Spanish Moss

Look at that brown-green color on those large rocks. That's the effect the Spanish Moss is going for. Now a minty coffee and tequila drink sounds pretty disgusting on paper. Really it was one of the best creme de menthe drinks I've had because it avoids using citrus like you find in too many mint drinks, especially ones involving tequila.

What you have is a cool visual effect and a sipper of a cocktail that has mint on the nose and the tongue at first sip. That gives way to a rich and grainy coffee flavor that lasts long in the finish. So this drink is really a winner on several fronts. I used my homemade coffee liqueur--vodka based this time with lots of creme de cacao for richness. Dabbling in combining coffee or infusing beans in your neutral spirit and adding sugar is what is so fun about making coffee liqueur. There's no wrong way to do it, but creme de cacao is almost necessary to avoid too much bitterness.

• 2 oz. silver tequila 
• 1 oz coffee liqueur
• 1/2 oz. green creme de menthe

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass full of fresh ice (large rocks recommended.) 

Betsy Ross

A good colonial cocktail for a American colonial figure, the Betsy Ross has a lot of the spirits that we associate with old world cocktails. Cognac, egg yolk, port and nutmeg are the driving flavors, but they get help from a good bit of Angostura bitters and triple sec. These have the effect of tropicalizing the cocktail a little, or at least anchoring it in the new world scheme of the spice trade and the Caribbean islands.

• 1 1/2  oz. brandy (cognac please)
• 1 1/2 oz. ruby port
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 3-5 dashes Angostura bitters
• 3-5 dashes triple sec
• ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients except nutmeg in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. (For best results, shake the chilled ingredients without ice to achieve more egg yolk foam before pouring into the cocktail glass.) Dust with grated nutmeg. 

Fuzzy Navel

A classic out of the late 20th century, the Fuzzy Navel (orange) is a bit of a pun for a name and kicks off many other peach and "fuzz" themed cocktails using peach schnapps. For all the silliness, the drink has aged well despite that most bars and bartenders shy away from doing this dinosaur. That may be because experienced drinkers taste peach schnapps (a liqueur that even gets bashed in The Walking Dead series) and they reject it out of hand. New drinkers will welcome it as pleasant. 

I can see that a nice peach brandy could up the game of this oldie but goodie.

• 2 oz. vodka 
• 1 oz. peach schnapps
• 8 oz. orange juice
• orange slice

Combine vodka and schnapps in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass full of ice. Top with cold orange juice, stir,  and garnish with an orange slice

Quiet Passion (Non-Alcoholic)

This is one of the most exotic and rewarding mocktails I've made over the years. Passion fruit juice has a way of doing that. The combination of it with grapefruit and grape juice leaves you wondering what it is you are tasting, which is really the point of a good cocktail. The fact that there's no alcohol almost doesn't matter and makes this Passion even more impressive for that.

• 4 oz. grapefruit juice
• 4 oz. white grape juice
• 1 oz. passion fruit juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass full of fresh ice. 

Cherry Daiquiri

There's not much more to this cocktail than the original Daiquiri, but what a difference it makes. The recipe calls for cherry liqueur, and black cherry Heering fits the bill. There's also a dash .25 tsp. of kirschwasser, which seems unnecessary but adds that dry fug of a clear and strong (and rum-like) brandy to elevate flavors above the expected sweetness.

• 2 oz. light rum 
• 1/2 oz. cherry liqueur
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. kirschwasser
• lime twist

Combine all ingredients except lime twist in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the lime twist. 

Billy Taylor

The Billy Taylor is named after the jazz pianist and composer and shares a strong resemblance with the Gin Rickey with one exception--there's a little sugar added to warm things up. It's good, still tart and strong, but good for winter as well as summer drinking.

• 2 oz. gin
• 1 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• sparkling water

Combine all ingredients except sparkling water with ice in a shaker. Shake and strain over fresh ice in a Collins glass. Stir gently. 

Amaretto Coffee

Another simple drink, taking a liqueur like amaretto and dumping it into a cup of coffee, becomes more elegant with spice and whipped cream. Dress up an everyday almond-syrup tasting coffee with a quality amaretto like Lazzaroni Amaretto can feel like an especially decadent treat.

Ground coriander on whipped cream lends a whiff of dried citrus to the nose of this special drink. The whole experience feels appropriate for the holidays when we expect to find richer and more extravagant drinks. This recipe does all of that right.

• 1 1/2 oz. amaretto
• 8 oz. hot black coffee
• whipped cream
• ground coriander (optional but recommended)

Add amaretto to a warm coffee mug. Fill with hot coffee and stir. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle coriander on the whipped cream topping.