Vodka

Try this pumpkin-infused vodka in the Smashing Pumpkin Martini, or use it to invent a holiday cocktail of your own.The bar at Fifty Seven Fifty Seven in New York City, where it was created, uses a liter-sized Stolichnaya bottle to hold the vodka-pumpkin mixture while it steeps.

If you're expecting a crowd, mix up a pitcher of these drinks ahead of time and refrigerate. Pour over ice and garnish with lime wedges just before serving.

This refreshing cocktail can be a dessert, but it is also a great brunch drink. In Italy, Lucia likes to use Italian sparkling wine (such as spumante) instead of Champagne.

Set that flavored Martini aside. Sake cocktails are the drink of the moment. You may be accustomed to drinking sake warm, but why not chill out instead with this cool concoction, courtesy of L.A. hot spot Sushi Roku? (The drink is best made with a good-quality sake, such as Ozeki, the brand the restaurant uses.)

The story goes that Southsides were invented at New York City's "21" Club during Prohibition, when bootleggers from Chicago's South Side were among the restaurant's customers. The original recipe called for gin and lemon juice, but today the cocktail  — still popular at "21"  — is also made with vodka or rum. Our variation substitutes lime juice for lemon juice and leaves the choice of spirits open.

The beef bouillon makes this robust cocktail a little more bullish than its cousin, the Bloody Mary.