Holiday Drinks: New Year's Cocktail Recipes

New Year's Eve is a special time to celebrate the up coming New Year. A time we make resolutions. A time we let go of the old and bring in the new. Plan your New Year's party to include a few cocktails geared toward the celebration.

Midnight Oil

1 ½ oz. Amaretto
½ oz. Jagermeister

This shooter is quite easy to make. In a shot glass, pour the Amaretto in first and float the Jagermeister on top.

To float or layer a liqueur on top of another, tilt your glass slightly and slowly pour the liqueur down the inside of the glass. Pouring the liqueur over the back of a spoon will achieve the same results. The trick is to pour slowly to achieve the layered look. For more tips, see "Bartender Basics for Holiday Parties."

Midnight Sun

2-½ oz Vodka
½ oz Grenadine

Place 3-4 cubes of ice in a mixing glass add Vodka and Grenadine. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Kiss Me Quick

2 oz. Pernod
1 tsp. Cointreau
2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters
1 oz. Club soda

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Pour in Pernod, Cointreau, and dashes of bitters. Stir well. Top with the club soda and serve.

New Years is notorious for party hosts to serve champagne. There is something refreshing about the bubbling beverage. Champagne is actually a sparkling wine.

Originating from the Champagne region of France, the sparkling wine is known for its pop when the cork seal is broken. However, in the case of opening a bottle of Champagne, try to keep it quiet. The bigger the pop, the more gas that escapes, and less effervescent bubbles you have crawling up your glass.

To open a bottle with less of a bang, un-hook the wire apparatus holding the top, place a kitchen towel on top, and gently twist and urge the cork out. At home you may want to attempt this over your sink to keep the bubbly off of the floor.

Do not try to open it as soon as you get it home. Champagne is much like soda pop. The motion in the car, shaking it, or jarring it will cause it to spew more. You should let it rest in the refrigerator to get a slight chill, but not too much because Champagne is best when it's not too cold.

Champagne is great for your New Year's toast. But which do you choose? Go dry or extra dry (Brut). There are other types, Sec or Demi-Sec, which are sweet and sweeter respectively. The dry champagnes are best for mixing and boast a better flavor without the after taste. My champagne of choice is Ballatore, which is more in the sparkling wine variety. Ballatore is great alone, or as a mixer, and is reasonably priced.

Poinsettia

4 oz chilled Champagne
2 oz Cranberry juice cocktail

Pour the champagne in a flute or tulip glass and add your cranberry juice. This can be served on ice, but if your juice and champagne are chilled it is not necessary.

Champagne Cocktail

1 cube sugar
A dash of bitters
Twist of lemon
Chilled Champagne

Place you sugar cube, bitters, and lemon in a champagne glass and fill with champagne.

A lemon twist is made from just the lemon peel, no pulp and very little rind. To make twists, cut the ends off the lemon and slice into wedges, approximately ¼" thick. Pull the peel from the pulp and twist into your beverage.

Eve

½ tsp Pernod
1 tbsp Cognac
2-tsp sugar
2 tsp Curacao
Chilled Pink Sparkling Wine

Put your Pernod in a large wine glass. Roll the glass around to coat the interior. Add your Cognac. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and Curacao until the sugar dissolves. Add your mixture to the glass and stir. Put 3-4 ice cubes in and fill with your sparkling wine.

Want to serve many guests without standing behind the bar all night? Try a serve yourself punch. Punches should not have several small cubes of ice floating around; they melt quickly and water down your punch. To avoid this, freeze a block of ice.

Champagne Punch

1 bottle of dry champagne
3 cups orange juice
3 cups pineapple juice
¾ cups peach brandy
32 oz bottle of club soda
1 package frozen sweetened strawberries
1 package frozen peaches

For the Champagne Punch ice block, in a round mold you combine ¾ bag of each of the frozen fruits with water. Freeze until solid. Retain the remaining fruit in freezer until you are ready to prepare your punch.

You should mix together the champagne, juices, and peach brandy in a large punch bowl, stir well. Add your block of fruit and ice to the mixture. Pour the club soda on top. Garnish with the remainder of frozen fruit.

You can make this punch non-alcoholic for youngsters by eliminating the champagne and peach brandy. Substitute a bottle of ginger ale. Place the children's version in a different location, and inform the adults of the variation, so children are not served a loaded beverage. You can find other kid friendly recipes in "Holiday Drinks: Thanksgiving Cocktails" and "Holiday Drinks: Christmas Cocktails."

Serve your punch in plastic champagne glasses. To differentiate children's drinks from adult beverages, serve the kids version in New Year's themed cups. Be sure to have a serving ladle handy so guests are not tempted to dip their used cups into the bowl.

Serving drinks comes with responsibility. Please be sure to serve food along with your cocktails. Observe how much your guests are drinking and cut them off if necessary. Remember drinking and driving does not mix.

Have a happy and safe New Year!

Recipe source:
Personal experience
Feller, Robyn M. The Complete Bartender. New York: Berkley Books, 1990.