines the quintessential Irish spirit with a classic American cocktail. Serve it on the rocks to better balance the Irish whiskey's peaty note. If you prefer it a bit drier, make the vermouth portion half sweet and half dry.

Be sure to rub the turkey with the spice mixture the day before roasting.

This recipe is adapted from Ryan Magarian, the Seattle-based cocktail consultant behind Liquid Kitchen (www.kathycasey.com/liquid_kitchen). He recommends pairing this cocktail with Braised Short Ribs with Potato Gratin with Horseradish and Parmesan . The drink's luxurious sweetness and body both stand up to the meat and temper the burn of the horseradish. For expert advice on pairing cocktails with food, click here.

There are many variations of the classic Dry Martini, and this mix was created in the 1940s for Charles Dana Gibson, a US illustrator, and presumably a ladies' man, too — the two cocktail onions are said to represent the breasts of his female admirers! As far as the mix goes, the onions take the biting edge off the gin and add their own layer of complexity.

A seasonal Manhattan.

This recipe is a variation on sole Véronique. We've used tiny Champagne grapes for the sauce — they have extremely delicate skins, so there's no need to peel them.

In honor of the late Peggy Lee, we adapted the classic Peggy cocktail, dubbing it Fever, as a touch of Dubonnet gives this drink the faintest pink blush.

This little-known classic cocktail is a leaner, crisper spin on the Negroni.

Paul Child's original recipe, for one cocktail, started out simply: "Make a Martini."