Happy new year

Classic cocktails are classics for a reason — they typically taste good, are fairly easy to make and can please different palates. Why muddle with that?

Many were invented in the 1800s, perfected during Prohibition and passed down from generation to generation as symbolic ideals of their ingredients. They've come to represent a certain film-noir stylishness — think William Powell and Myrna Loy in "The Thin Man."

The standard text for many of these drinks was for a long time Mr. Boston, known as "The Official Bartender's Guide." The first edition had its inaugural printing in 1935, owing much of its content to the original Boston Bartender's School and its founder and chief instructor, Joseph DeSoto. Editor Leo Cotton, who looked after it through 49 editions, guided the book over 35 years.

During the holidays, celebrate the season of hope and joy with a classic cocktail, lift a glass in good cheer and ring in the new year with charm and elegance.

The following recipes are all Mr. Boston originals (unless otherwise stated) and account for one serving. Make one for yourself. Make more for your friends.

The Brandy Alexander was developed during Prohibition as a way to overcome bad brandy. The Brandy Alexander perseveres as a nice wintertime drink.

Brandy Alexander

Makes 1 serving

? ounce cr?e de cacao

? ounce brandy

? ounce heavy cream

Shake well with cracked ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

The legend behind the Manhattan says it was created for Sir Winston Churchill's mother, Lady Randolph, upon her visit to the Manhattan Club in New York in 1874. It was originally made with rye. The rye-shy may prefer to use bourbon, a sweeter complement to vermouth.

Manhattan

Makes 1 serving

? ounce sweet vermouth

1? ounces whiskey (rye, bourbon or a blended whiskey)

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Serve with a cherry. For a Dry Manhattan, serve with an olive.

For variation's sake, Doug "Bix" Biederbeck of Bix Restaurant in San Francisco offers what he calls the Perfect Manhattan, saying that what makes it perfect is the use of both sweet and dry vermouth. He notes that, "the cocktail can effectively cure anyone with an aversion to whiskey."

Perfect Manhattan

Makes 1 serving

1? ounces rye whiskey

? ounce sweet vermouth

? ounce dry vermouth

1-2 drops Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice and stir or shake gently. Strain into a chilled stemmed glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Biederback adds, "Shaking your Manhattan vigorously in a cocktail shaker will over-dilute the drink; gently rocking it back and forth will do the trick. You could even forgo shaking entirely and try stirring your ingredients instead. Try making your Manhattan with Carpano Antica, the original Italian sweet vermouth. Slightly drier, it will add a little weight to the drink."

There are at least half a million variations on the Martini, but we're sticking to the classic recipe, referred to as the "Traditional 2-to-1" in Mr. Boston. The type of gin you use is entirely up to you, but note that Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire and Beefeater tend to have higher proofs (94-95); Plymouth, Bombay and Hendrick's are lower (82-88).

Martini

Makes 1 serving

1? ounces gin

? ounce dry vermouth

Stir vermouth and gin over ice cubes in a mixing glass. Strain into a cocktail glass. Serve with a twist of lemon peel or an olive.

Created in Kentucky, the classic recipe for an Old Fashioned may call for blended whiskey, but use bourbon and you're truly going back to its roots. An old-fashioned glass, which you'll need here, is one that's sturdy and heavy-bottomed, with enough room at the bottom to muddle the fruit, sugar and bitters properly. This is the drink of Don Draper on the stylish hit TV show, "Mad Men."

Into the old-fashioned glass, put a small cube of sugar, a dash of bitters and a teaspoon of water and muddle well. Add 2 ounces blended whiskey. Stir. Add a twist of lemon peel and ice cubes. Decorate with slices of orange, lemon and a cherry. Serve with a swizzle stick.

Before Mr. Boston there was "Rawling's Book of Mixed Drinks," published in 1914 by San Francisco bartender Ernest P. Rawling. In it, he detailed the popularity of a new kind of drink, the Fizz, describing it thus - "When the spirits are jaded and the body is weary, after a long automobile trip on hot and dusty roads, it is then that the Gin Fizz comes like a cooling breeze from the sea, bringing new life and zest and joy of living." Perhaps not surprisingly, then, it is also commonly used as a hangover cure.

Ramos Fizz

Makes 1 serving

— Juice of ? lemon

1 egg white

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

2 ounces gin

1 tablespoon light cream