Golden Dream

Deep in the heart of San Francisco’s gritty Tenderloin neighborhood is the creative bar Rye. When a few folks from the CHOW staff made a trip there, they fell in love with this light, bubbly cocktail made with elderflower liqueur, Yellow Chartreuse, and Prosecco.

This Prohibition-era cocktail is equal parts herbaceous Chartreuse, gin, sweet maraschino liqueur, and sour lime juice. It’s complex, balanced, and totally satisfying. What to buy: Maraschino liqueur is a relatively dry liqueur with a subtle bitter-almond flavor; it can be found at any well-stocked liquor store.

Substituting tangerine juice for lime in a margarita is a revelation. The taste is gentler, a little sweeter, and far more aromatic—the tangerine flavor acts as a shadow for the orange liqueur, amplifying its presence. If you can get a Meyer lemon to garnish with (it adds a final burst of citrus perfume), go for it. If not, a regular Eureka lemon will do just fine.

Orange liqueur and Cognac-based Bénédictine are shaken with heavy cream in this after-dinner drink inspired by the flavors of a Creamsicle.

This autumn-inspired drink uses sweet maple-flavored liqueur with apple brandy, sparkling apple cider, and a bit of lemon juice to balance it all out. What to buy: We like Sortilège maple liqueur for its smooth and not-too-sweet blending of whisky and maple syrup.

There’s nothing like savoring a classic Margarita cocktail on a warm, sunny day.

The Adonis is a simple, low-alcohol, sherry-based cocktail. In its original form, the Adonis is a wine cocktail that dates back to the late 1800s. The name is derived from an 1884 play about a gorgeous male statue that comes to life and finds human ways so unpleasant that he willingly turns back into stone. Adonis was the first Broadway play to run for more than 500 performances, but despite its lineage, the Adonis cocktail is rarely seen anymore and has entered the endangered species list.

The blue-curaçao hue of the Na’vi people in the 2010 Oscar-nominated film Avatar may look a little frightening, as does this cocktail at first glance. But a few sips and the spiced Velvet Falernum will give you enough courage to travel by dragon. What to buy: If you can’t find Velvet Falernum, a clove- and lime-infused liqueur, try making your own. We think this recipe is a great stand-in. This Flying Blue Dragon recipe was featured as part of our Best Picture Cocktails story.