Beverages

This intoxicating champagne cocktail was named after a French 75-millimeter gun used in World War I. Many American bartenders claimed to have invented the drink. One recipe, from 1919, called for absinthe, Calvados, and gin, but no champagne. Supposedly, the champagne version was introduced at Harry's New York Bar in Paris in 1925. Or the cocktail might have originated with American soldiers in Paris, who added gin and liqueur to champagne to crank up its potency.

A New Orleans specialty that combines dark coffee with brandy, citrus and spices, this gets its name from the French words for coffee and burnt brandy. We've added a couple of twists, spiking it with Grand Marnier and topping it with whipped cream.

Chicama is one of Manhattan's hottest Nuevo Latino restaurants. Chef Douglas Rodriguez — a pioneer of this style of cooking — oversees the open kitchen with its Ecuadoran eucalyptus-wood-burning oven and rotisserie. Rodriguez turns out dishes like adobo-rubbed Argentine rib-eye steak and black paella, which gets its unique color and taste from squid ink; there is also a large, innovative ceviche bar. To wash it all down, diners choose from the wines of Chile, Argentina and Spain — or from cocktails like the restaurant's namesake Chicama Colada.

Here's a rich version of a favorite warm-up.