There's nothing quite like the sound of a cocktail shaker in action. As I wait for a bartender to make my drink, the noise of ice clicking against glass fills me with giddy anticipation. Why? Because a perfectly poured drink is one of life's most luxurious pleasures.

To help you truly enjoy happy hour, we regularly feature refreshing, tantalizing, delicious, and original cocktail recipes [1]. Many I make at home, but others are expertly mixed by some of San Francisco's top bartenders, like H. Joseph Ehrmann [2], Aaron Smith [3], and Buffalo [4] of the Alembic [5]. To say cheers to cocktails, I've rounded my top 10 cocktail recipes of the year:

• Cranberry Amaretto Kiss [6]
• Basil Gimlet [7]
• Easy Mango Mojito [8]
• Rossellini [9]
• Green Grape Sangria [10]
• Cherry Mojito [11]
• Sweeney (Hottie) Toddy [12]
• Ruby Chai Appletini [13]
• Le Coup de Jarnac [14]
• Sparkling Shiraz Punch [15]