Although we might question what sort of drink we should have with milestone events, from birthdays to anniversaries to holiday dinners, we don’t when it comes to one of the biggest moments of all: the toast we give when the clock strikes midnight on a new year.
Champagne is unquestionably the bubbly beverage of New Year’s Eve nights — a tradition that many continue year after year. But if you’re looking to try something new (something we all aspire to do this time of year), try these cocktails. Two of them are champagne-based for toasting, while one of them is a riff on a Bloody Mary that you’ll want for the day after, when you might need a bit of a boost to kick off 2016.
Royal Buddha
1 oz. Hangar 1 Buddha’s Hand Vodka
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz. honey syrup
2 oz. sparkling wine
Add ingredients except sparkling wine in shaker. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled champagne flute. Top cocktail with the sparkling wine. Garnish with an expressed long lemon peel.
Fennel 75
3/4 oz. Tequila Don Julio Blanco
3/4 oz. fennel liqueur
1/4 oz. lime juice
1/4 oz. raw honey syrup
1 dash of orange bitters
Top with sparkling wine
Fennel frond for garnish
Combine Tequila Don Julio Blanco, fennel liqueur, lime juice, raw honey syrup and orange bitters in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well.
Finely strain contents into a flute over ice. Top with sparkling wine. Garnish with fennel frond.
— Matt Grippo
New Year’s Resolution
1 1/2 oz. Ford’s Gin
2 oz. tomato juice
6 non-pareil capers, washed and crushed
1 lemon wedge, squeezed
1 dash of Tabasco
1 tsp. of Worcestershire sauce
salt, to taste
pepper to taste
1 dill pickle spear, for garnish
Build in a big glass over large ice. Garnish with pickle.
— The 86 Co.
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