New Year's Cocktails: Top 10

The new year is fast approaching. To celebrate, what better way than with cocktails? But not just any cocktails. In our opinion, some mixes are perfect for the holidays, while others are less so. To help you fully enjoy the celebration, we've decided to present our... Top 10 best cocktails to make for New Year's Eve .

This way, you'll have at least 10 great recipe ideas to make your meal exceptional! For each of the recipes in this list, we'll list the ingredients and tell you a little bit of history.

Here is the top list we will present to you in this blog post:

• 10) The Blue Lagoon

• 9) The Caipirinha

• 8) The Painkiller

• 7) The Bellini

• 6) The Paloma

• 5) The Cosmopolitan

• 4) The Old Fashioned

• 3) The Negroni

• 2) The Manhattan

• 1) The Champagne Cocktail

We advise you to pay close attention. It is very likely that on this page, you will come across a A favorite cocktail . We hope you enjoy reading it!

10) The Blue Lagoon

A. The ingredients and taste of the Blue Lagoon

In tenth place on this list, the Blue Lagoon ! As you can imagine from its name, it's largely the vibrant blue color of this drink that makes it perfect for a party. This beautiful hue comes from a liqueur called "blue curaçao." In this cocktail, the blue spirit is mixed with vodka and lemon juice . If you've ever had the chance to try this drink, then you know that its taste is quite unique. It's delicious! But you have to like the acidity that the lemon juice brings. Because of this acidity, this mix won't necessarily appeal to everyone. That's why it's in last place.

But if you and your loved ones enjoy sour cocktails, the Blue Lagoon is a choice you won't regret.

B. The Blue Lagoon Recipe

Add the following ingredients to your shaker in this order:

• 3 cl of curaçao
• 4 cl of vodka
• 2 cl of lemon

Shake your shaker for 2 minutes and you can enjoy!

C. The story of the Blue Lagoon

Also known as "Blue Lagoon" in its French translation, this cocktail was created by Andy MacElhone in Paris in 1960. Vive la France! 🐓🇫🇷

What's funny is that the father of the inventor of the Blue Lagoon is also the inventor of another cocktail: the White Lady! The cocktail we're presenting to you came about because Andy MacElhone wanted to pay tribute to his father. In fact, the Blue Lagoon is actually a variation of the White Lady. Andy simply replaced the triple sec with curaçao and the gin with vodka.

9) The Caipirinha

A. The ingredients and taste of the Caipirinha

In 9th place, the Caipirinha ! This cocktail comes straight from Brazil. Its base spirit is cachaça, a traditional Brazilian liqueur obtained by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane juice (also called garapa). The Caipirinha also contains cane sugar and lime zest. A slice of lemon is a welcome garnish.

We recently had the chance to try this cocktail. What can we say? It tastes like vacation! Sipping this drink, you can easily imagine yourself sunbathing on a beautiful exotic beach. It's mainly the cane sugar that creates this feeling. The lime adds a touch of sweetness to what is otherwise a fairly strong spirit. It's the perfect concoction to get you in the right frame of mind for New Year's Eve!

B. The Caipirinha Recipe 

Mix these ingredients in your shaker in this order:

• 5 cl of Cachaça
• 1 lime zest
• A pinch of cane sugar

Shake for a few minutes and you can enjoy!

C. The History of the Caipirinha

To understand the history of the Caipirinha, we must go back to 1800. At that time, slaves greatly enjoyed drinking "garapa" (sugarcane juice). Only during rituals and celebrations were slaves allowed to mix garapa with brandy. They also sometimes added lime juice.

It was only later, in 1900, that lime juice was replaced with pieces of lime.

8) The Painkiller

A. The ingredients and taste of Painkiller

The Painkiller is a delicious cocktail made with rum (we highly recommend Pusser's rum ) . It also includes pineapple and orange juice . For this recipe, it's always best to choose fruit juices that aren't too sweet. Then comes the final ingredient , which adds a nice touch of the exotic: coconut cream!

In terms of taste, the Painkiller is quite similar to the famous Piña Colada . Even if you don't particularly like coconut, you should enjoy this cocktail. Because the rum is quite strong, it easily overpowers the other flavors.

B. The Painkiller Recipe

Add the following ingredients to your shaker in this order:

• 4 cl of Pusser's rum
• 30 ml of coconut cream
• 30 ml of fresh orange juice
• 1.2 cl of fresh pineapple juice

Shake for 2 minutes and you can serve it chilled!

C. The Painkiller Story

Literally, " Painkiller " means " Pain Reliever ." Symbolically, this cocktail is therefore an excellent way to relieve our aches and pains to start the new year on a healthy footing. (It's mainly because of this unusual and contextual name that this drink earned its eighth place).

But it's also for its rather amusing story. It could even be an excellent anecdote to tell during New Year's dinner! It all began in the 1970s. Daphne Henderson managed a very popular bar on a beach in the British Virgin Islands. It was at her workplace that she invented a cocktail which, like the Painkiller , was based on Pusser 's rum . This drink was so popular that the creator of Pusser's rum himself (Charles Tobias) decided to go and taste Daphne Henderson's creation.

And for him, this drink was a real hit! So he asked the creator for the recipe. But Daphne Henderson refused to divulge her secret. The rum brand's founder then decided to create his own cocktail. And so the Painkiller was born! Charles Tobias 's cocktail completely overshadowed Daphne Henderson's. The moral of the story? You be the judge.

7) The Bellini

A. The ingredients and taste of the Bellini

The alcohol in a Bellini is champagne ! What better way to celebrate than with this iconic drink? Perhaps this iconic drink transformed into a cocktail? As for us, we adore the Bellini. Especially because the second ingredient in this drink is quite unique: white peach purée!

Champagne teases our palates with its effervescence, while peach adds a touch of sweetness that caresses our taste buds. If you appreciate refined and elegant flavors , then this blend is perfect for you! Besides being ideal for a New Year's celebration, it's delicate enough to appeal to everyone, which perfectly justifies its seventh-place ranking.

B. The Bellini recipe

Pour the following ingredients into your shaker in this specific order:

• 10 cl of champagne
• 3 cl of white peach puree

Shake for a few minutes and you can serve it chilled!

Don't have a shaker? We have plenty! Discover our complete collection of cocktail shakers .

C. The history of the Bellini

Originating in Italy , the Bellini is the creation of a bar owner . We don't know his name. The creator of this drink preferred to name his cocktail after a famous Venetian painter: Giovanni Bellini. It was in 1948 that this art lover created the Bellini by chance during an experiment. He reminds us that the beautiful things in this world often come about by chance...

6) The Paloma

A. The ingredients and taste of Paloma

The Paloma is the kind of drink that leaves no one indifferent. You either love it or you hate it. There's no in-between. And that's precisely what makes this cocktail so interesting. The base alcohol is classic : tequila . What really makes the difference are the two other ingredients: lime and grapefruit soda.

These ingredients bring both acidity and bitterness to the drink. By combining these two flavors with the very strong taste of tequila, we obtain a truly unique result. You have to taste it to believe it! What's certain is that Paloma has its own distinct identity. Nothing else compares. That's why it's an excellent party drink. Knowing how to stand out is essential for a successful New Year's Eve celebration!

B. The Paloma recipe

Pour the following ingredients into your mixing glass in this order:

• 5 cl of Tequila
• 10 cl of grapefruit soda
• 1 lime zest

Shake for 2 minutes and you can serve it chilled!

C. The story of the Paloma

The Paloma dates back to the early 1860s. Its creator, Don Javier Delgado Corona (no relation to the virus 😅), was born in the legendary city of Tequila, Mexico. It's said that the cocktail is named " Paloma " after a song from that era.

Paloma also means "dove" in French. This cocktail is therefore an excellent way to take flight into the new year!

5) The Cosmopolitan

A. The ingredients and taste of the Cosmopolitan

The Cosmopolitan is a cocktail with a very attractive appearance. Its pretty pink color comes from a rather unusual ingredient: cranberry juice (cranberries are berries native to North America). In a Cosmopolitan, this fruit is mixed with vodka, triple sec, and lime.

This is the first time in this list that we 're talking about a cocktail made with two different types of alcohol . Clearly, you have to be into that sort of thing. And you shouldn't be afraid of getting tipsy! Because it's well known that mixing alcohols intensifies the effects. But if there's one day when you can really let loose, it's New Year's Eve. 🥳 (Of course, you shouldn't overdo it either!)

In terms of taste, this drink is quite strong. Contrary to what you might expect, the alcohol is surprisingly smooth, thanks in particular to the cranberry juice which adds a touch of sweetness. In our opinion, the Cosmopolitan falls into the category of " deceptive drinks ." It goes down so easily that you almost forget it's alcohol.

B. The Cosmopolitan Recipe

Add these ingredients to your shaker in this order:

• 4 cl of vodka
• 2 cl of triple sec
• 2 cl of cranberry juice
• 1 cl of lime juice

You can shake your shaker vigorously to ensure the mixture is well combined. And there you have your Cosmopolitan!

C. The History of the Cosmopolitan

The first recorded mention of this cocktail dates back to 1934. The recipe was published in an American book titled "Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars 1903-1933." However, it wasn't until the 1970s that the rest of the world learned of the Cosmopolitan. It was a little later, in 1990, that this drink reached its peak of popularity, thanks to Carrie Bradshaw, a famous character from the television series "Sex and the City," whose favorite drink was this iconic cocktail.

4) The Old Fashioned

A. The ingredients and taste of the Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned is a mixture of bourbon (an American whiskey aged in new oak barrels and blackened with smoke) and soda water . It also contains a sugar cube soaked in Angostura bitters (a dark rum-based liqueur).

In terms of taste, the Old Fashioned is truly unique . The sparkling water fizzes in your mouth while the whisky tantalizes your palate. And that's not to mention the Angostura-infused sugar cube, which infuses the glass with a pleasant flavor that softens the whole experience. Serving this little masterpiece at dinner is a sure way to earn praise!

B. The Old Fashioned Recipe

Add the following foods to your shaker in this order:

• 5 cl of bourbon
• 0.5 cl of sparkling water
• 1 sugar cube soaked in 2 drops of Angostura bitters

Shake well, and it's ready!

( In the world of cocktails , it 's crucial to strictly adhere to the quantities. It's like chemistry. The slightest mistake can ruin everything! Precision is impossible without the right tools. That's why we offer the measuring jug you can see in the image below. Its graduations ensure infallible accuracy.)

Click on the image to discover it.

C. The History of the Old Fashioned

This iconic cocktail was created in 1884. Its inventor was a bartender named Martin Cuneo. He designed it specifically for James E. Pepper, the owner of the famous "Pepper" Bourbon brand.

3) The Negroni

A. The ingredients and taste of the Negroni

We're in the top 3! Our bronze medal winner is made from 3 different spirits: Gin, red vermouth (a wine flavored and fortified by the addition of mistelle), and Campari (an Italian spirit).

To put it bluntly, this cocktail packs a punch! But it's delicious. The Campari is bitter. The red vermouth is sweet. And the gin balances everything out.

B. The Negroni Recipe

Mix the following ingredients in your shaker:

• 3 cl of red vermouth
• 3 cl of Campari
• 3 cl of Gin

Shake for about thirty seconds, and serve chilled!

C. The History of the Negroni

The Negroni originated in Florence, Italy, in 1919. It all began in Casoni's café, a place where the aristocracy used to gather to drink a cocktail called the Americano. Count Camillo Negroni was the first to tire of this drink. He suggested to the bartender that he replace the soda water in the Americano with gin . This new mixture was a resounding success, and the bartender decided to honor Camillo Negroni by naming it "Negroni."

2) The Manhattan

A. The ingredients and taste of the Manhattan

In second place on the podium, the Manhattan ! Three spirits in this cocktail : Bourbon , sweet Vermouth , and Angostura Bitters . From the moment you take a sip, you 'll have the uncanny feeling that these three ingredients were destined to meet.

We sincerely believe the Manhattan is one of the most harmonious cocktails in existence. We couldn't imagine ranking it any lower. If you've never experienced this delicate blend, then New Year's Eve will be the perfect opportunity!

B. The Manhattan Recipe

Add the following ingredients in this specific order:

• 4 cl of whisky
• 2 cl of red vermouth
• A drop of Angostura bitters

Shake your shaker for a few seconds, and there you go!

C. The History of Manhattan

As you may have noticed, this cocktail is named after a famous New York borough: "Manhattan." And that's no coincidence. It's called that because it originated there in 1876.

1) The Champagne Cocktail

A. The ingredients and taste of the Champagne Cocktail

We declare the Champagne Cocktail the grand champion! For the simple reason that champagne will always be our drink of choice for celebrations. As much for its symbolism as for what it represents in its essence.

To prepare this cocktail, any bottle of champagne will do. But of course, it's always better to spend a bit more. In addition to the champagne, you'll need Angostura bitters and... Brandy (brandy is a wine spirit obtained by distilling red or white grape variety wine).

Of course, the taste of your drink will vary depending on the bottle of champagne you choose. But the differences are only very slight. In any case, you'll experience the sparkling wine that tickles your tongue with its bubbles, the brandy that surprises you with its subtle aromas, and the Angostura bitters that add a touch of class to these refined flavors.

B. The Champagne Cocktail Recipe

Add the following ingredients to your shaker in this order:

• 4 cl of champagne
• 1 cl of Angostura
• 2cl of Brandy

You can give it a little shake, and it's ready!

C. The History of the Champagne Cocktail

The Champagne Cocktail entered cocktail history very recently. It was only in 1921 that a bartender at the Hôtel de Paris in Monte Carlo introduced it. Like the Bellini (which is seventh on this list ), this drink was born from a chance experiment . This man wanted to offer his customers something new. And he certainly succeeded!

Become a Real Bartender !

You now know the 10 delicious cocktails we suggest for your New Year's celebration. As you probably know, making cocktails requires equipment (shaker, muddler, strainer, etc.)... That's why we offer our collection of cocktail kits . A cocktail kit is a pack containing all the accessories needed to create the drinks we've featured in this list.