Marvelous Martinis

• The black and white color combinations works well in a few dessert martinis. Probably the most common of these martinis is the chocolate martini; chocolate martinis with white chocolate liqueur provide a blank canvas for dark chocolate swaths. For a simple white chocolate martini, drizzle the inside of a martini glass with dark chocolate syrup, then chill four parts white chocolate liqueur, two parts vanilla vodka and three parts half-and-half in a cocktail shaker, strain it into the glass and top with dark chocolate shavings. A variation on this drink is the yin yang martini -- form the chocolate shavings topping into the shape of the yin yang symbol.

Cool Cocktails

• Various cocktails also can achieve the desired black and white effect. One of the most well known is a white Russian, which is equal parts vodka, coffee liqueur and cream -- the cream will float on top of the vodka and coffee liqueur mixture. A simple variation on the white Russian is the Marlon Brando cocktail, which substitutes the vodka and coffee liqueur with Scotch and amaretto liqueur. A few pousse-cafe drinks, which are layered cocktails, also have a black and white appearance, such as the dark angel kiss, which is equal parts dark creme de cacao and heavy cream, and the black swan, which is rum, coffee liqueur, Irish cream and absinthe.

Striped Shots

• Black and white shots can be both potent and pretty. The B-52, a layered shot named after the bomber, brings together coffee, cream and orange flavors; layer equal parts of coffee liqueur, Irish cream and orange liqueur in that particular order into a shot glass. Another shot, the Cookie Monster shot, honors Sesame Street's favorite snacker. For a Cookie Monster shot, pour equal parts coffee liqueur, Irish cream and peppermint schnapps in that order into a shot glass. One last simple shot, the St. Moritz, mimics the taste of fresh raspberries and cream; layer equal parts black raspberry liqueur with heavy cream.

Beer Me

• Dark Irish stout beer works well as an ingredient in a quite a few mixed drinks. The black velvet achieves its black and white effect with two very different ingredients, Irish stout and sparkling wine; for a black velvet, fill a Champagne flute halfway with the Irish stout, then top with the sparkling wine. Another cocktail with Irish stout is the black and white cookie martini, which mixes the beer with white chocolate liqueur and white cream de cacao. One last black and white Irish stout drink that's not for the timid is the Irish car bomb shot, which is a shot of Irish cream dropped into an Irish stout beer.