Ten Cocktails for 2010

A forecast of what you'll be sipping all year long

Sweet ’tinis are out and complex cocktails are in. Exotic flavors like absinthe, elderflower and maraschino shake things up. Looking into my crystal highball, I see a lot more drinks made with mezcal, tequila’s smoky cousin. Exotic dark rums from Antigua, Tortola and Martinique will make new friends. Flavored bitters like lemon, peach and even chocolate become even more popular. And salt isn’t just for margarita glasses anymore, but increasingly added as a subtle swig spike. Best of all, what’s hot in cold refreshment is already here and just around the corner. Whether a new twist on an old standby or a totally original concoction, most bars have a signature drink or two well worth discovering.

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Dan Curd is a contributing writer for Madison Magazine.

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Ten Cocktails for 2010

SMOKY'S MARTINI: There’s nothing retro about the house martini made from Bombay gin with a whisper of dry vermouth and scotch and garnished with a blue cheese–stuffed olive. At Smoky's Club.

LADY B: Stoli gowned in amaretto, accessorized with melon liqueur and painted up with cranberry and OJ: Lady be good! At Plan B.

FILTHY MARTINI: Ketel One gets muddled with a mess of Spanish olives and cocktail onions, shaken with ice until colder than a Wisconsin winter, then strained into a cocktail glass. At Kickshaw.

HENDRIK'S PEPITO: It may not be your padre’s mojito, but top-shelf Scottish gin imaginatively infused with cucumber and lime is refreshingly sublime. At Restaurant Muramoto.

DARK AND STORMY: A vintage tall drink with many new fans, Dark and Stormy has only two ingredients: Gosling’s Black Seal rum and ginger beer. Perfectly simple never goes out of fashion. At Jolly Bob's

SMOKING GUN: Whoa! Their homemade chile-flavored tequila combined with Chichicapa mezcal, fresh lime juice and bitters is fully loaded and packs a wallop. At Eldorado Grill.

CARDINAL SIN: A ménage à trois of Absolut, absinthe and maraschino titillated with ginger beer and cranberry juice, then tied up with a kinky lime twist. At The Cardinal.

MARY IN PARIS: Resident mixologist Mary Ward combines a potpourri of Grey Goose La Poire and St-Germain (elderflower liqueur), finishing it off with a soupçon of bubbly. C’est magnifique! At Capitol ChopHouse.

SAZERAC: Most likely the granddaddy of all cocktails, it’s a New Orleans classic made from rye whiskey, Herbsaint (absinthe) and Peychaud bitters. At Liliana’s.

DODSFALL MANHATTAN: A rehab of an old favorite, but clearly different: Death’s Door white whiskey and Benedictine with a dash of orange bitters. Its name straddles two continents, but the taste is idiosyncratically local. At Restaurant Magnus.

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