Gramercy Tavern's Expat

Sometimes on a cold fall evening all you want to drink is a bright, sunny cocktail to remind of warmer days recently passed. This Gramercy Tavern creation draws inspiration from both the classic Hemingway Daiquiri and Audrey Saunders' Old Cuban. It's at once tart and refreshing with a touch of richness from the golden rum.

The Highball

Short of simply popping open a beer or a straight slug of whiskey, there are few drinks that are less labor-intensive than the venerable highball. With Labor Day this weekend, we figured this was the perfect drink to share. You could reasonably ask the question, "Do we really need a recipe for something so easy?" but while this simple (and flexible) mix of booze, bubbles and ice can be prepared with almost zero thought, a little care in the execution can make all the difference between a watery ...

Italian Buck (Amaro and Ginger Beer Highball)

This fizzy, spicy, sweet-tart, and bitter drink was created by Jamie Boudreau of Canon in Seattle, and appears in Amaro by Brad Thomas Parsons. It's a little like a bitter, gutsy take on a Dark 'n Stormy, but instead of rum, the drink is made with two bittersweet Italian liqueurs: orangey Montenegro and vegetal Cynar.

Three-Rum Old Fashioned

Mike Treffehn of The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. in Philadelphia shared this tiki-style drink recipe. It brings out the best in three rums with their own strong personalities.

Knickerbocker

The Knickerbocker dates to at least the 1860s, when it made its print debut in the first known bartending manual, penned by Jerry Thomas. The recipe called for "Santa Cruz rum," or rum from St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, along with lime juice and sweetener in the form of raspberry syrup and curacao, and garnished with berries in season.

Old Cuban

Branch out from a mojito with this bubbly, minty rum drink.

Bywater Cocktail

The Bywater is an original cocktail by Chris Hannah, a bartender at Arnaud's French 75 Bar. Named for the city's Bywater neighborhood, this cocktail matches the vanilla notes of good aged rum with the richness of Averna, an Italian amaro, and is given an elaborate touch through the inclusion of the vibrant herbal Chartreuse and the spicy citrus flavor of falernum, a rum-based Caribbean syrup.

100-Year-Old Cigar (Rum, Scotch, and Cynar Cocktail)

If you gravitate toward stirred, spirit-focused drinks, you'll love this rum and Scotch cocktail.

Mai Tai

The true Mai Tai is a vacation in a glass, bearing little resemblance to the sweet, murky rum drink you've likely tried before.

The 151 Swizzle

Following Wednesday's post on the appeal of higher-proof spirits in cocktails, here's a drink that may appear formidable at first glance, but if treated with due respect is as gentle as can be: the 151 Swizzle.