martini

I consider myself a party chameleon; I can have fabulous fun at any party from a hippie hangout in the Berkeley hills to a swanky soirée on a Manhattan rooftop. I apply the same open-minded mentality to cocktails. While there is a time and place for a whiskey-laced Sazerac, there is also a suitable occasion for this frilly pink concoction. It's served in a rimmed martini glass and known as a raspberry-chocolate kiss.

Valentine's Day is the opportune time for this sort of sweet, girlie drink. It has a chocolate wafer-cookie rim and fresh raspberry flavor. A simple syrup infused with mint provides a delicate herbal essence to the delightfully fruity mixture. If you enjoy cosmopolitans, you'll love this drink.

I sipped the spirit-lifting libation after a long day and trust me — it's the perfect cure to the single girl Valentine's Day blues. To look at the recipe, read more

Although there is no meat in the Halloween dinner menu, the meal is quite rich, so select a cocktail that is clean, crisp, and refreshing. The classic highball is perfect because guests can choose between gin or vodka. Eyeball ice cubes are a creative and festive way to make the drink more Halloweeny. If you don't like a highball, consider using the ice cubes in another concoction. When guests sit down to dinner pour a Halloween-themed wine. As always, be sure to have plenty of water, beer, and nonalcoholic alternatives on hand. To learn how to make the eyeball highball, read more

Kick-start your Chinese New Year dinner party with an elegant cocktail. A lychee martini is sophisticated, cool, and festively flirty. When you sit down to dinner offer guests a dry Riesling, fruity Sauvignon Blanc, or crisp Chenin Blanc; all would pair nicely with the menu. If you really want to serve a red, look for a light, smooth Pinot Noir. Don't forget water and sparkling water. A refreshing option for non drinkers is lemonade. To see the recipe for the lychee martini, read more

I'm not a huge fan of fruity martinis because they often taste too fake to me. Yet I'm also not one to turn down a cocktail, so when a friend recently offered me a pear martini, I was happy to keep an open mind. The concoction she mixed — featuring Grey Goose's pear-flavored vodka — was smooth, strong, not too sweet, and not the slightest bit artificial tasting.

Pears are at their peak right now, so why not experiment with a Peartini of your own? The amaretto liqueur provides a nice contrast to the lemon juice, and you can use fresh pear slices for garnish. The recipe lets you mix up the cocktail by the glass or the batch; to get it, read more

I was checking out the Yum Market when I realized I suddenly had an urge for a nice, dry martini. It was only 10:30 a.m., so I couldn't figure out why I wanted a drink so badly. That is until I realized the Yum Market was full of martini-inspired items! There was this fun Martini Lamp that TeamSugar member moderngirl found. There was also a martini-printed pillow that gardengirl74 discovered. For more martini inspiration and drink accessories, scroll through the list below.

To learn how to bookmark your own items, read GeekSugar's guide.

Just in case you don't have enough Halloween themed cocktail recipes, here's another! It's a twist on the classic martini, the trick-or-tini. With its fun name and Halloween hues, this candy corn look-alike is a dessert in itself. Coconut cream, tangerine juice, and banana liqueur are carefully layered to make this delicious cocktail. To prevent mixing when layering liquors, be sure to pour super slowly with a steady hand over the back of a big spoon. Want to make this tonight? Get the recipe when you read more

This lychee and lime martini sounds like it would hit the spot this summer. - Never Bashful with Butter