Red Cocktails

Dave Kwiatkowski of The Sugar House creates this variation on an old-fashioned by swapping gin for the whiskey. A splash of Campari adds bitterness and a rosy color.

Like Paul Virant, Mike Page and pastry chef Todd Feitl think hyper-seasonally. They based this sweet-tart concoction on the classic Singapore sling, replacing the traditional cherry brandy with an intensely vibrant homemade sour-cherry syrup. With a squirt of sparkling water, the syrup also makes a great base for kid-friendly cherry soda.

Mexican-born mixologist Junior Merino balances flavors like a chef, creating classically inspired, invariably pretty drinks, such as this sherry-spiked riff on a brandy sour.

This strong but not overly sweet sangria is nicely spiced with cinnamon, anise and cloves and it has just enough crushed red pepper to give it a tiny kick.

A clever black pepper-infused simple syrup makes this strawberry-and-tequila cocktail taste more sophisticated than most fruity drinks.

When a Brazilian soccer team stopped in to El Vaquero for caipirinhas one night, bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler came up with this drink to tempt them away from his declining supply of limes.

A swizzle is an icy drink named for the tool used to mix it, traditionally fashioned out of a woody stem. The base for this swizzle is rhum agricole, made from fresh cane juice in the French-speaking Caribbean islands.

This effervescent sour-cherry cocktail gets a pleasant citrus kick from yuzu juice (from the bumpy-skinned Japanese citrus fruit).

Kerry Simon's Asian-style sangria combines Sauvignon Blanc with green tea-flavored vodka, but it can be made with plain or citrus vodka as well.

This punch-like take on the caipirinha blends Cabernet with a good amount of spicy Syrah.

Muddled blackberries give this refreshing version of a margarita its beautiful purple-red hue.