Now that you’re on the downhill glide from Christmas, it’s time to prepare for New Year’s Eve.
Every great home entertainer will fuss over all the details. You have a appetizer or dinner menu to cobble together, and, of course, a music and drinks list.
Champagne is a given on New Year’s Eve. Keep a few solid bottles on hand to make toasts and to sip with your sweetheart. But to take your party to another level of sophistication and style, you’ll be mixing cocktails.
Keep it simple by offering a “prix fixe” style drink menu with two or three options, but make them varied in format for the different tastes of your guests. As an example, offer a traditional vodka martini or a whiskey drink for the guys, and a cosmopolitan, flavored martini or margarita for the ladies.
Add extra touches to make the drinks memorable and feel high-end, such as jalapeño- or blue cheese-stuffed olives for the martinis. I still pine for the one offered at Bistro 24 at the Ritz-Carlton Phoenix. If you’re making mixed drinks, use fresh juices and garnishes, which may seem like a hassle on the front end, but the flavor reward is noticeable. Little touches separate the good hosts from great ones.
Finally, as a word of caution, it is the host’s responsibility to not let guests drink too much and drive. Do insist on designated drivers, or make arrangements for overnight guests. Offer good alternative drinks for designated drivers, other than bottled water or soda. Add an inventive nonalcoholic drink to your menu for them.
Below are a few good alcoholic and nonalcoholic cocktail recipes to turn a typical New Year’s Eve party into something extra special. Even the fussiest home entertainer would approve.
KISS ME QUICK
3 ounces Pernod (red herbal liqueur)
1 teaspoon white curaçao
Dash of Angostura bitters
Sparkling water
Lemon wedge for garnish
Ice
Preparation: Combine Pernod, curaçao and bitters into a shaker with ice and shake until very cold. Strain into highball glass filled with ice and top with sparkling water. Stir and garnish with lemon wedge.
MOSCOW MULE
2 ounces vodka
5 ounces ginger beer or ale
Lime wedge
Ice
Preparation: Tradition calls for a copper mug, the modern-interpretation calls for a highball or collins glass. Chill vodka in shaker with ice. Strain into collins glass, add ginger ale and a squeeze of lime. Stir and add ice to rim.
SCARLETT O’HARA
3 ounces Southern Comfort (peach liqueur)
3 ounces cranberry juice
1 1/2 ounces fresh lime juice
Lime wedge for garnish
Ice
Preparation: Combine peach liqueur and juices into a shaker with ice and shake until very cold. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with lime wedge. May also be served over ice in a Collins glass
NEW YORKER
3 ounces blended whiskey or scotch
1 ounce lemon juice
1 teaspoon powdered or bar sugar
1 teaspoon grenadine
Lemon twist for garnish
Ice
Preparation: Combine whiskey, juice, sugar and grenadine into a shaker with ice and shake until very cold. Strain into martini glass and garnish with lemon twist.
CARA SPOSA
2 ounces coffee liqueur such as Kahlua
1 1/2 ounces orange liqueur such as Cointreau
2 ounces half and half
Orange twist for garnish
Ice
Preparation: Combine coffee and orange liqueur and half and half into a blender with ice and whip until smooth. Pour into chilled martini glass and garnish with orange twist.
KIR ROYALE
2 ounces crème de cassis (black currant liqueur)
Brut champagne or sparkling wine
Ice
Preparation: Pour crème de cassis over ice in mixing glass until very cold. Transfer into bottom of chilled champagne flute and top with champagne.
SAFE SEX ON THE BEACH (nonalcoholic)
2 ounces peach nectar
3 ounces cranberry juice
3 ounces pineapple juice
Maraschino cherries
Ice
Preparation: Combine all ingredients excluding cherry into a Collins glass filled with ice and stir. Garnish with cherry.
Contact Drinks Editor Mark Nothaft via e-mail and click here and follow him on Twitter. Subscribe to his frequent columns on Examiner and click here.
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