Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide

Decaf drinkers, have no fear. You will find nary a drop of caffeine in this little delight. The Coffee Cocktail seems to have been given its name for two reasons. The first is its café color. The second seems to have something to do with people's penchant to replace after-dinner coffee with an after-dinner inebriant—not that we disapprove. This drink appears to trace all the way back to the 1887 edition of Jerry Thomas's The Bar-Tender's Guide. At a time when the word cocktail invariably indicated the use of bitters, this drink was a misnomer in more ways than one. Still, it grew in popularity and eventually became a classic. The Coffee Cocktail makes a superb after-dinner drink, but can also serve quite well as an apéritif. And for those with a caffeine aversion, it is, of course, caffeine-free.

No one does elegance quite like the French, and this cocktail is no exception. You've likely heard of the Champs Elysées in Paris, the long, illustrious avenue stretching all the way from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe and on to the Défense at the western edge of the city. The name, which is an allusion to Greek mythology, translates to Elysian Fields. This was the place where righteous souls were believed to go after death to continue living blessed and happy lives, and hopefully drinking these. This heavenly concoction seems to have first appeared the Harry Craddock's 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book, though little else is known about it's history. The Champs Elysées is earthy and distinctly aromatic without being overly herbaceous, and it makes an exquisite after-dinner drink. All things considered, this cocktail is très très chic.