5 Fun and Simple Cocktails to Liven Up Your New Year’s Eve

The new year is close at hand with promises of fresh starts and new opportunities. But before that there’s New Year’s Eve and the chance for one last party to send 2022 off the right way.

Making a fancy cocktail adds a touch of class to any celebration. Sometimes however, a good cocktail seems to call for an exhaustive list of steps to make, or include ingredients that maybe leave you puzzled, taking away from precious party time. This doesn’t have to be the case though.

So, here we’ve put together a short list of fantastic cocktails perfect for any New Year’s party that are simple to make – with relatively few ingredients – but also delicious and aesthetic!

Espresso Martini

This one is a great spin on the classic martini with the added bonus of some extra caffeine to help keep you awake to ring in the new year!

2 ounces vodka
½ ounce coffee liqueur
1 ounce chilled espresso
½ ounce simple syrup

Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice
Shake thoroughly to combine
Strain into glass to serve

Old Fashioned

This cocktail is an old favourite and one with some wiggle room as far as precise ingredients go. Generally, in its most basic form you’ll need:

2 ounces bourbon (though another type of whisky can work)
1-2 tsp simple syrup (maple syrup may also be used)
3 dashes bitters (angostura is the classic and easily available at most stores)
Thin slice of orange peel for aromatics (optional)

Add all ingredients to glass and stir to combine
Serve over ice

Aperol Spritz

This quintessential Italian cocktail is super refreshing, but it’s base of sparkling white wine means it’s a perfect addition to a New Year’s celebration! Incredibly easy to make as well, this one should be an essential.

3 ounces Aperol
3 ounces dry Prosecco
1-2 ounces of club soda
Orange slice (optional)

Mix ingredients in any standard wine glass and stir to combine
Serve over ice

Kentucky Mule

I’m certain you’ve heard of the ubiquitous and classic Moscow mule, a staple of the cocktail world. You can of course do many variations on this cocktail so feel free to play around with your liquor of choice if you want! The Kentucky mule simply switches out vodka for bourbon and gives it a bit more flavour.

2 ounces bourbon
½ ounce fresh lime juice
4 ounces ginger beer
Lime wedge for garnish

Fill glass with ice
Pour in bourbon, lime juice, and ginger beer
Give it a quick stir to mix and garnish with the lime wedge

Cosmopolitan (Cosmo)

Another cocktail with many variations, the cosmo can be a real crowd pleaser and one that can be made with ingredients most anyone should have readily on hand!