Still buzzed from all the holiday excitement? We are too, and thankfully it's not quite over yet. Now that all the presents are unwrapped, it's time for a last call for 2014. But the celebration is only getting started as we toast to a new year. If you are hosting a New Year's Eve bash, you will want to have some mixed drink recipes ready on hand. These easy New Year's cocktails will have you and your guests celebrating with smiles.
New Year's Eve Confetti Martini
When hosting a New Year's Eve party, serving delicious drinks is a must. This festive Confetti Martini is pretty much a party in a glass. This cocktail is sweet and creamy, perfect for those who don't always enjoy the bitter taste of alcohol.
To serve two drinks, rim the edges of martini glasses with corn syrup and invert the glass to rim with colored sugar and sprinkles. Chill the glass while you pour 3 oz of vanilla almond milk, 2 oz of spiced rum, 2 oz of butterscotch schnapps and 1/2 tsp of vanilla with ice in a shaker. Shake and pour into glasses. Let the party begin!
Sweetheart Spritzer
Of course you can't celebrate the New Year without popping a bottle of bubbly. This Sweetheart Spritzer is the perfect champagne cocktail to get the night going. While you can use any champagne, it's recommended that you pop the pink champagne for this recipe.
Simply place fresh raspberries in a glass and pour in raspberry lemonade to about half-way. Top the glass with pink champagne and drink right away. You can also set sugar cookies or Raspberry Button cookies next to the drinks so your guests can munch on snacks that compliment the beverage.
Cork County Bubbles
Sure you could drink whiskey and coke any evening, but this special evening calls for drinking whiskey with sophistication. The Cork County Bubbles cocktail is the perfect twist on a glass of champagne for whiskey drinkers.
To make this drink, simply fill a shaker with ice and pour in 1 oz of Irish whiskey (like Jameson), 1/4 oz of yellow Chartreuse (a spicy French herbal liqueur), 1/2 oz of lemon juice and 1 tsp of honey mixed with 1/2 tsp of warm water and shake well. Strain into a flute glass and stir in Champagne.
The Fireplace Sipper
New Years is the last celebration of the holidays, so now is your chance to capture the spirit of the season. The Fireplace Sipper is a great cocktail to do so, since it includes the taste of figs, brown sugar and nutmeg.
Pour 1 1/2 oz of rye that is infused with coriander, lemon peel and ginger, 1/2 oz of dry sherry, 1/2 oz of white fig preserves and brown sugar simple syrup and 1/2 oz of lemon juice into a cocktail shaker without ice. Then add in three ice cubes and shake again. Serve in martini glasses with grated nutmeg and make sure to sip by the fireplace.
Strawberry Peach Champagne Sangria
Sangria is one of best go-to party drinks. (Who doesn't enjoy sangria?) Mix up a big batch and serve in a pitcher or punch bowl-style. And of course we have to combine the deliciousness of strawberries and champagne, so what better recipe than the Strawberry Peach Champagne Sangria?
Combine 2 bottles of champagne, 2 cups of strawberries, 1/4 cup of sugar and 2 to 3 cans of Simply Balanced Sparkling Peach Mango. Let it chill for two hours and then garnish mason jars with strawberries and serve.
Red Velvet
This drink is a spinoff of the classic Black Velvet, which replaces Champagne for Prosecco and Guinness with raspberry limbic (a tasty wheat beer). The Red Velvet is great for beer lovers who don't want to chug down cans of Bud Light.
Combine 2 oz of chilled framboise limbic and 1/2 oz of creme de framboise raspberry liquor in a chilled pint glass and stir. Then pour the stirred drink into a chilled flute and top with 2 oz of Prosecco.
Champagne Margaritas
You might as well get creative with all those bottles of champagne your guests bring along. Enjoy champagne in a new way by serving the Champagne Margarita, a fun twist on the popular cocktail that looks adorable served in flutes glasses.
Combine raw sugar with granulated sugar in a dish, wet the rim of flutes glasses with lime and dip in the sugar. Combine 4 tsp of Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice, 2 oz of white tequila, 2 oz of Triple Sec, 1 tsp of lime juice and 6 oz of Champagne in a shaker and strain into glasses.
Raspberry Chocolate Kiss Cocktail
Anticipating your New Year's kiss? This Raspberry Chocolate Kiss Cocktail is a perfect signature drink to get your guests ready for the sparks that will fly when the ball drops. This recipe calls for vodka and a cookie rim, need we say more?!
Before shaking up this cocktail, dip the top of a martini glass with simple syrup and while the glass is still upside down, place crushed chocolate cookies on the rim. Crush raspberries into a shaker, pour in 1/4 cup of vodka, 2 tbsp of cranberry juice and ice, and shake well. Strain into class and serve.
Midnight Kick
Drinking to Speaking of that New Year's kiss, here's a drink to kick off 2015 with a bang. The Midnight Kick is the perfect shot to take with you all your friends. It includes one of your best friends, tequila, with cinnamon and orange, giving it a delicious bite.
Chill shot glasses and rim them with powdered cinnamon that is sprinkled on a plate. Shake 2 oz of Cabo Wabo Anejo Tequila in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into glasses. Garnish with an orange slice and as you all look at each other with smiles, raise the shot glass toasting to the good life and take the shot then bite the orange.
The Room Key
You celebrated the holiday season with loved ones and shared a New Year's smooch, but the party isn't over just yet. The Room Key is a perfect drink to serve after shots have been slammed and guests are looking for a drink to slowly sip before you call last call.
Pour 1 1/2 oz of Angostura, rum, 1/2 oz of elderflower liqueur, 1/2 oz of lemon juice and 1/2 oz of raw ginger syrup into a cocktail shaker with ice and pour into a collins glass and top with soda and then Angostura bitters.
Remember to always drink responsible and don't let guests drink and drive. Happy New Year's!
[Photo Credit: Matt_Weib/Flickr]
