New Year’s Eve is one of the best times to serve up cocktails. But when you think New Year’s Eve, you usually think Champagne toasts at midnight. And that’s all well and good, but everyone will be serving Champagne, and it gets boring. But, luckily for you, we’ve scoured the internet and found a ton of cocktail recipes that either don’t involve Champagne, or put a fun twist on the traditional bubbly faire, which will be sure to please and surprise your guests. Here are some of the best New Year’s cocktails.
Pomegranate Rum Punch
The name of this punch is pretty misleading because it contains a lot more ingredients than just pomegranate and rum. There’s also hibiscus tea and blood orange juice, both of which are definitely ingredients that will make your punch stand out.
Ingredients
- 4 Hibiscus tea bags
- 1 small cinnamon stick, smashed
- 1 c. pomegranate juice
- 1 c. spiced rum
- 1/2 c. blood orange juice
- 1 bottle Prosecco or sparkling wine
- Pomegranate seeds and blood orange slices (garnish)
Directions
- Place tea bags and cinnamon stick in a large measuring cup and add 1 c. boiling water
- Let steep for 5 minutes
- Strain and let cool to room temperature
- Pour tea, pomegranate juice, rum and blood orange juice in a pitcher
- Slowly pour in Prosecco or sparkling wine
- Serve over ice with pomegranate seeds and blood orange slices
Midori Melon Ball Drop
This isn’t your typical vodka martini, but it’s made in a similar way. The Midori gives the drink a fun green color, while citrus vodka and elderflower liqueur (like St. Germain) add complexity. Don’t worry though, just because the flavors of this drink are complex doesn’t mean its preparation is!
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Midori
- 1 oz. Citrus vodka
- 1 oz. Elderflower liqueur
- 1/2 lemon (juiced)
- Sugar (for rimming)
- Melon ball (garnish)
Directions
- Rim a cocktail glass with sugar
- Pour the other ingredients (minus sugar and melon ball) into a cocktail shaker filled with ice
- Shake until chilled
- Strain into glass
- Garnish with melon ball
- Serve
Poor Liza
This is an old-school drink with some new-school flair. There’s a lot of flavor in it, and a lot of alcohol content. Its fun pink color makes it look inviting, and it’s pretty easy to drink. So, you may want to make sure that certain guests don’t drink too many of these. (You know who you are!)
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Spirit of Pear, Pear brandy
- 1/2 oz. Green Chartreuse
- 3/4 oz. Lemon juice
- 1/4 oz. Simple syrup
- 3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Directions
- Add ingredients to a shaker filled with ice
- Shake until chilled
- Strain into glass filled with ice
- Serve
Sparkling Julep
This is a brilliant cocktail that mixes a mint julep with bubbly. This combination of classics is a great way to kick up the traditional champagne that’s served on New Year’s Eve. It’s very bright, refreshing and sweet, so it’s a fantastic celebratory drink!
Ingredients
- 6 mint leaves (plus one for serving)
- 3/4 oz. Simple syrup
- 3 oz. Champagne
- 1/2 oz. Cognac
- 1 dash bitters
- Lemon twist (garnish)
Directions
- Muddle the mint leaves with simple syrup in either a julep cup or rocks glass
- Add the Champagne, Cognac and bitters
- Fill the glass partway up with crushed ice
- Stir gently
- Mound more crushed ice on top
- Garnish with mint leaf and lemon twist
- Serve
Blackberry Thyme Champagne Cocktail
This drink has a lot of complex flavors that blend together really well. It’s sweet, fruity and herbaceous, all at the same time, with none of the flavors managing to completely overpower or drown out the others. Your guests will definitely be impressed once they find out that it’s made with homemade blackberry syrup, too!
Ingredients
- 1/3 c. blackberries (Plus 6 for garnish)
- 1/3 c. water
- 1/3 c. granulated sugar
- About 1/2 of a 750 ml bottle of Champagne
- 6 sprigs fresh Thyme
Directions
- Add the blackberries, water and sugar to a small saucepan
- Stir constantly until it boils
- Reduce heat to low
- Simmer 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes
- Strain mixture and let cool
- Add 2 Tablespoons of the blackberry syrup to each glass
- Top with Champagne
- Garnish with Thyme and blackberries
- Serve
Giggle Juice
Before you even have a chance to ask what the heck Giggle Juice is, it’s a fabulous combination of Moscato, vodka, lemonade, strawberries and lemon-lime soda. These drinks are photo-ready because they’re so pretty, and they’re sure to please your party-goers. Guests will be giggling, laughing and having a good time, which is what every party host wants, right?
Ingredients
- Lemon wedge and sugar (for rimming glasses)
- 1 bottle moscato
- 3 c. pink lemonade
- 1 can lemon-lime soda (like Sprite)
- 1 c. vodka
- 2 c. sliced strawberries
- 1 lemon, sliced into half moons
- Ice
Directions
- Run lemon wedge around glass rims and dip into sugar to rim them
- Add moscato, lemonade, soda, vodka and strawberries to a large pitcher
- Add ice
- Stir
- Serve
Hey Bulldog! Cocktail
There are a lot of flavors going on in this cocktail, so it’s sure to please all of your guests. Fans of gin will like that it features Bulldog gin, fans of peppermint Schnapps will be pleased, and those who like a fruity drink will like the addition of Chambord. It’s also got an inviting and festive red tint to it that will lure your guests in.
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Bulldog gin
- 1 oz. Chambord
- 1/2 oz. Peppermint Schnapps
- 7up
Directions
- In a highball glass, add all ingredients except 7up
- Fill with ice
- Top with 7up
- Serve
Death in the Afternoon
This is definitely a champagne cocktail that is not usually seen at New Year’s Eve celebrations. It’s a delightful combination of absinthe and champagne. It’s a pretty strong drink, thus it’s name. But, contrary to the implications behind it’s name, there is no reason you can’t serve these at night, or any other time of day for that matter.
Ingredients
- 1/2 oz. Absinthe
- 4 oz. Chilled champagne
Directions
- In a champagne flute, add absinthe
- Top with champagne
- Serve
New Year’s Eve is a time of celebration and socialization, and the drinks on this list reflect that. They’ve got bold, zippy flavors and colors, which will inspire dancing, conversation and merriment. And that’s a good thing for the host because it cuts down on the work they’ll have to do to keep the party going. In short, these recipes should make your party pretty epic, with little effort on your part, so that you can enjoy it yourself. Happy New Year’s!