Recession cocktails inspired by crisis try to lift spirits

NEW YORK: Liquor companies and bartenders are finding inspiration in the financial crisis, devising new recipes and reviving old cocktail standards to keep spirits alive during the holidays.

They hope to lure Americans who are drinking more at home or finding that parties are drying up to cut costs.

The industry has seen a resurgence of drinks that hark back to the pre-war eras of Prohibition and the Great Depression, such as the Sidecar, the Old Fashioned and the Manhattan.