Celebrate the New Year in Style with These Elevated Cocktails

Toasting to the new year is one of the great traditions in which spirits play a central part, no matter the theme of your party. Champagne or sparkling wine usually have top-billing as the ball-drop approaches, but don’t feel you have to limit yourself on the last day of the year. Before or after the toast, it has become common to enjoy a French 75 or holiday punch, but again, the night and the party are yours — so why not include some unusual suspects for your celebration?

ReserveBar has a wealth of luxury ingredients to craft elegant, creative, and indulgent cocktails. If you’re trying to keep it simple, make the party easier with delicious ready-to-drink beverages from high-quality brands like Cazadores.

The Bellini is an often overlooked solution for an easy, festive, and delicious beverage. No, it’s not just for brunch! In fact, it has enough zippy acid to refresh your palate throughout a long night, and the bump of energy from fructose might just keep you on the dance floor longer. Pro tip: If you have a frozen margarita machine, you can use it to make frozen Bellinis — but that might be best saved for warmer evenings depending on the kind of winter you’re having. For the peach component, we recommend nectar or purée. Both are easy to find; however, you can always make your own if you don’t mind peeling peaches.

Peach Bellini

1. Ruffino Prosecco
   

2. Peach nectar or purée

3. 1 Slice of peach or Sprig of fresh mint (garnish)

Fill a Champagne flute about one-third of the way with peach nectar or peach purée. Top with Ruffino Prosecco and garnish with a peach slice or sprig of fresh mint.

On the subject of simplifying the party, the aforementioned Cazadores RTDs make it easy to provide your guests with a high-quality product that tastes like you worked very hard on the cocktails — you’re also free to be transparent with them. Each pre-made cocktail includes premium Cazadores Blanco Tequila.

The line includes a Classic Margarita, Spicy Margarita, and a Paloma. Just serve over ice and garnish with a slice of lime for the Classic and Paloma and add a jalapeño slice for the Spicy.

For a cocktail that adds visual impact to the party, it’s tough to compete with a New York Sour. Oddly enough, you don’t have to make this one with an egg white; in fact, many recipes say to skip it. It does add texture and mouthfeel, though, so choose accordingly. The impact comes from the red wine float, and while it’s traditionally made with Malbec, any noble varietal like Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon will work. The point isn’t to bitter up the cocktail with tannins from the wine; it’s to add a little tangy fruitiness to the bourbon and to make it a very striking composition.

New York Sour

1. 2 oz. Angel’s Envy Port Barrel Finish Bourbon
   

2. 1 oz. Freshly squeezed lemon juice

3. ½ oz. Egg white (if desired)

4. ½ oz. Simple syrup

5. 1 oz. J. Lohr Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon

6. 1 Wide sliver of lemon peel (garnish)

Add bourbon, lemon juice, egg white, and simple syrup to a shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled, 15-20 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass with medium to large cubes. Using a small spoon or bar spoon, slowly pour the wine over the back of the spoon just above the surface of the cocktail. It’s important to go very slowly, so the wine stays near the top. It will eventually settle just below the surface, creating a dual-tone cocktail. Express the lemon peel, rim the glass with the yellow side, and then garnish with lemon peel.