New Year’s Eve is one of the biggest party nights of the year which makes this annual occasion ideal for serving exquisite and impressive drinks. While a glass of champagne is a traditional way to celebrate, consider shaking things up this year by trying these fun, fizzy Italian inspired cocktails to ring in 2018.
Grape Sparklers
Ingredients
- 4 pounds red grapes, stemmed
- one bottle Prosecco, chilled
- 8 mint sprigs
Preparation
Thinly slice 1 cup of the grapes and refrigerate. In a food processor, coarsely chop the remaining grapes in batches. Transfer the chopped grapes to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook until the grapes have released most of their juice, 5 minutes.
Working in batches, strain the grape juice into a bowl, pressing hard on the solids. You should have about 3 ½ cups of juice; refrigerate until cold.
Divide the sliced grapes equally among 8 champagne flutes. Pour the chilled fresh grape juice into the flutes and top with the sparkling wine. Garnish each drink with a mint sprig and serve right away.
Citrus 75
Ingredients
- ½ clementine
- 1 ½ ounces gin
- ½ ounce Limoncello
- ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
- ½ ounce honey syrup (½ tablespoon honey mixed with ½ tablespoon warm water)
- 1 ounce chilled Prosecco
- 1 lemon twist, for garnish
- 1 orange wheel, for garnish
Preparation
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the clementine. Add ice and the gin, Limoncello, lemon juice and honey syrup and shake well. Strain into a chilled coupe, top with the Prosecco and garnish with the lemon twist and orange wheel.
Platinum Sparkler
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ounces vodka
- ½ ounce maraschino liqueur
- ½ ounce Lillet Blanc
- ½ ounce fresh lemon juice
- ½ ounce Moscato
- 1 maraschino cherry, for garnish
Preparation
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the vodka, liqueur, Lillet and lemon juice; shake well. Strain into a chilled martini glass or flute and stir in the Moscato. Garnish with the cherry.
Prosecco Punch
Ingredients
- 4 ounces Rich Simple Syrup
- Angostura bitters
- 4 ounces cold Prosecco
- 8 ounces cold club soda
- 12 ounces genever
- pineapple slices and star anise pods, for garnish
- 4 ounces Créole Shrubb
- 6 ounces fresh lemon juice
Preparation
In a small punch bowl, combine the genever, Créole Shrubb, lemon juice, Rich Simple Syrup and 10 dashes of the bitters and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. Stir in the Prosecco and club soda, add ice and garnish with the pineapple and star anise.
Prosecco Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 sugar cube
- 3 dashes of Angostura bitters
- 5 ounces chilled Prosecco
- 1 lemon twist, for garnish
Preparation
In a small dish or glass, soak the sugar cube with the Angostura bitters. Fill a chilled flute with the Prosecco, then add the bitters-soaked sugar cube. Garnish the drink with the lemon twist.
Red Velvet
Ingredients
- 2 ounces chilled framboise lambic
- ½ ounce crème de framboise (raspberry liqueur)
- 2 ounces chilled Prosecco
- 1 or 2 raspberries skewered on a rosemary sprig, for garnish
Preparation
In a chilled pint glass, combine the lambic and crème de framboise and stir gently. Pour the drink into a chilled flute and top with the Prosecco. Garnish with the rosemary-skewered raspberries.
Marasca Fizz
Ingredients
- 3 maraschino cherries, plus ¾ ounce syrup from the jar
- superfine sugar
- 3 dashes of Angostura Bitters
- 2 brown sugar cubes
- ½ ounce Cherry Heering or cherry liqueur
- 4 ounces chilled Prosecco
Preparation
Moisten the outer rim of a flute with ½ ounce maraschino cherry syrup and coat with superfine sugar. Sprinkle the bitters over the sugar cubes. Add the Cherry Heering, maraschino cherries and the remaining 1/4 ounce of maraschino cherry syrup to the flute. Top with the Prosecco and add the sugar cubes.
Berry Little Cocktail
Ingredients
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 ounce ruby red grapefruit vodka, such as Charbay, chilled
- 2 ounces Prosecco, chilled
- 1 ounce cranberry juice, chilled
- 1 ounce black currant juice or blackberry puree, chilled
Preparation
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, dissolve sugar in 1 ½ cups water. Add cranberries and simmer until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain, discarding liquid and place cranberries on a baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to freezer and chill at least 2 hours.
Mix together vodka, Prosecco, cranberry and currant juice in a champagne glass. Garnish with a skewer of 4 or 5 frozen cranberries. Reserve remaining cranberries for another drink.
Star of Night
Ingredients
- 4 oz Prosecco
- 1 oz Van Gogh Açai-Blueberry Vodka
Preparation
Pour chilled Van Gogh Acai-Blueberry vodka into a flute. Top with Prosecco and garnish with a star fruit.
