Drinks Cocktails How to Make Fancy Versions of the Martini, Negroni, Margarita, and Other Classic Cocktails Take it from us: The best dinner party accessory is a fabulous cocktail. By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on November 6, 2023 Photo: Chelsea Kyle / Food Styling by Drew Aichele What exactly counts as a fancy cocktail? Is it the setting in which the drink is served, the cocktail garnish, or the reactions from guests? When it comes to making a cocktail that feels festive, fun, and yes, a little bit fancy, we tend to turn to riffs on tried-and-true classic cocktails. For Negroni lovers, make things fancy with this Chocolate Negroni, and Margarita fans will be excited to sip on the Mumbai Margarita. By using classic cocktails as a reference point, these fancy cocktails add a little something extra to drinks that your guests are likely to recognize. This is our collection of cocktails that are fancy and fabulous in all kinds of ways. 01 of 14 The Lovesick Crocodile Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Spicy, sweet, salty, and savory, this bold cocktail is surprisingly refreshing. To achieve its depth and complexity, The Lovesick Crocodile features Ancho Reyes, a liqueur made in Mexico from smoky sun-dried ancho chiles that are macerated in cane spirit. Get the Recipe 02 of 14 Marasca Fizz Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Liberty Fennell Is there anything more festive than a Champagne cocktail? Crisp bubbles serve as the ideal counterpart for the sweet and tart notes of cherry liqueur and cherry syrup, while a sugar rim adds a bit of extra visual intrigue. Get the Recipe 03 of 14 Raspberry Frappé Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon This frozen cocktail is especially perfect for fans of sherry and comes together in minutes with the use of a high-powered blender. Plus, it’s vibrant, thanks to the raspberry eau de vie. Get the Recipe 04 of 14 Chocolate Negroni Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon The Negroni truly benefits from the addition of comforting, indulgent chocolate flavor thanks to a quarter ounce of Tempus Fugit Dark Cacao, which is also known as créme de cacao, and a generous sprinkle of dark chocolate shavings as a garnish. Get the Recipe 05 of 14 Matcha Highball Chelsea Kyle / Food Styling by Drew Aichele A little matcha goes a long way in this simple, festive highball recipe with club soda, whiskey, and honey syrup. Get the Recipe 06 of 14 Miso Mary Libertine Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christine Keely This deep red drink is a vibrant take on a Bloody Mary and highlights a wide variety of Japanese ingredients with shiro dashi and white miso. Packing an ultra-savory punch and garnished with a crisp, thin sheet of nori, think of this as an appetizer and a drink in one glass. Get the Recipe 07 of 14 Chrysanthemum Cocktail Matt Taylor-Gross The Chrysanthemum cocktail is all about getting to know absinthe without any of the burn from its very high alcohol content. A sweeter blanc vermouth helps lengthen the drink and accentuates the herbal notes from the absinthe, and a bit of Benedictine adds some body. This cocktail pairs well with briny and plump oysters. Get the Recipe 08 of 14 Kind of Blue Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon You’ll need to make both a blueberry syrup and a saline solution, but the resulting cocktail is special enough that the extra labor is worth it. Many of the ingredients in this cocktail can be used in other drinks, so it’s worth adding them to your bar. Get the Recipe 09 of 14 Caprese Martini Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon One sip of this tomato and basil martini will immediately conjure comforting and familiar images of everyone's favorite Italian appetizer, Caprese Salad. The martini features vodka infused with tomato and basil, luscious olive oil, and a necessary hit of acid from balsamic vinegar. Get the Recipe 10 of 14 Jardin Verde Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis This refreshing nonalcoholic cocktail from Bryan Dayton is sweet and mildly bitter from Seedlip Garden 108 with botanical notes that shine with the addition of fragrant, herbal tonic water. Get the Recipe 11 of 14 Halo Halo Cocktail Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Justin Ang blends silver rum, cacaçha, lime juice, and pineapple juice, with ube milk, which gives this concoction its vivid purple hue. He tops the drink with an array of garnishes that echo its namesake dessert, including mint sprigs, dehydrated mango, dehydrated pineapple, and unsweetened flaked coconut. Get the Recipe 12 of 14 Mumbai Margarita Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon Rose petals and rosewater make this fragrant margarita both eye-catching and delicious. Mumbai Margarita 13 of 14 Aviation Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon Floral violet liqueur is balanced by acidic lemon juice in this vibrantly hued classic cocktail. Get the Recipe 14 of 14 Gingerbread Margarita Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis This winter margarita has a warm, cozy, cake-spice panache that wouldn't be out of place at a holiday party. The spiced syrup is key: It intensifies the orange flavors of the cocktail while adding a seasonal spice hit that brings much-needed warmth during the winter months. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit