The strongest drink on this list, the Gin Martini, is 1.9 standard drinks in one glass. The lightest, the Classic Champagne Cocktail, is 0.8. New Year's Eve is a long night, so the table at the end shows what each recipe actually pours, built on bottles we've reviewed.
1. Classic Champagne Cocktail
A bitters-soaked sugar cube in the bottom of a flute keeps the bubbles rising all the way to midnight. It's the oldest party trick in the book and it still works.
Recipe: 1 sugar cube, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 4 oz Champagne (Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label), lemon twist. Soak the cube with bitters in a flute, top slowly with Champagne, add the twist.
2. Chambord Royale
A splash of raspberry liqueur under Champagne turns it pink. It's the easiest pretty drink to hand out by the dozen.
Recipe: ½ oz Chambord, 4 oz Champagne (Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label). Pour Chambord into a flute or coupe, top with Champagne, drop in a raspberry.
3. Aperol Spritz
One of the lightest drinks on the list, which makes it the one to start the night with. Build it in the glass; no shaker needed.
Recipe: 2 oz Aperol, 3 oz Prosecco (La Marca), 1 oz soda water. Build over ice in a wine glass, stir once, garnish with an orange slice.
4. Hugo Spritz
Elderflower, mint and bubbles. It's the spritz for people who find Aperol too bitter.
Recipe: 1 oz St-Germain, 3 oz Prosecco (La Marca), 1 oz soda water, mint, lime. Muddle the mint gently in the glass, add ice and the rest, stir once.
5. Classic Gin Martini
Ice-cold, stirred, with a twist. A softer Plymouth-style gin makes a martini that guests who "don't like gin" finish.
Recipe: 2½ oz Plymouth Gin, ½ oz dry vermouth (Dolin Dry), lemon twist. Stir with ice for 30 seconds, strain into a frozen glass, express the twist.
6. Vesper Martini
Gin, vodka and Lillet, stirred cold. It drinks smoother than it is, so serve it small and serve it once.
Recipe: 1½ oz Tanqueray London Dry Gin, ½ oz vodka, ¼ oz Lillet Blanc, lemon peel. Stir with ice, strain into a chilled coupe, garnish with a long lemon peel.
7. The Last Word
Equal parts gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino and lime. The name is the toast.
Recipe: ¾ oz Tanqueray London Dry Gin, ¾ oz green Chartreuse, ¾ oz Luxardo Maraschino, ¾ oz fresh lime juice. Shake hard with ice, double strain into a chilled coupe.
8. Sazerac
Rye, sugar, Peychaud's bitters and an absinthe rinse, served without ice. A 100-proof rye keeps it from tasting thin.
Recipe: 2 oz Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whisky BiB, 1 sugar cube, 3 dashes Peychaud's bitters, absinthe rinse. Muddle sugar and bitters, stir with the rye and ice, strain into an absinthe-rinsed glass, express a lemon peel.
9. Gold Rush
Bourbon, honey and lemon: a gold drink for a gold-and-black party. Our Gold Rush recipe covers the honey syrup.
Recipe: 2 oz Four Roses Single Barrel (OBSV), ¾ oz honey syrup, ¾ oz fresh lemon juice. Shake with ice, strain over a large cube.
10. Paper Plane
Four equal parts, so it's easy to make by the round. Our Paper Plane recipe has the history.
Recipe: ¾ oz Wild Turkey 101, ¾ oz Aperol, ¾ oz Amaro Nonino, ¾ oz fresh lemon juice. Shake with ice, strain into a chilled coupe.
11. Aged Rum Daiquiri
Rum, lime and sugar, shaken cold. An aged Jamaican rum gives the classic more depth for a winter night.
Recipe: 2 oz Appleton Estate 12 Year Old Rare Casks, 1 oz fresh lime juice, ¾ oz simple syrup. Shake hard with ice, double strain into a chilled coupe.
12. Tommy's Margarita
Tequila, lime and agave syrup, no orange liqueur. With a tequila this good there's nothing to hide.
Recipe: 2 oz Fortaleza Blanco, 1 oz fresh lime juice, ½ oz agave syrup. Shake with ice, strain over fresh ice into a half-salted glass.
13. Old Cuban
A mojito that went to a black-tie party: aged rum, mint and lime, topped with Champagne.
Recipe: 1½ oz Mount Gay XO Reserve Cask, ¾ oz fresh lime juice, ¾ oz simple syrup, 6 mint leaves, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 2 oz Champagne (Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label). Shake rum, lime, syrup, mint and bitters with ice, double strain into a coupe, top with Champagne.
14. Gin Gimlet
Gin, lime and sugar, shaken until it's painfully cold. A London dry with some botanical weight keeps it from tasting like limeade.
Recipe: 2 oz Sipsmith London Dry Gin, ¾ oz fresh lime juice, ¾ oz simple syrup. Shake hard with ice, double strain into a chilled coupe.
15. Smoky Islay Highball
Peated Scotch and very cold soda in a tall glass. It's the late-night drink for keeping pace without keeping up.
Recipe: 1½ oz Ardbeg 10 Year Old, 4 oz chilled soda water, lemon peel. Build over ice in a chilled tall glass, pour the soda down the side, stir once.
How Strong Is Each New Year's Eve Cocktail?
A US standard drink is 0.6 fl oz of pure alcohol. On a night that runs five or six hours, the order matters as much as the recipe. Start with the lightest (the Classic Champagne Cocktail, Hugo Spritz, and Aperol Spritz) and keep the ones at 1.6 standard drinks or more (the Vesper, Sazerac, Gold Rush, Last Word, and Gin Martini) to one each.
| Cocktail | Pure alcohol | Standard drinks | Drinks per 750 ml bottle of the base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Champagne Cocktail | 0.48 oz | 0.8 | 6 |
| Chambord Royale | 0.56 oz | 0.9 | 6 |
| Aperol Spritz | 0.55 oz | 0.9 | 8 |
| Hugo Spritz | 0.53 oz | 0.9 | 8 |
| Gin Martini | 1.12 oz | 1.9 | 10 |
| Vesper | 0.95 oz | 1.6 | 16 |
| Last Word | 1.01 oz | 1.7 | 33 |
| Sazerac | 1.00 oz | 1.7 | 12 |
| Gold Rush | 1.00 oz | 1.7 | 12 |
| Paper Plane | 0.72 oz | 1.2 | 33 |
| Aged Rum Daiquiri | 0.86 oz | 1.4 | 12 |
| Tommy's Margarita | 0.80 oz | 1.3 | 12 |
| Old Cuban | 0.89 oz | 1.5 | 16 |
| Gimlet | 0.83 oz | 1.4 | 12 |
| Smoky Islay Highball | 0.69 oz | 1.1 | 16 |
Pure alcohol is each pour multiplied by the ABV on our review of that bottle, plus: Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label 12%; Chambord 16.5%; Aperol 11%; La Marca Prosecco 11%; St-Germain 20%; Dolin Dry 17.5%; vodka at 40%, the federal minimum (27 CFR 5.142); a stronger bottle adds more; Lillet Blanc 17%; green Chartreuse 55%; Luxardo Maraschino 32%; Amaro Nonino 35%. Bitters dashes and syrups are left out. One standard drink is 0.6 fl oz of pure alcohol (NIAAA). Ice and shaking add water, not alcohol, so dilution does not change these figures.
How Much Champagne Do You Need for a Midnight Toast?
A 750 ml bottle holds 25.4 fl oz, which is 6 toasts at 4 oz a flute. For 20 guests that's 80 oz, or 4 bottles for the toast alone. If you're also pouring the Champagne cocktails above, work those out from the "drinks per bottle" column and buy for both.
Keep Exploring
- 15 Christmas Cocktails (and How Strong Each One Really Is)
- 15 Thanksgiving Cocktails (and How Strong Each One Really Is)
- 15 Bourbon Cocktails Worth Making at Home
- The Gold Rush Cocktail Recipe: Bourbon, Honey, and Why Simple Wins
- The Paper Plane Cocktail: The Modern Classic You Should Already Know
- 15 Whiskey Tasting Party Ideas (and How Much a Flight Really Pours)
- 15 Bar Cart Ideas That Punch Above Their Price