Cognac

This understated holiday punch has a cognac base brightened by a simple lemon syrup and lightly sweet sherry.

Caramelized bananas in a boozy, butterscotch-y sauce served over creamy mascarpone makes for a delicious dessert paying homage to a classic.

Cognac doesn’t deserve to gather dust in the back of your liquor cabinet. Here it fits seamlessly into a tropical punch with the help of a creamy condensed milk and pineapple syrup.

A nice steak plus this simple pan sauce will fulfill all your 10 p.m. Parisian dinner dreams.

At Moneygun in Chicago, they make this hot toddy in a French press. It's the perfect answer to what to drink on a chilly night.

The best way to tackle this duck recipe is to braise the legs and make the relish in advance, then cook the breasts and crisp the legs on party night.

Mint julep + bubbly? This cocktail recipe combines the two delicious classics and is the ultimate way to celebrate.

When you flambé the cognac for this steak au poivre recipe, make sure your pan is really hot and your eyebrows are out of the way.

Turn this tea punch recipe up a notch with a decorative ice ring.

This potent New Orleans nightcap is as much about the aromatic absinthe rinse as it is the Cognac and rye.

This riff off the classic sazerac features wine instead of rye whiskey.

The hot toddy is not simply a mixture of hot water and booze. It’s a miracle worker, a doctor, and a life coach in a cup. And although it does seem to do the trick for everything from a sore throat to a cough, it’s just as good when you’re healthy. This version—from Damon Boelte, bar manager at Prime Meats restaurant in Brooklyn—omits the usual honey or sugar and plays up the herbal and spicy notes instead.

Don’t let the sugar cube and dainty bubbles fool you: This is a very stiff drink.

If you like stuffing with smoked oysters, you’ll like it even more with tart lemons on top.

This recipe deviates from a classic milk punch, leaving some of the milk solids in, lending a heavier, silkier feel.

The lemony sugar syrup that results from muddling citrus zest and sugar is called an oleo saccharum, literally, “oily sugar.”