Cocktails

Cocktails

Tart and cloyingly sweet, the martini is made with sour apple schnapps and vodka - meaning the drink also has an alarmingly green color that makes it hard to go unnoticed. Maybe some bartenders are rooting for the punchy drink's return, but the rest of us would welcome the option for something more subdued and sophisticated. That's where the Washington Apple cocktail comes in: A deep reddish-amber color, the apple-flavored martini is the Appletini riff for whisky lovers.

"The tradition actually started with the Italian liqueur Sambuca, where three beans were used as a toast to good fortune - and it's carried over perfectly to the espresso martini," Chelsea Walrath, general manager of Char & Stave in Pennsylvania, told HuffPost via email. In the case of Sambuca, which is also served with three coffee beans, the beans represent wishes of health, prosperity, and happiness. The beans on an espresso martini hold a similar meaning.

On the lookout for great rum cocktails? This liquor made from sugar cane became popular in America centuries ago, and is the key to many classic cocktails like the daiquiri and the mojito. After years testing rum cocktails at home, I've learned that they're most approachable and crowd-pleasing drinks you can make. This spirit is perfect for mixing with fruit, citrus, or sweetness, and ideal for spiking frozen drinks like a frozen daiquiri or hot drinks like buttered rum.

This apple cider sangria recipe is my new favorite cocktail for fall entertaining! It's my family's favorite too-they liked it so much the first time I served it that I made it again for another family gathering the next weekend. It's been a staple at our fall get-togethers ever since. Sweetened with apple cider, packed with fresh apples, and warmly spiced with cinnamon and star anise, it's full of festive fall flavor.

We know whiskey purists may cry foul, but we're confident two things will change those minds. One, we're not asking you to mix your prized bourbons with soda; more mainstream, affordable whiskeys are the way to go here. Two, this combo is just plain tasty, essentially a shortcut to capturing some of the whiskey/lemon/sweetness flavor notes of iconic cocktails like the whiskey sour.

For something a little unexpected, try this elegant, martini-style cocktail. It's light, aromatic and sippable, and pairs nicely with a few chunks of parmesan.

At Madeira Park in Atlanta, bar manager Philip Weltner's list of cocktails is built on the classics: a Negroni, a Manhattan, a Tuxedo. The through line is that almost every drink on the menu showcases fortified wine. Among this group is a lesser-known cocktail from the late 19th century called the Metropolitan . The earliest known reference to the Metropolitan is from O.H. Byron's Modern Bartenders' Guide , which was published in New York in 1884

A whiskey sour is one of Jack's favorite cocktails to order when we go out to dinner. Made with bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, and optional egg white, it's brighter than most whiskey drinks, which Jack thinks makes it the perfect start to a good meal. It also means that though I'm not usually a whiskey drinker, I do enjoy a whiskey sour. I love its sweet/tart flavor, rich texture, and foamy top.

Bourbon or rye, a hit of sugar, a dash of bitters, lots of ice, some patient stirring and that final squeeze of an orange peel - there's something truly special about an old-fashioned Old Fashioned. Having said that, there are times when you're feeling a bit fancy and want to serve your favorite cocktail up with a bit of a twist.

Pick your base alcohol (or go-to non-alcoholic option), choose a theme, and the generator will serve your perfect shot - complete with a name and recipe. Try it below, and don't forget to share your custom creations in the comments! All trademarks, logos, brand names, names, likeness, characters, and other personal indicia (collectively, "attributes") are the property of their respective owners. Use of these attributes does not imply endorsement, affiliation, or sponsorship from the respective owners.

Martinis take center stage when we see a 1950s-era dinner party on television, but there was a much more wholesome trend that's lesser known today: the fruit juice cocktail. The "cocktail" simply refers to the mixture of different juices or actual fruits, and not to alcohol. The thinking at the time was that this was an innocent, healthy-ish way to refresh people and get their appetites fired up, kind of like a booze-less version of the Italian aperitivo happy hour with appetite-stimulating spritzes.

That's why we're sharing this White Chocolate Lemon Martini, a refreshing twist on the traditional fall drink trend. This easy-to-make cocktail blends the creamy sweetness of Mozart White Chocolate Liqueur with the bright, citrusy kick of limoncello and a splash of fresh lemon juice. The result? A perfectly balanced drink that's smooth, sweet, and slightly tart all at once. It's the perfect indulgence when you want a dessert cocktail that feels light and luxurious.

"People love the show of it," says Madrusan. "The biggest question [they ask] is, 'Which one do I have first?'" For the best experience, shoot the yolk, then follow with a generous sip of the fizz. The first burst of the yolk is creamy, tangy and delightfully unexpected, giving way to the taut, juniper-driven intensity of London dry gin and the bright lift of lemon and soda. It delivers a full-sensory jolt.

Hearing the phrase "blue curaçao" elicits memories of a certain time or maybe even a specific drink. You're probably thinking of the Blue Hawaii, created by bartender Harry Yee in 1957 at the (now Hilton) Hawaiian Village. It was a recipe created for a bartending competition sponsored by the Dutch company Lucas Bols. The ingredient also appeared heavily in the colorful drinks of the 1980s (we see you, Chili's Radical Rita) and layered shooters of the '90s.

The Baltimore Bang cocktail combines bourbon, apricot brandy, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup. To assemble, the ingredients all get a wet shake and strained into an ice-filled old fashioned glass (bonus points if you make your own simple syrup). Garnish with a skewered Luxardo cherry and orange wheel. You could also serve this sophisticated bad boy in a chilled martini glass.

Hosting a cocktail party can be challenging, though. It's up to the host to make sure that everyone's comfortable and having a good time, and it's easy to get wrapped up in the idea that things need to be perfect. They don't. We reached out to a number of entertainment and beverage experts for tips on how to make hosting a cocktail party easier, and they all emphasized keeping things simple and focusing on the guests rather than aiming for perfection.

You can revamp your Italian Aperol spritz with a nod to the Mexican paloma cocktail - just add the simple yet tangy ingredients you need for a paloma itself: a touch of grapefruit juice, a bottle of your preferred brand of tequila, some lemon or lime, and a can of club soda. In this scenario, the Aperol - a bittersweet orange aperitif - balances the rest of the ingredients, adding a hint of Italy to the Mexican classic.

We're finally in the time of year when the temperatures are cooling, which means we're wearing our bulkiest sweaters, drinking hot beverages instead of iced, and trying to find other ways to get festive for the upcoming holidays. Well, we have a fun idea for you: Try incorporating the new Little Debbie's Christmas Tree Cake coffee creamer into your next cocktail.

Hello, fellow bartenders, home mixologists, and spirit connoisseurs. Let's get a little technical with a quick educational moment. Today, we're talking spirits. Most bartenders would say there are six main ones, and everything else is a variation: vodka, rum, whiskey, tequila, brandy, and gin. Classic cocktails typically feature one of these or a spin on them, making this lineup the perfect starting point for anyone building a home bar.

David Burtka has spent much of his life entertaining, onstage, on-screen, in the kitchen, and in person. Because to know David is to love him as he engulfs you in his effusive effervescence. But his latest project, a new book written with his husband, Neil Patrick Harris, isn't just about entertaining others. It's about making sure everyone at the party feels seen.

Emporium Arcade Bar San Francisco, the dynamic venue known for its classic arcade games, colorful, fun-loving atmosphere, and renowned drink menu, now offers 8 free game tokens for anyone in "the industry" - so we're assuming barstaff, restaurant staff, nightlife staff. Monday Nights are for the Industry! Every Monday night come join us for some drink specials and if you are part of our industry you get 8 tokens!Featuring Console Encounters! Get to play some retro games on our 50′ HD screen!

Looking for a cocktail that's as beautiful as it is delicious? Enter the White Chocolate Matcha Martinia creamy, indulgent drink with a sophisticated edge. It's sweet, smooth, and just a little earthy thanks to the matcha. Whether you're hosting a dinner party, celebrating a special occasion, or just want to treat yourself, this cocktail is guaranteed to impress. What makes this martini so unique is the balance of flavors.

More than 70 bars and restaurants will feature sotol-based creations throughout the week, from refreshing highballs to smoky stirred sippers. Expect to see Casa Lotos Sotol featured across the city at some of NYC's most notable drinking destinations like , Superbueno Wall Street Hotel Cosme, Toloache and El Fish. Each will riff on the spirit's versatility, from bracingly vegetal martinis to smoky-sweet riffs on classic margs.

The buildup to the craft cocktail revival had been brewing in the decades prior, thanks to bartenders like Dick Bradsell at Fred's Club in London and Dale DeGroff at the Rainbow Room in New York City. But it was that pivotal New Year's Eve in Petraske's tiny Lower East Side speakeasy when the craft cocktail party officially kicked off. Milk & Honey would go on to give us countless modern classics (Gold Rush, Penicillin), and help ignite contemporary cocktail culture as we know it.

But does bottle service have to be so bad? At Nubeluz, chef Jose Andres's sky-high cocktail bar in The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad, the bottle service isn't boisterous or brash. Guests are presented with a curated list of vodkas, gins, whiskeys, rums, agave spirits, brandies and spirit-free bottles. Pick a bottle, list off your drink preferences and the bar team will create custom cocktails for you.