Lillet Noyaux

Sounding so French, this cocktail is really just the names of two ingredients. Lillet Blanc is an aromatized and fortified wine from the Bordeaux region. Creme de Noyaux is a nutty, pink liqueur made with peach pits and almonds. Together, this drink tastes very French with just a hint of gin to cut the sweetness.

Remember this cocktail for one of those low ABV drinks. The main ingredient, Lillet, is not as strong as a 80-proof gin. And the gin is a small component of the overall drink.

•  1 /12 oz. Lillet Blanc
• 1/2 oz. gin (Vitae Old Tom used)
• 1 tsp. creme de Noyaux (Tempus Fugeit used)
• orange twist

Combine liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist the orange peel over the drink and drop it in. 

Country Club Cooler

This is almost an aptly named cocktail in that it is something mildly alcoholic, a little glitzy and European, and perfect for early afternoon drinking in the summer. I'm not sure which country club this drink is associated with or why, but the reasons above are about as good as any.

First off, the alcoholic part of the drink is Lillet Blanc, which is a great Bordeaux spirit flavored with bitter oranges and sugar. It doesn't need grenadine for sweetness, but I like the color it gives. It is all packaged in this orange spritzer with a twist that make it rather tempting and more refreshing than potent.

• 4 oz. Lillet Blanc
• 1 tsp. grenadine
• sparkling water (Perrier used)
• orange twist

Build drink with chilled Lillet Blanc and grenadine in a Collins glass full of fresh ice. Top with sparkling water and stir gently. Twist orange peel over the glass and drop it in.

Combo

This vermouth cocktail is light and dry. With vermouth as a base, the Combo is lower proof, more like a glass of wine than a spirits combo. It is spicy too, with vermouth's herbs and Angostura bitters. Do this as a wine cocktail for any of your vermouth-loving friends.

• 2 oz. dry vermouth
• 1 tsp. brandy
• 1/2 tsp. Cointreau (Triplum used)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• dash Angostura

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Pineapple Cooler

This is a very exotic tasting drink that is somehow familiar and re-assuring after so many strong tasting tropical drinks I usually make. Viognier is a semi-sweet white wine with a lot of character that won't be hidden in a cocktail. That is why it makes for an ideal spirit for this low-alcohol cocktail you can enjoy any time of the day.

• 3 oz. white wine (Gayda viognier used)
• 3 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. sugar
• sparkling water
• lemon twist

Combine wine, pineapple juice, lemon juice and sugar in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a chilled Collins glass. Top with sparkling water and garnish with the lemon twist.

Shandy Gaff

If a Shandy is lemonade and beer, then the Shandy Gaff is also a near-beer cocktail that uses ginger ale. A good spicy ginger ale like Q is a good idea for this one. You don't want to water down flavor when weakening your beer, which is what this drink is intended to do.

What you get is a nice foamy ginger ale with some alcoholic content. I recommend using a dark lager like a dunkel or Negro Modelo because the roasted malt sweetness goes well with spicy ginger.

• ginger ale
• beer

Pour equal parts ginger ale and beer into a pint glass at the same time.