Green Ghost

This tasty drink highlights the Chartreuse and will impress anyone who likes a pretty drink because unlike many pretty drinks, this one has flavor to match its beauty.

El Diablo

The Diablo cocktail is made with tequila and creme de cassis. This variation from David Welch at Lincoln Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, calls for Pimm's instead. The result is bright and refreshing.

Monkey Gland

This is a drink where spending the time and money to get your hands on the right ingredients makes all the difference. Fresh-squeezed orange juice is essential, and a quality grenadine—Stirrings makes a decent one, though it's quite simple to make your own—and an authentic absinthe really make the cocktail come together (though a substitute such as Herbsaint, Pernod or Ricard will also suffice).

Dutch Alps

This variation on the classic Irish Cocktail uses genever instead of Irish whiskey, and herbal genepy instead of absinthe. Rather than sweetening with orange curaçao, this one calls for rich, citrusy Amaro Nonino.

Atty Cocktail

A good gin contains floral elements in its mix of botanical flavors, and the creme de violette nicely calls the floral notes to the fore.

The Devil's Backbone from Lolinda

Much as he loves the smoky flavor of peated scotch, Lane acknowledges that an entire cocktail made with it is pretty aggressive. To avoid having that smoke be all you can taste, Lane cuts the flavor with a bit of spicy rye.

Lucien Gaudin

Introducing the Lucien Gaudin. Named for an early 20th century French Olympic fencer, the Lucien Gaudin starts off in the manner of a Negroni by combining gin with Campari. With the addition of Cointreau and dry vermouth the result is a pleasantly bitter drink that is simultaneously rich and dry--a challenging flavor to create which is all the more enjoyable because of its rarity.

Quill

This classic twist on a Negroni adds in some absinthe to bring great herbal and light anise flavor that lingers in the background.

Dandelion

This variation on the classic Chrysanthemum cocktail uses a Yellow and Green Chartreuse combination in place of Benedictine, and subs in bitter Malört in place of the more traditional absinthe.

Diablo

Really, who'd think that the zippy New-World spirit from the agave would match so well with a demure liqueur flavored with an Old-World fruit? But there's just some kind of romance between the two that defies explanation; all you need to know is that separately, they can be very entertaining, but together, they're dynamite.