Triple Sec

Tart, citrusy, and just sweet enough, this electric pink drink is a classic for a reason.

Muddled melon lends a hot pink hue. Call it the drink of the summer if you must!

There’s a simple structure behind all sours, a family of citrus-based cocktails.

Cointreau can be added to a wide variety of cocktails, from margaritas to cosmopolitans to Long Island ice teas, but it can also be drunk neat or on ice.

This recipe came to us courtesy of master mixologist Junior Merino, who's based in New York.

Consider this citrusy sidecar cocktail recipe a friendly reminder to stock up on cognac.

There’s no such thing as the perfect large-format cocktail…wait. Classic Spanish sangria has entered the chat.

Skip the store-bought margarita mix: These DIY frozen margaritas are the ideal drink for a hot summer day.

When made correctly, the Long Island Iced Tea is a bright, balanced cocktail with a totally reasonable amount of booze. (No, seriously.)

To make this pretty pink drink, remember this mnemonic device: Very Cute Little Cocktail. That’s V for vodka, C for Cointreau, L for lime, and another C for cranberry.

These caramel candies are a joy to make and give to loved ones. Make the original, then try your hand at orange caramels, espresso caramels, and salted caramels.

Bright, peppery turmeric and a smoky cumin salt on the rim make this vibrant drink perfect for celebrating Diwali. To serve, garnish with fresh mint and a wedge of lime.

This is a refreshing, summery spin on a margarita.

Most chocolate mousses are high in calories, but it's quite easy to make a delicious chocolate mousse that contains a fraction of the original calories and fat. The secret is to use high-quality bittersweet chocolate. It packs a strong, lively chocolate flavor and makes up for the fact that the mousse doesn’t have a quart of whipped cream in it.

Bartender's Notes: As you read through this recipe, you'll notice that it mirrors pretty classic margarita proportions … with the addition of orange bitters. Bitters work their magic here, as they do in many drinks, by adding depth, complexity and balance to otherwise pretty simple ingredients. And when you're mixing a drink with mezcal, that depth, complexity and balance are the hardest parts to achieve.

As a grilled-food guy, R. B. loves red Zinfandel and Côtes du Rhone. Mixed with fresh fruit and carbonation, these barbecue-friendly reds really come to life. Sweeten with sugar if you like.

Back in the day when Min and her pal Philip Bernard attended Virginia Tech football pregame tailgate parties with fervent religiosity, a touch of special cider was often the incentive for warming up some team spirit. In truth, there is absolutely nothing Hokie about this fine cider punch, what with the assistance of the special team’s Tennessee whiskey and all.

Cava is cheap but good Spanish sparkling wine. It makes a festive version of sangria.

Salt makes tart things taste sweeter (and, oddly, cuts the sweetness of sweet things to bring out their subtler flavors) and mellows the sharpness of alcohol. The salted rim of the margarita is iconic because it capitalizes on all the opportunities lurking within the sweet-tart-alcohol bite of the cocktail; because it is beautiful; and because it revives us with every sip. The salted rim allows margaritas to be served on the tart side, so this recipe calls for more fresh lime juice and less triple sec than is commonly recommended. As tempting as it may be to bring out the heavy guns and rim the cocktail with more massive flake salts, I often prefer the fine crystalline froth of Marlborough flakey. It gives a truly satisfying crunch, like the feeling of stepping on powdered snow—a welcome sensation when drinking a margarita in the waning heat of a late summer afternoon.

Imagine strolling home along the long dusty road after a hard day in the fields. At the crossroads you encounter a gaggle of tow-haired youngsters sitting at a card table. “Sidecar, mister?” they shout. The sidecar is a lemonade drink for grown-ups. A touch of salt opens up the entire experience, makes it restorative. Citrus playing tag with sugar, chilled juice teeter-tottering with warming alcohol, the entire drink alloyed with salt’s wisdom and captured beautifully in a glass of coppery liquid.