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my two current favorites are marrukan rice vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and bragg's aminos whisked in the bottom of the bowl with a little grind of pepper and tossed with the greens, or dijon mustard, sherry vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil, same prep.

Well, my whiskey salad dressing is popular here:
I don't really "measure" per se, so this is approximate. Naturally, add more/less of things to taste.

1/4-1/3 cup whiskey (I use Irish most of the time, but good ol' Jack is great too..any would work)
1/2 cup olive oil
4-6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2-1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme OR basil/lemon basil
1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
dash of cayenne or crushed red pepper or Tabasco
1/2 clove of garlic VERY finely chopped or mashed to paste
Dash of soy or worcestershire

I also just like to do oil and vinegar with some stone ground mustard and fresh herbs..any kind really, with salt and pepper.

My fall fave is apple cider-
**Apple Cider Dressing
1/2 cup cider
1/3 cup olive oil
3-4 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
2 tsp. dijon or brown mustard
2-3 tsp. honey
pinch of salt and pepper
Shake all together well in a jar and pour over salad...can serve cold or warm it up a bit for better flavor.

Not so much a recipe as a how-to is my basic salad dressing. I blogged about it here:http://stlouiseats.typepad.com/st_louis_eats_and_drinks_/2007/11/dressing-a-sala.html

No recipe needed and variations are infinite.

I have a half dozen - or so - kinds of vinegar, but mostly fall back on olive oil, sherry vinegar, a bit of mustard and some salt and pepper. I like adding a smitch of ranch dressing mix at tiimes. and also like a 1000 island, especially with seafood mixed in with the greens. This goes with my favorite dinner - a Crab Louis with a hard cooked egg and French bread. I live in the Bay area and can buy snall crusty sourdough baguettes that are wonderful made into garlic bread.

Classic Vinaigrette

I make this in the bowl where I plan to serve the salad.

1-3 Cloves Fresh Garlic
1/2 tsp. Salt
1-2 Tbsp. Dijon
3 Tbsp. Vinegar
Freshly Ground Pepper
1/3 (ish) of a cup Olive oil

I'm going to try and explain this as well as I can because I do it so often that I rarely pay attention...LOL.

On a cutting board, begin to chop the garlic. When the garlic becomes small dice, sprinkle it with the salt. Continue chopping through the garlic and salt another few seconds to combine the garlic and salt. With the side of your chef's knife begin to smear the garlic over the board. You will need some force to do this so really lean on it. Repeat until the garlic and salt become a paste. It usually takes me four or five passes but if you still see garlic dice, you're not done. With your chef's knife, scrape up the garlic and salt paste and place it in the salad bowl.

Your triceps workout is now over.

Whisk in the dijon and vinegar, and grind in the pepper (to taste). At this point, in the finest stream possible, drizzle the oil into the bowl, whisking furiously so it emulsifies. Let the dressing fully emulsify before adding more oil. After the oil is added, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If it's too vinegary tasting for you, add more oil, making sure to whisk and keep the emulsion.

Place the salad bowl in the fridge. Wash and spin the greens and dump them on top of the dressing but DO NOT combine until just before service.

Some variations on this theme:

Shallots (not mashed but finely minced) replace garlic
Grainy Mustard or honey mustard replace Dijon
Vinegars can be:
Raspberry (goes great with the honey mustard and shallots above)
Rice Wine Vinegar
Balsamico
Champagne Vinegar
Fig Infused Vinegar (my newest obsession)
Oils can be:
Extra virgin OO
Pure OO
If using rice wine vinegar, vegetable oil complemented with toasted sesame oil (and honey mustard)
If using raspberry vinegar and shallots, vegetable oil complemented with hazelnut oil or walnut oil.

I have a huge variety of vinegars and I mix them with extra virgin olive oil (3-4 parts oil to 1 part vinegar). Add-ins vary, depending on what type of meal and salad, and my mood. I always add s&p, often a chopped fresh herb, and sometimes shallots and/or garlic. I rarely add mustard (which helps emulsify), because I'm not that fond of it in dressing, although I like it in marinades and often use a similar recipe. If I want to add sweetness, I use honey or maple syrup or brown sugar. I've even used molasses, but that has an overwhelming strong flavor.

I decide which vinegar and add-ins almost like a wine pairing. What meat or fish will this accompany. If having a green salad, what greens and veggies and fruits? What might taste good with grapes or strawberries and lamb? It's fun and tastes so fresh.

My mom made this salad dressing pretty much daily when I was growing up:

lemon juice
olive oil
salt
pepper
Shake these in a salad dressing shaker, or whisk them in a bowl.
Rub the salad bowl with an open clove of garlic and toss the greens with the dressing.

I make it frequently now too. It's nothing special, but I love it. It's clean and light for a side salad. While the rest of middle America was developing an obsession with ranch dressing, I was eating this.

The beauty of this simple dressing is that it's ridiculously easy and good on a daily basis. You could very easily add in fresh herbs, dijon, shallot, or whatever else (I add lemon zest much of the time). To be perfectly honest, as plain as it is, I seldom look for ways to make a fancier dressing because I'm so happy with this one.

1 clove garlic + 1/2 tsp. kosher salt - put in a mortar and pestle and mash into a paste. Put the paste into shaker or a bowl, add 2 T balsamic vinegar and 5 T olive oil, freshly ground black pepper and shake or whisk together.

You can adjust the proportion of vinegar/oil to your liking; I like a rich balsamic taste so I do 5/2.

I also sometimes add 1/2 tsp. mustard powder or dijon mustard, and/or fresh herbs, typically thyme or parsley.

This dressing is particularly yummy with mixed greens, walnuts, dried cranberries and feta or bleu cheese - yum!!!!!

1) Dijon mustard and a finely chopped shallot, left to mellow with a little sherry vinegar for a while; equal parts olive oil and toasted hazelnut (or walnut) oil whisked in

2) Bowl rubbed with a cut garlic clove; Dijon and balsamic vinegar mixed in, olive oil whisked in until emulsified, smashed garlic added, left to cogitate until ready to serve, garlic removed and dressing rewhisked

3) Michael Lomonaco's mustard shallot vinaigrette, the dressing recipe I am asked for most often:

1/4 cup champagne vinegar
3 T Dijon mustard
1 T clover honey
4 large peeled shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground white pepper [I use black - don't tell Michael]
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a sharp blade, process the vinegar, mustard, honey, shallots, salt and pepper until the shallots are finely chopped. With the processor running, add the oil in a small stream until all the oil has been incorporated and the dressing has achieved a silky, smooth texture. The dressing may be stored, covered, for up to one week in the refrigerator, but should be brought to room temperature before using.

My favorite stand-by:

3 T oil
1 T vinegar
1 t mustard
Juice from 1/2 lemon
3/4 t cumin
1 T sugar

Shake or whisk and you're all set! I accidentally made this up when I was 12 and my family still loves it!

blackolive, that's our go-to dressing as well, except with a sprinkle of oregano. My Sicilian grandmother would also marinate her steaks in it before grilling. It was delicious.

Here's the salad dressing I've been making pretty much nightly for about forty years! Everyone loves it. No measurements involved.

Pour a little good olive oil directly on the salad greens and toss until all the greens are lightly coated. Then mix some fresh lemon juice and a little Dijon mustard together in a separate bown or little jar. pour on the salad, sprinkle on some salt and pepper and toss again. Eat.

Do not limit yourself to one dressing, just learn the basics and whatever is in your pantry can make a great vinaigrette. The important ratio is 3 parts oil to 1 part acid (vinegar). Start there and then explore your spices, mustard, and citrus juices to find different accents on your basic recipe. Then have fun with different vinegars - after you explore red wine, white wine, Balsalmic, and rice wine vinegars then play with the flavored ones, raspberry vinegar, tarragon vinegar, and so on.

I do not often make the same one twice - I tailor mine to compliment the rest of the meal I am preparing.

I do the standard balsamic/olive oil/grainy mustard/salt/pepper/brown sugar mix
but
instead of mincing garlic I crush a large garlic clove under a big knife and chuck it in a jar full of dressing and refrigerate overnight, pulling it out just before serving.