Beyond The Bubbles: Unique Drink Ideas For New Year's Eve

  • By: Ashley Joy Parker

Cheers to 2024…….

Whether you entertaining a crowd, or keeping it cozy at home this New Year’s Eve, you’ll need a celebratory drink to cheers with at midnight. And while it’s tradition to pop champagne, try switching it up by ushering in 2024 with something unexpected.

From creative cocktails to stylish ready-to-drink sippers, check out some unique drink for NYE below.

 

2024K Martini

Step into the opulence of the new year with the shimmering allure of a 24K-inspired martini, on the menu at Henderson Beach Resort in Destin, Florida. Indulge in the epitome of luxury as you welcome 2024 with this exquisite cocktail, adorned with delicate gold flakes. 

Ingredients:

  • 4-6 oz. Bourbon 
  • 2 cups Eggnog
  • 2 tsp. Aztec Chocolate 
  • Gold Flakes/Sprinkles for garnish

Method: Pour in your bourbon and eggnog, and then add some Aztec chocolate. Shake together and then pour into a chilled martini glass. It’s finished off with sprinkling some golden flakes on top.

Mojito Royale

Start off the new year minty fresh. Trader Vic’s celebratory Mojito Royale cocktail is a festive champagney twist on the classic rum-based cocktail.

Ingredients:
  • 1.5 oz. Trader Vic’s Silver Rum
  • 1 to 2 tsp. Caster Sugar 
  • 1 Lime Cut Into Wedges
  • 10 Mint Leaves
  • Champagne or Sparkling Wine
Method: Build in a tall Collins Glass. Muddle lime wedges, Caster Sugar, and Mint Leaves. Top with Cracked Ice then Top with Champagne or Sparkling Wine and Stir. Garnish by decorating with Sprig Fresh Mint and Lime Wedge.

The Celebrator 

For those looking for a twist on the bubbly NYE tradition, toast to 2024 with The Celebrator, made with Kevin Hart’s Gran Coramino Cristalino tequila, Champagne, Simple Syrup and Cherry Bitters.

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz. Gran Coramino Cristalino  
  •  0.5 oz. Simple Syrup 
  • 3 dashes Cherry Bitters 
  • Champagne to top 
  • Champagne Flute 

Method: Add Gran Cristalino, simple syrup and cherry bitters to cocktail shaker with fresh ice. Shake and strain into a champagne flute. Top with Champagne. Rub lemon peel across rim and garnish with cherry.

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Liquid Gold Sparkler

Good as gold. Start off 2024 with the Midas touch by mixing up the Liquid Gold Sparkler featuring a rich base of Aberfeldy 12 Year Old single malt scotch whisky.

  • 2 oz Aberfeldy 12 Year Old
  • 0.25 oz Maraschino Liqueur
  • 0.25 oz Lemon juice
  • 0.5 oz Cointreau
  • Golden Sugar Rim

Method: Pour all ingredients and stir.

BeatBox Beverage

Known as “the world’s tastiest and original party punch,” BeatBox Beverages, an alum of Shark Tank, is the perfect ready-to-drink offering. The boxed beverage comes in a variety of flavors like hard tea, fruit punch, peach punch, pink lemonade, tropical punch and green apple for the holiday season. An easy and delicious option for entertaining, the drinks are low in sugar, low in carbs, and low in calories, served in eco-friendly resealable packaging. Ideal for gatherings with friends, the beverages are available all over the country at convenience stores, grocery and specialty chains. 

Midnight Mule

A refreshing and spicy festive drink, Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey‘s Midnight Mule recipe is sure to get your guests puckered up for the ball drop.

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz. Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
  • 4 oz. Ginger Beer
  • 0.5 Fresh Lime, cut into two wedges

Method: In a copper mug filled with ice, add whiskey and ginger beer. Squeeze in juice of one lime wedge and drop the spent lime hull into the drink. Stir well and garnish with remaining lime wedge.

Milagro Select Sparkling Grove

Match your drink to your dazzling sequin NYE ‘fit. Milagro Select’s Sparkling Grove sipper is a glamorous elixir made with tequila, sparking pinot grigio, lime juice and vanilla bean syrup.

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 parts Milagro Select Silver
  • 0.5  part Fresh Lime Juice
  • 0.5 part Vanilla Bean Simple Syrup
  • 2 parts Sparkling Pinot Grigio
  • 1 Edible Flower

Method: Pour all ingredients, except the sparkling pinot grigio, into a Boston shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. Top with sparkling pinot grigio. Garnish with an edible flower. The bright agave and vanilla taste of Milagro Select Silver are enlightened in this pairing – so delicious you must try for yourself!

El Cristiano Espresso Martini

Need a little help staying up past midnight? Perk up with an El Cristiano Espresso Martini. The aromatic simple syrup, made with molasses, ginger, and warming spices is the perfect foil for a palette that enjoys robust coffee flavor. This festive cocktail is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz. Kahlúa Coffee Liqueur
  • 1.5 oz. El Cristiano Reposado XR
  • 2 oz. Fresh Espresso
  • Simple Syrup*, Light Brown Sugar, and Candied Ginger for serving

*Syrup Recipe

  • 1 cup Water
  • 2/3 cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
  • 1/3 cup Molasses
  • 1 (1″) Piece Ginger, Peeled
  • 7 Whole Cloves
  • 5 Allspice Berries
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick,

Glass Slipper

Just in time for the ball (drop), the Glass Slipper by Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino is sure to put a pep in your step with its effervescent notes of sparkling wine, subtly sweet St. Germain, smooth lavender honey syrup, bold fresh blackberries and bright lemon juice. Get ready for a magical moment when the clock strikes 12!

Ingredients:

  • 3 Fresh Blackberries
  • 4 oz. Sparkling Wine
  • 0.25 oz. St. Germain
  • 0.75 oz. Lavender Honey Syrup
  • 0.75 oz. Lemon Juice
  • Orchid + Grapefruit Shimmer Rimmer

Method: Muddle blackberries in a shaker tin, add everything except sparkling wine and shake. Double strain into a flute glass and top with sparkling wine/champagne. Dress up your drink by adding grapefruit shimmer and an edible orchid garnish for added flair to bring in the New Year.

Related | Cheers To The 125th Anniversary Of The Daiquiri

New Fashioned

Let your spirit be renewed for the new year with a sip or three from this timeless cocktail. With a strong, rich wintery bite, this twist on an Old Fashioned from Newport Vineyards in Newport, Rhode Island, will make you anew for the nightly festivities. With two luxardo cherries, a dash of bitters plus a blend of Rhode Island Port wine and bourbon, this frosty cocktail will surely brighten your silent night.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Luxardo Cherries
  • 2 dashes of Bitters
  • 0.5 oz. of Newport Vineyards Port
  • 2 oz. of Bulleit Bourbon
  • Orange Peel 

Method: Muddle cherries and bitters in a rocks glass. Add 0.5 oz of Newport Vineyards Port, 2 oz of Bulleit Bourbon then a large ice cube. Stir until the liquid is chilled. Gently twist the orange peel directly over the glass then add as a garnish.

Casa Luigi Canned Cocktails

Instead of poppin’ bottles this NYE, pop open a canned sparkling wine cocktail from Casa Luigi. The premium Prosecco-based sipper include varieties such as Bianco, Rosé, Imperial, Veneziano, and Hugo spritz. Each of these cocktails offers a unique flavor profile and a taste of European sophistication in a convenient, beautifully designed floral can, inspired by founder Claudia’s grandmother’s teacup. They take pride in European heritage and the tradition of Prosecco, and they want customers to feel that experience from the moment they have a can in their hands. They are actually the only brand in the US offering Prosecco, Sparkling Rosé, and Prosecco Spritzers in cans, using Glera grapes from the world famous region of Veneto in Northern Italy. Find out where you can get Casa Luigi HERE.

Holiday Cosmo

Smirnoff Red, White & Merry combines fruit “n” spice and everything nice, and with blends of orange, cranberry and a twist of ginger, the limited-edition spirit is sure to trump a champagne toast. Use it to mix up the brand’s signature Holiday Cosmo for a holly jolly liquid treat. 

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz. Smirnoff Red, White & Merry
  • 0.75 oz. Lime Juice
  • 0.50 oz. Cranberry Syrup
  • 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
  • 2 dashes Orange Bitters
  • Garnish: Sage Leaf

Method: Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into martini glass. Garnish and serve.

Merry & Bright

Brighten up your NYE night with this wintertime whiskey cocktail. The Merry & Bright is made with Dewar’s 12 Year plus lime juice, vanilla bean syrup, fig preserves and Martini & Rossi Sparkling Rose.

  •  1.50 oz. of Dewar’s 12 year
  • 0.75 oz. of Lime Juice 
  • 0.5 oz. Vanilla Bean Syrup
  • 2 tsp. Fig Preserves
  • Top with Martini & Rossi Sparkling Rose

Method: Shake ingredients (sans bubbles) and strain into a tulip or highball glass over fresh cubed ice. Top with bubbles and garnish with thyme sprig and fresh fig slices.

Bananas Foster Manhattan

Elevate your NYE celebrations with the Bananas Foster Manhattan, a handsome, specialty cocktail from the Brown Palace Hotel & Spa in Denver. The drink offers a sophisticated blend of Woodford Reserve Bourbon, salted caramel syrup, Giffard’s Banane du Bresil, Bitterman’s ‘Elemakule’ Tiki bitters, Fee Brother’s black walnut bitters, and is topped with a banana slice and fresh mint leaves. 

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz. Woodford Reserve Bourbon
  • 0.5 oz. Salted Caramel Syrup (not cream based)
  • 1 oz. Giffard’s Banane du Bresil
  • 12 drops Bitterman’s ‘Elemakule’ Tiki bitters
  • 2 dashes Fee Brother’s Black Walnut bitters
  • Garnish with a banana slice and fresh mint leaves  

Method: Add all ingredients into glass mixing beaker over ice and stir to medium dilution. Strain into a martini glass and garnish. 

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Fizz de Noël

A bubbly, citrus sipper, the Bombay Sapphire‘s Fizz de Noël cocktail is a light refreshing option to toast with on NYE.

  • 2 oz. Bombay Sapphire Gin
  • 3 oz. Prosecco
  • 0.5 oz. Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
  • ¼ oz Sugar Syrup
  • Lemon twist to garnish

Method: Shake all of the ingredients (except Prosecco) briefly with cubed ice for around 10 seconds. Fine strain the mixture into a chilled, straight sided wine glass, including the Prosecco.

Créme Brulé Martini

A sweet treat from the Bungalows Key Largo, an oasis just 63 miles south of Miami, the Crème Brule Martini is a delicious blend of Don Julio silver tequila, vanilla vodka, white chocolate liquor, and Baileys all while topped with a caramel dome. 

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz. Don Julio silver tequila
  • 1.25 oz. vanilla vodka
  • 1.25 oz. white chocolate liquor
  • 1 oz. Baileys

Method: Combine ingredients with ice in a shaker and shake until ice cold. Pour into a martini glass. Garnish with caramel dome.

Free AF Beverages

For those choosing not to drink alocohol on NYE, Free AF “sober curious” Beverages are an award winning non alcoholic pre-made cocktail beverage that are also “Tasty AF.” The drinks are enhanced with Afterglow, which is a 100% natural botanical heat extract mimicking the warmth of alcohol and rosy glow, without the booze or hangover. They are low in sugar, low in calories and gluten free. This is the perfect drink for those who are sober curious, a designated driver, those wanting a break from liquor, or those looking to get a jump on Dry January. Free AF Beverages recently introduced their latest flavor addition, Cucumber G&T, truly perfect for holiday entertaining either on its own or in combination with their full flavor portfolio, Paloma, Apero Spritz, Cuba Libre, and Vod%a Spritz. All are available at Sprouts, with additional purchasing information on their website.

Hendrick’s French 75

The French 75 is one of the most classic (and chic) cocktails ever invented. The gin and champagne-based drink dates to World War I, with an early form created back in 1915 at the New York Bar in Paris. More than a century later, you can ring in 2024 with Hendrick’s delicious version of the French 75.

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 parts Hendrick’s Gin
  • 0.5 part Simple Syrup
  • 0.5 part Lemon Juice
  • Top with Champagne
  • Lemon Twist to Garnish

Method: Add Hendrick’s Gin, simple syrup, and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled flute. Top with champagne and garnish. There are no secrets to superb gin cocktails – just simple, classic, and unfeasibly delicious recipes, like the French 75, that allow the botanical flavors of Hendrick’s Gin stand out.

California Coquito

This December, La Quinta Resort & Club is celebrating the holidays in the California sun and leaning into the Latino Heritage of the region with their “California Coquito.” A traditional Puerto Rican Eggnog, the California Coquito packs a flavorful coconut punch found at La Quinta’s Morgan’s in the Desert Bar & Restaurant, but you can make it right at home. (Batch Recipe serves 12)

Ingredients:

  • 13.5 oz. Coconut Milk
  • 12 oz. Evaporated Milk
  • 14 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • 2.25 oz Egg Yolk
  • 0.75 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 5.5 oz. Coconut Sous Vide Spiced Rum
  • 1.25 oz. Rhum Clement Coconut Liqueur

Method: Combine all the ingredients except the rums in the pitcher of a blender, and blend at high speed until thoroughly incorporated. Slowly incorporate the rums at low speed, in small increments; this will allow for the mixture to emulsify rather than curdle if you pour the alcohol all at once. Strain the mixture and transfer it to an airtight glass bottle. Reserve the mixture in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly before serving. When ready to serve, add 3.5 oz of the chilled cocktail base and one cube of ice to a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously, then double-strain into a small serving glass. Garnish with a few sprays of coconut spray.

Reyka Bloody Mary Martini 

A twist on the traditional New Year’s Day Bloody Mary, Reyka Vodka‘s Bloody Mary Martini cocktail will taste just great at midnight as it will with brunch the next morning.

Ingredients:

  • 2 parts Reyka Vodka
  • 3 parts Tomato Juice
  • 4 dashes Hot Sauce
  • 4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
  • Dash of Yellow or Spicy Mustard
  • Dash of Favorite BBQ Sauce (optional)
  • Sprinkle of Lawrys Seasoning Salt

Method: Build in a shaker of ice, shake until cold and consistency desired. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a slice of bacon or Queen olives.

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