This time of year, there’s a lot of chatter about champagne, chocolate, and all sorts of sweet nothings. But some like it hot. If cloying pink drinks are not to your liking, you’re ready for a Mount Tamalpais, a drink contrived at Pagu, the Japanese tapas restaurant in Cambridge. Mild sweet tastes — coconut milk and hibiscus syrup — rest on a foundation of heat, courtesy of a unique green chile vodka. The sweet flavors rein in the spice, while the heat keeps the sugar in check. They complement each other perfectly, just like you and yours.

Liza Weisstuch

Liza Weisstuch can be reached at liza.weisstuch@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @livingtheproof.