Rescued from a vintage bar menu by cocktail historian David Wondrich, the Rose enjoyed a brief flash of popularity at the Chatham Hotel in Paris in the 1920s. Good luck finding it since then, which is a shame; soft, floral, lightly sweet and with a titillating aroma from the cherry eau de vie, the Rose is an exercise in delicate decadence, a drink that, like the Widow's Kiss, can put the imbiber in a mindset from a completely different era. More

There are several drinks that go by the name "Trilby;" I don't know where this one originated, but I really like it as an aperitif, and keep one at hand when preparing a weekend dinner. It's simple, yet elegant, and soft but not too much; if you're looking for an engaging pre-dinner companion, you could do a lot worse. More

Created by Audrey Saunders, co-owner of Pegu Club and the mind behind some of the best cocktails in current circulation, Eve relies wholly on a base of dry vermouth, its herbal flavor enhanced by a slow maceration of fresh apples. Lower in alcohol than a cocktail or a scotch on the rocks, and with a complexity of flavor that sets the stage for the meal to come, Eve has a delicate character perfectly suited for the season. More

This is a perfect autumn cocktail. With the color of its namesake foliage, the Fallen Leaves has a rich, delicate flavor derived from that most seasonal of spirits, aged apple brandy. It's fine to use Calvados in one of these, but I like to reach for the 8-year-old Eau de Vie de Pomme, from Oregon's Clear Creek Distillery. At a time when the autumn chill is becoming a little more apparent each night, a Fallen Leaves can be a great evening companion. More

The Marconi Wireless is a pretty simple cocktail: Take our good friend the Manhattan, but instead of using whiskey, reach for the applejack--produced in Monmouth County by the Laird family for more than 200 years. More

Enter the Pompier. Also known as the vermouth cassis, this tall glass of icy goodness offers a gentle, sophisticated alternative for those looking to idle away a steamy afternoon. Based on vermouth--so it's lower in alcoholic horsepower than many other seasonal refreshers--the Pompier increases its allure with the robust fruitiness of crème de cassis, a blackcurrant liqueur. More