Imagine, if you will, the most viscous, teeth-achingly sweet, nutritionally bankrupt beverage you could possibly imbibe, ladled into a mug and mercifully thinned with a bit of hot water. Eggnog is child’s play compared with this, especially if you had the adult version: spiked with a jigger of equal parts rum and brandy.

Chile’s terremoto cocktail may look like liquid cotton candy, but this sugary, bright pink drink served in a 1-liter plastic cup has “triple threat” written all over it. There are only three ingredients: a hastily fermented and very sweet Chilean white wine called pipeño; the all-important pineapple ice cream, which, unlike ice cubes, keeps the drink icy cool without watering it down; and a healthy glug of grenadine.

Toffee Apple and Pink Marshmallow are just two of the sickly sweet moonshines bottled in the U.K. by the Sweet Potato Spirit Company. The base? You guessed it: sweet potatoes. And we’ll tell you a secret: The sweetness of the spirits has nothing to do with the sweet potatoes. All that candied yam, marshmallow, toffee apple and spicy chocolate flavor is added to the small-batch spirits distilled in copper stills.

Ask most people about Mexican spirits and they're likely to mention tequila or mezcal. Given they’re the two heavyweights of the Mexican spirit world, it’s hardly surprising, but it is somewhat disappointing, especially when Mexican liquors and liqueurs are as diverse as the country from which they come. We will help you branch out and expand your knowledge of Mexican cocktails.

There’s a movement afoot to recreate libations of yore with exotic ingredients like quince, birch syrup and lingonberries. A roving team of archeologists has extracted residue from age-old drinking vessels and paired up with brewers and winemakers to bring ancient booze to anyone looking to drink as our ancestors once did.

Flavored vodkas are pretty common nowadays — flavors range from whipped cream to cookie dough. But one happy surprise comes from Delaware’s Dogfish Head Brewery, a craft brewer that has a line of well-regarded spirits. Their peanut butter vodka, in particular, is so good you may want to start planning a road trip. It is usually paired with chocolate for a tremendous mouth feel.