Liqueur

Chef-owner Michael Mina of Michael Mina restaurant in San Francisco created this recipe for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program. He recommends using local strawberries whenever possible.

This traditional, tasty drink has 200 fewer calories than a margarita. Olé!

This mildly spiked dessert is so easy to put together, it will quickly become one of your summer-entertaining standbys.

Cassis, also known as black currant, has a deep, velvety, ripe-berry flavor, along with a slight sourness; this sorbet plays up those qualities. We use bottled nectar, but if you find fresh black currants, you can certainly make your own (see cooks' note, below).

For a berry swirl, add some sweetened crushed raspberries during the last minute of churning. The swirl may become icy after the ice cream is frozen, so soften slightly before serving.

This tasty pineapple rum cocktail is everything a tropical drink should be: sweet, fruity, and icy cold.

This drink was featured as a Cocktail of the Month. Adapted from the original, our recipe spares you some unpleasant puckering, because we've scaled back the lime juice. Click here to learn more about the Mike Romanoff.

This drink was featured as a Cocktail of the Month.

Lewis Rossman of Half Moon Bay, California, writes: "I'm a chef, and Mediterranean is probably the best way to describe the kind of cooking I do at my restaurant, Cetrella. There's an emphasis on seafood, plus several dishes inspired by places I've visited like Provence and Catalonia. This is one of my favorite recipes from the menu. It also happens to be the thing I make at home all the time." Serve with crusty bread to dip into the tomato-anise sauce.

Fill a glass pitcher or punch bowl with this fun, fruity wine-based aperitif.

Enid P. Saldana of San Juan, Puerto Rico, writes: "I would love to get the recipe for the lychee Martini they serve at Kittichai, in New York City." This summer, enjoy a vodka Martini with a real twist — lychee. The exotic sweetness of the fruit brightens the citrus flavors in this truly refreshing drink.

Brunch isn't really brunch without sparkling cocktails. This is an almond-flavored take on the classic.

Keep the final course sweet and simple.

Baker's sugar, a favorite of pastry chefs, is also called superfine sugar. It measures the same as regular but dissolves more quickly. It's available at some supermarkets. You can also make your own by whizzing granulated sugar in a food processor until powdery.

A bit of cardamom gives this dessert its exotic flavor. The pudding needs to chill about five hours before serving, so be sure to plan ahead.

Three great ways to keep warm — coffee, hot chocolate, and bourbon — in a single mug.

Lewis Rossman of Half Moon Bay, California, writes: "I'm a chef, and Mediterranean is probably the best way to describe the kind of cooking I do at my restaurant, Cetrella. There's an emphasis on seafood, plus several dishes inspired by places I've visited like Provence and Catalonia. This is one of my favorite recipes from the menu. It also happens to be the thing I make at home all the time."

A perfect ending to a holiday meal, these gorgeous golden orbs are remarkably refreshing. And they will remind you why, in days past, good little children often found oranges hidden in the toes of their Christmas stockings.