Brandy

The French often serve flavored wine as an aperitif. This one has a base of red wine infused with orange, lemon, vanilla and cloves; it is later mixed with raspberry brandy and sugar. The drink is best at cool room temperature, accompanied by nibbles such as olives, almonds and crudités. It also makes an excellent Christmas present—just double or triple the recipe, and pour the drink into pretty bottles. Be sure to begin the "winemaking" process at least three weeks before you plan to have the wine or give it as a gift.

The sauce is a variation of a classic one from the Normandy region of France, where it's made with apples and Calvados.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until thick. Slowly stir in the brandy, rum, peach brandy, milk and cream. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled and pour into a punch bowl. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold gently into the eggnog. Grate a little nutmeg on top and serve in 4-ounce punch glasses.

Pavlova meets Black Forest cake in a holiday dessert designed to steal the spotlight.

This garlicky shrimp scampi version of a classic bisque embraces the technique of blending seafood shells for a luxuriously silky and creamy end result.

Giving mushrooms the au poivre treatment transforms the humble shrooms into a showstopping main fit for the fanciest of bistros.

This understated holiday punch has a cognac base brightened by a simple lemon syrup and lightly sweet sherry.

Caramelized bananas in a boozy, butterscotch-y sauce served over creamy mascarpone makes for a delicious dessert paying homage to a classic.

Cognac doesn’t deserve to gather dust in the back of your liquor cabinet. Here it fits seamlessly into a tropical punch with the help of a creamy condensed milk and pineapple syrup.

A nice steak plus this simple pan sauce will fulfill all your 10 p.m. Parisian dinner dreams.

The best way to tackle this duck recipe is to braise the legs and make the relish in advance, then cook the breasts and crisp the legs on party night.

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

This potent New Orleans nightcap is as much about the aromatic absinthe rinse as it is the Cognac and rye.

Store infused boozy fruit in a cool, dark place to slow oxidation, kinda like aging your own wine!

This recipe comes from the November 1991 issue and is part of our Thanksgiving Hall of Fame series. It's an oldie but a goodie.

For the sweetest new year, serve this sparkly cocktail featuring classic Rosh Hashanah flavors: apple and honey.