New Year’s Eve cocktails are a thing you need in your life. When you ring in the new year, everyone around you will probably be holding a glass of sparkling wine. There’s nothing wrong with that — there are plenty of great bubblies to wash away memories of 2016. But sometimes tradition gets stale and you need something a little stronger.
Enter the New Year’s cocktail. Follow this guide to the perfect cocktails for every New Year’s Eve for any type of party — from pajama party to classy mixer.
The Grapefruit Hot Toddy
Ingredients:
1.5 ounces gin
4 ounces ruby red grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce honey
Grapefruit slice garnish
Instructions:
Heat grapefruit juice in a small saucepan, then pour it into a serving glass. Add the honey and gin, stir, and serve.
Festive Punch for One
Ingredients:
1.5 ounces London Dry gin
1/2 ounce Triple Sec
1/2 ounce Crème de Cassis
1 ounce lemon juice
2 ounces ginger ale
1 cup ice
Lemon twist
Instructions:
Combine everything but the ginger ale into a cocktail shaker. Shake, then strain into a Champagne flute. Top with ginger ale and garnish with a lemon twist.
Walnut and Maple Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
2 ounces bourbon
1/4 ounce maple syrup
3 dashes walnut bitters
1 cup ice
Cracked walnut
Instructions:
Add everything into a mixing glass and stir. Strain into a serving glass over ice, garnish with walnut.
Citrus Champagne Cocktail
Ingredients:
1 sugar cube
1 dash citrus bitters
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce orange juice
Champagne
Instructions:
Put the sugar cube at the bottom of a Champagne flute and add the dash of bitters on top. Pour in lime and orange juice, and top with Champagne.
Peppermint White Russian
Ingredients:
1 ounce coffee liqueur
1 ounce vodka
2 ounces cream
1 ounce milk
1 dash peppermint extract
1 cup ice
Instructions:
Add ice, coffee liqueur, and vodka to a serving glass and stir. In a separate cup, combine cream, milk, and peppermint extract. Pour the milk mixture into the serving glass over a spoon.
Cranberry Apple Hot Toddy
Ingredients:
1.5 ounces bourbon
2 ounces apple juice
3 ounces cranberry juice
1 teaspoon honey
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Instructions:
Heat apple, cranberry, and lemon juice in a small pan. Stir in the honey. Pour the mixture into a serving glass and add bourbon. Garnish with apple.
Mulled Wine
Ingredients:
1 bottle red wine
1 orange
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Brandy
Instructions:
Add orange juice and strips of the orange peel into a pot. Pour the bottle of wine and add the remaining ingredients. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and heat on medium-low. Add a shot of brandy to each serving.
Red Wine Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup red wine
Whipped cream
Dark chocolate shavings
Instructions:
Slowly heat milk in a saucepan on low heat and whisk the cocoa powder in. Remove it from the heat and add red wine. Stir. Top with whipped cream and dark chocolate.
Negroni Punch
Ingredients:
1 bottle Campari
1 bottle sweet vermouth
1 bottle Prosecco
2 oranges
2 apples
Strawberries
Instructions:
Mix Campari, sweet vermouth, and Prosecco into a punch bowl. Slice the oranges and apples into wedges, as well as the strawberries. Stir in fruit. Garnish with apple and strawberry.
