Find your signature...

College is the time in life when you learn the important lessons that really shape who you are.

One vital obstacle you must conquer before facing the real world is choosing your signature drink--a decision that is as much a reflection of your character as of your tastes. Instead of taking this decision lightly, it should be given due consideration and deliberation.

Signature cocktails need not be the only drink you ever order. One must evaluate situation and circumstances--as well as color coordination, of course--in order to adapt to unique conditions. Think twice before ordering a Screaming Orgasm or Slippery Nipple when out to dinner with your new boyfriend's parents, for example. And as delicious as Southern Comfort and lime is, whether as a shot or on the rocks, it's strictly for south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Appreciating the alcohol-to-cost ratio of a Long Island Iced Tea is a good move in that college dive where you pre-game. But when enjoying an evening at a swanky up-scale bar, why not try something more fun and luxurious, like a Bellini?

For most nights out, however, you need a go-to creative concoction that conveys your style and flair without hesitation. Here are some up-and-coming cocktail innovations to test out on your quest for the perfect poison.

Blueberry Cosmopolitan

While the cosmo has been the most over-ordered girlie drink for too long, this new take will make you forget they were meant to be pink. The key difference between the traditional cosmo and this latest spin is Stolichnaya Blueberi, the vodka phenomenon that has been winning converts on the West Coast and is becoming a standard in bars on the east coast as well. The drink's characteristic blue color comes not from the vodka, but from Blue Curaçao, a bartender favorite for adding sexy (if artificial) color to drinks.

Recipe:

4 parts bluberry-flavored vodka

Melon Mojito

With fans like Ernest Hemingway, it isn't surprising that the Mojito--from the African word mojo, meaning to cast a little spell--is a drink for the confident and cavalier. For a modern twist, substitute the light rum for some Bacardi Grand Melon. Combined with the cool crushed mint, it creates a refreshing cocktail perfect for warm nights.

Recipe:

12 mint leaves

1/2 part sugar

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 part watermelon-flavored rum

3 parts club soda

Place the first three ingredients in a highball glass and crush with pestle, muddler or the back of a spoon. Add rum and top off with club soda.

Creamsicle

This drink tastes so much like the frozen treat you enjoyed as a kid, you might just forget you have to be 21 to order it. Also a fantastic option to serve at a cocktail party, it's easy to prepare and uses ingredients commonly found in the dorm room or student-apartment. For a decadent drink with dessert appeal try the version popular at trendy bars.

Bar Recipe:

1 part vodka

1 part orange-flavored liqueur

2 parts orange juice

2 parts cream, whipped cream or ice

cream

Dorm Room Recipe:

1 part vanilla-flavored vodka

3 parts orange soda