Beverages

Virtue Feed & Grain in Alexandria, VA, serves this take on an Old Fashioned, just one of their signature "hoptails."

The secret to Sticky Toffee Pudding sweetness is dates, baked into a dense cake that's drizzled with caramel—special enough to be served for company and simple enough to be enjoyed after a weeknight dinner.

Agave nectar, a product of the agave plant better known as the source of tequila, blends beautifully with Old World Spanish sherry for a gentle sweet-and-sour glaze and luscious gravy. Because agave nectar has a low glycemic index, it's the new darling of the health-conscious crowd who are trying to lower their sugar intake. Although making the brown turkey stock for the gravy is an extra step, it can be done weeks ahead and frozen, and it's the secret behind a truly memorable gravy.

Chocolate Espresso Sauce is a flavorful accompaniment to ice cream, fruit, or our favorite Bomboloni.

Bomboloni—small round Italian doughnuts—is almost as much fun to say as they are to eat. It's like a party in your mouth when you repeat the word, which you will be doing over and over between bites of these balloon-light spheres of the tenderest yeast dough. Bomboloni are the new hot item on restaurant menus these days, and you'll instantly understand why when you taste your first. It won't be your last, that's for sure, which is why we've accompanied them with three different sauces for dipping. Each is delightful on its own, but if you want to go all the way with all three, you'll find they play well together, too.

Whisky Caramel Sauce is a flavorful accompaniment to ice cream, fruit, or our favorite Bomboloni.

Editor's note: Chris Hanna suggests serving her French Lentil, Prosciutto, and Pepper Salad alongside the pan-seared duck. The first time I made duck, I prepared traditional Peking duck using two enormous birds special-ordered from the butcher. After three days of painstaking preparation, every surface of my kitchen was covered in duck fat, and the ducks had shrunk down so much I only had a few ounces of meat to serve the six people walking through my door for dinner. Duck breasts are the answer! You can find them in the freezer section of your market if you can't find fresh, or you can special-order them from your butcher. They're much less fatty than duck legs or thighs, and they don't shrink much at all. In this recipe, the sear on high heat gets the skin nice and crispy. Aromatic five-spice powder gives the duck an exotic flair. An easy pan sauce results from deglazing the pan with wine and balsamic vinegar. Duck and Pinot Noir are meant for each other. An elegant Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is a perfect match, and stands up to the aromatic spice rub.

GLUTEN-FREE
SOY-FREE The Internet is filled with vegan nog recipes made with lots of tofu, but somehow, the thought of tofu in something other than a smoothie seems odd to me (and truth be told, I don't much care for tofu in smoothies, either). For a more elegant version, cashew butter gives a little body to the beverage without being overly filling.

Without exception, this was the most sought-after recipe at my restaurant and bakery. You would never believe these incredibly fudgy brownies are made with beans but no flour. The beans provide great body and fiber without a "beany" taste. Keep the brownies in the refrigerator. They will slice much better if refrigerated for several hours or overnight. Find natural coffee substitute at natural food stores.

Customize your favorite store-bought jam with orange zest and Earl Grey tea. Use any leftover dough to make delicious hazelnut cookies: Just roll, cut out, and bake.

Go festive with this floral, slightly fizzy punch, replete with decorative ice mold.

This hot toddy recipe comes from Matt Tanner at Houston's Anvil Bar & Refuge, whose addition of house-made apple-infused bourbon is a spirited stroke of genius.

Slice it and serve with our soft dinner rolls so guests can make mini sandwiches, then use the bone to make soup. Ask your butcher for a whole cured, smoked bone-in ham from the back leg of a pig, or order one from dartagnan.com (ask for the applewood-smoked bone-in whole ham). You can also buy a half ham and cut the recipe in half. Flavor the meat with Riesling from the same bottle you use to make the gelée for the chicken liver mousse .

This smooth pâté can be set up in small jars for a more festive presentation up to 2 days ahead. A simple wine jelly topping—optional, of course— serves as both a conversation starter and a tart-sweet counterpoint to the rich mousse.

The recipe for this cocktail-hour snack was inspired by one from contributing editors Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer.

Simple Syrup is the most basic sweetener used in cocktails, and as the name states, it's simple—made of just sugar and water.

What makes this recipe special is its lightness: twice as much milk as cream, and the white of the egg whipped stiff and folded into the mix, so it was almost like clouds on top of the eggnog.

This punch was originally inspired by a sangria recipe I learned from my friend David Hanna. More flavorful and higher in alcohol than your average sangria, this punch uses inexpensive wine from Spain. My two favorite brands are Protocolo and Borsao, both of which provide a juicy, full-flavored foundation for spiced juice and liquors. The punch has a tendency to be rather tannic tasting, so I add simple syrup cup by cup until the sweetness is just right. One of the most tragic downfalls of a party punch is overdilution, which happens when the punch is chilled with fast-melting ice cubes. I serve this punch either prechilled with ice on the side, or with one large piece of block ice in the bowl and ice on the side.