Alcohol

For this spiced coffee with brandy and orange, we ignite the spice- and citrus-infused spirits in the saucepan, add the coffee, and serve the glowing drink in demitasse cups. It’s a less risky—but equally astounding—spectacle.

The spirit of Japan comes through in this dish: It is lovely to behold and has a delicate, light quality, yet the extraordinary flavors will seize your attention with the culinary equivalent of surround sound.

Rumor has it that this cocktail was named in honor of the famous French 75 light field gun of World War I. Quick and potent, the drink was popularized by Harry's New York Bar, in Paris.

The beer and cheese combo gets saucy, turning toast and fried eggs into a truly luxurious meal all about extras: extra-stout beer, extra-sharp Cheddar, and extra good.

Want to get fired upu for the game? Have some coffee with your grilled steak. Better yet, on your grilled steak. Wait, let's go one better and marinate the steaks in beer first! Coffee-rubbed steaks have been getting popular all over the United States. This is my spicy, Texas-style version with dark beer and dark coffee.

This recipe is from University of Georgia fan Thomas Lanford Jr., who says: "Satan's Whiskers is in honor of University of South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier, who most University of Georgia fans believe is Satan incarnate." Ah, the rivalry!

Eben Freeman, bartender of Tailor Restaurant in New York City, developed this bubblegum-infused vodka cocktail. The drink gets its name from Bazooka bubblegum, but Freeman prefers to use Double Bubble because it gives the vodka better color and flavor. This recipe makes enough bubblegum-infused vodka for eight cocktails. If stored in an airtight container, the leftover vodka will last indefinitely. At Tailor, Freeman makes this cocktail with a house-made sour mix, but for the home kitchen, he recommends this combination of lemon and lime juices, simple syrup, and egg white. The egg white adds a nice frothy head to the cocktail, but is optional. If salmonella is a problem in your area, omit the egg white or use pasteurized liquid egg whites.

A cold-weather favorite, this all-beef, no-bean chili gets added appeal from a seasonal ingredient: butternut squash. For best results, make the chili at least one day ahead so that the flavors have time to meld.

A stunning dessert that lets two autumn fruits—pears and persimmons—shine.

Brandy adds a little kick to this jam. Spread on toast or serve with a cheese plate.

Surely you've had one too many supersweet sangrias whose fruit chunks overpower the (usually mediocre) wine. This version couldn't be more of a contrast, with a refreshing mintiness and subtly aromatic fruit that still allow the crispness of the white wine to come through.

Not your average sundae: Strawberry sorbet takes the place of ice cream; Prosecco sabayon (an airy, foamy custard) is the sauce; and sugared almonds add crunch.

The Negroni, a gin-based aperitif, meets sangria in this great party punch.

You'll turn up your nose at plain old chocolate chip ice cream once you try this cool, stracciatella-flavored concoction—stracciatella being a vanilla-flavored cream with thin ribbons or chips of chocolate (which melt on the tongue) running through it. The stracciatella cream fills this semifreddo-like cake, which also shines with a toasted-almond cookie-crumb base, a toasted-almond topping, and a drizzle of espresso fudge sauce.

Eben Freeman, bartender of Tailor Restaurant in New York City, developed this version of a classic Brazilian cocktail made with cachaca (sugarcane rum). Freeman's adaptations include substituting kumquats for the usual limes and sweetening the drink with turbinado sugar, whose rough crystals help break up the kumquats. He also adds a soy-caramel sauce—which gives the drink a salty-sweet depth—but it can be omitted. If you do opt to make the sauce, note that you'll end up with more than you need for the drink, but it keeps in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Eben Freeman, bartender of Tailor Restaurant in New York City, developed this adaptation of a classic cocktail. Reposado tequila, aged in oak for at least two months but less than a year, gives the drink a smooth smokiness. If you prefer a more vegetal flavor, you could substitute blanco (unaged) tequila; it's probably best to steer clear of añejo (aged in oak for at least a year but less than three years), which could darken the hue and add unwanted oak, vanilla, or caramel flavors. To sweeten his Margarita, Freeman trades the traditional sugar syrup for superfine sugar, which gives the drink a slightly grainy texture. Freeman's final signature touch: Only half the glass gets a salted rim.

Eben Freeman, bartender of Tailor Restaurant in New York City, developed this adaptation of the classic rum-lime-sugar cocktail.

Asian flavors add some heat to the classic French dish moules marinières.