Get 'spirited' with eight cocktail recipes

The Spirited Dinner series, various tasting menus designed around four to six cocktails, takes place July 22 during the 8th annual edition of Tales of the Cocktail (July 21-25), an  international cocktail and bartending event , in New Orleans, Louisiana. If you are unable to attend this year's festivities and would like to replicate a Spirited Dinner at home, try incorporating some of these cocktails.

Here are eight cocktail recipes that will be part of the Spirited Dinners at New Orleans restaurants, adapted from the liquid culture guide Imbibe' s June 14 tweet:

Leontine Aperitif @ Arnaud's : 1 oz. Dubonnet Rouge,?1/2 oz. Aperol,?1/2 oz. ruby-red grapefruit juice,?2 oz. Champagne, ?ice cubes, shaker, strainer and flute glass. Combine Dubonnet, Aperol and grapefruit juice with ice in a shaker and shake. Strain into a flute, top with champagne and grapefruit peel garnish. 

Madame Devalier @ Bourbon House: 1 1/4 oz. Hendrick's gin,?3/4 oz. Dubonnet Blanc,?1/2 oz. Cointreau,?1/4 oz. Green Chartreuse,?1/4 oz. agave nectar,?2 dashes grapefruit bitters,?1 dash peach bitters, ?ice cubes, shaker, strainer and cocktail glass. Combine all ingredients with ice in a shaker and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Operation Torch @ Calcasieu : 8 fresh mint leaves,?1 oz. Plymouth gin,?1 oz. Yellow Chartreuse,?3 1/2 oz. fresh watermelon juice,?1/4 oz. thyme-infused syrup,?1/4 oz. Dubonnet Rouge, ice cubes and crushed ice, muddler, shaker, strainer and Collins glass. In the tin of a shaker, gently muddle the mint. Add remaining ingredients (except for Dubonnet) and shake well with ice cubes. Strain into a Collins glass filled with crushed ice and top with a Dubonnet  float. Garnish with bouquet of fresh mint and thyme.

Demerara Fizz @ Jackson:  2 oz. El Dorado 12-year Rum,?3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice,?1/4 oz. simple syrup,?1 fresh egg white (pasteurized if you like),? club soda, ice cubes, shaker, strainer and Collins glass. Add all ingredients except club soda to a shaker with ice, shake vigorously and strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top with clob soda and a dash of Peychaud's bitters.

Bertha @ Le Meritage : 2 oz. Partida reposado tequila,?1/2 oz. fresh lime juice,?1/2 oz. grenadine,? 1/2 oz. fresh ruby-red grapefruit juice, ice cubes, shaker, strainer and rocks glass. Shake all ingredients with ice and strain over ice into a rocks glass, garnish with long grapefruit twist.

Islay Alteña @ Redfish Grill: 2 oz. El Tesoro platinum tequila, 1/4 oz. fresh lemon juice, 1/2 oz. simple syrup, 3 dashes Jerry Thomas Decanter bitters, Lagavulin 16 scotch, ice cubes, shaker, strainer and cocktail glass. Shake tequila, lemon juice, simple syrup and bitters with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass rinsed with Lagavulin 16. Garnish by twisting a lemon peel over the drink to release the oils.

Miracle Cocktail @ Restaurant August : 1 1/2 oz. Leblon cachaça,?1 oz. Dubonnet Rouge,?1/2 oz. St Germain,?1 dash Angostura orange bitters,?1 dash Angostura bitters, ?juice of 1/4 lemon, ice cubes, shaker, strainer and cocktail glass. Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Rouge No. 10 @ Zoë:  3 fresh ripe blackberries,?1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice,?1 oz. Zaya 12-year rum,?1 oz. Dubonnet Rouge,?1 dash Angostura bitters,? Martini & Rossi sparkling rosé, ice cubes, muddler, shaker, fine-mesh strainer and flute glass. Muddle the blackberries in the shaker tin. Add remaining ingredients except the sparkling wine and shake well with ice. Double-strain into a flute, filling it to 2/3 full. Top off with the sparkling rosé. Gently stir to combine.

To see the complete menus at these restaurants and others, go to: http://www.imbibemagazine.com/Tales-of-the-Cocktail-2010-Spirited-Dinners

For more information on the Tales of the Cocktail 2010 and to make reservations for your Spirited Dinner ($85-100/€69.60-81.87 per person, including tip and tax), go to: http://www.talesofthecocktail.com