Beverages

Inspired by Brazil’s national cocktail.

The clams and sausage make a warm and comforting one-pot meal. Toss with cooked linguine, or just serve with toasted pain rustique.

A big, beautiful soufflé with a festive chestnut flavor. You’ll need to bake the dessert right before serving, but you can make the soufflé base (minus the egg whites) two hours ahead, then fold in the whites up to one hour before baking.

This recipe comes from Eben Freeman, bartender of Tailor Restaurant in New York City. Though sangria is typically made in larger batches, Freeman demonstrates that it can also be concocted right in the glass for a single serving. When it comes to ingredients, he eschews the fancy add-ons found in many recipes, instead sticking to a simple formula of Spanish wine (ideally a young Rioja), Spanish brandy, and lemon juice. If you prefer, sugar can be added to taste, and different light red wines, citrus juices, and brandies substituted.

This recipe is from Eben Freeman, bartender of Tailor Restaurant in New York City. For this classic cocktail, essentially a gin sour with a cherry garnish, Freeman believes that the quality of the ingredients is paramount. He prefers Maraska maraschino liqueur, which has a cleaner and less funky flavor than other brands, and he replaces the traditional, artificially flavored maraschino cherry with a homemade version. For instructions on making homemade maraschino cherries, see the bartender's note, below, or simply substitute a pitted fresh cherry.

This adaptation of a classic Mexican beer-based cocktail was created by Eben Freeman, bartender of Tailor Restaurant in New York City. For authenticity, Freeman suggests using Pico Piquin pepper sauce, Valentina salsa picante, and Modelo Especial lager. However, he notes that each region in Mexico employs different products, so other brands can be substituted.

The tradition of Sicilian cooking is well documented in Anna Tasca Lanza’s works, and she is the zen mistress of all of the island’s fascinating food lore. Her school at Regaleali winery is one of the best I have visited and it was an experience to cook shoulder to shoulder with a modern national treasure. This is a variation on a dish from her first book, Flavors of Sicily.

This pleasant, not-too-strong punch is perfect for a party. To keep the mixture cold without diluting it, use an ice block instead of regular ice cubes.

This recipe originally accompanied Ratatouille .

In a clever switch, a zucchini blossom stands in for the traditional sage-leaf topping. A terrific dinner-party dish.

These gorgeous, grown-up treats feature crunchy almond cookies, icy coffee granita, and creamy orange ice cream. Amaretti cookies vary in size—you'll need eight to twelve cookies for the parfaits.

Though these delicately spiced soufflés reach toward the skies, they capture the fragrant earthiness of pumpkin.

We gave the old liver-and-onions routine a contemporary twist with mild scallions and crisp pancetta. Sherry-butter sauce adds finesse and roundness of flavor.

We had to forgo apple pie for this quick menu, but this deconstructed take is just as satisfying and very sophisticated.

When steeped overnight in a grappa syrup, dried fruits plump up with juices that infuse a moist, cakey almond filling in a golden crust.

Rum and apples go hand in hand, especially when the rum is in a scoop of ice cream melting over the apples in a pie.

When serving the spiced-pumpkin soufflés, don’t forget this warm accompaniment. It’s simply magical.

Sturdy forest-green collards provide the wrapping for buttery, juicy mushrooms. Elegance comes easily when it comes to these bundles, since they can be assembled a day ahead.

When food editor Shelley Wiseman was asked to develop a recipe for an over-the-top turkey, she began by rubbing truffle butter under its skin. "It’s a cheap shot," she admitted, "but it’s damn delicious." We all agreed—it’s the best turkey most of us have ever tasted. The butter, an excellent carrier of that unmistakable truffle flavor, moistens the turkey’s meat and crisps its skin during a high-heat roast. For this splendid centerpiece, a nuanced French shallot-wine sauce is just the thing.