Salty Dawg

The classic Salty Dog can be made with vodka or gin. I like the gin version, with a bit of tart lime added in for extra brightness.

Bitter Salty Perro

A riff on a Salty Dog, this cocktail is excellent with a 100% agave blanco tequila—or try a joven mezcal.

Thyme for a Salty Dog

Salty Dogs are great with gin, but we like to use vodka in this rendition—its more neutral flavor lets the interplay of bitter grapefruit and woodsy thyme take center stage. The cocktail's signature salt-coated rim gives the tart, herbal combo a welcome jolt.

Pink Greyhound

This cocktail is, for all intents and purposes, a greyhound, but I make it with fresh-squeezed pink grapefruit juice (Rio Star from Texas, if you're into cowboys), rosemary simple syrup and locally-distilled vodka. It's a real dandy.

Grapefruit Sangrita With Chipotle and Honey

Smoke and spice add depth to bitter grapefruit in this complex sangrita, the ideal sipping partner for a good tequila.

Long-Faced Dove

Adapted from Paul McGee of RPM Italian in Chicago, this cocktail is tart from fresh lime and pink grapefruit, with a touch of bitterness from Campari.

Jungle Bird

Campari, pineapple, and blackstrap rum come together in this offbeat, but delicious tiki drink.

Southern Baptist

Sother Teague of Amor y Amargo in NYC shared this rye cocktail with us, and it's a winner, spicy with lots of fresh ginger and bright from a bunch of fresh lime.

El Gallito (Pineapple-Chipotle Pitcher Cocktail)

This rare treasure, an umami-rich sweet/salty/smoky chipotle number, balances juicy pineapple with grassy, green cilantro. It straddles the line between sweet and savory: A handful of cherry tomatoes tamps down the fruity flavor without pushing the drink into full-on Bloody Mary territory. Plus, it makes its own salsa!

The Upgraded Paloma

This summer refresher from Zac Overman at Seattle's Sitka & Spruce is the perfect example of delayed gratification. Put in some advance work to make a rich, almost buttery sweet-tart grapefruit cordial and you have the makings of a whole pitcher's worth of drinks at a moment's notice.