New Year’s Eve Cocktails: Toast to past, present and future

As people say goodbye to one year and hello to another, New Year’s Eve cocktails are part of the toast to the past, present and future.

New Year’s Eve cocktails will be flowing all night long. While sparkling wine and champagne might be the toast at the strike of midnight, a celebratory cocktail can be the perfect sipper throughout the evening. Why not let that cocktail celebrate the year, or decade, that was.

Cocktail trends have been quite varied both in the past year and the past decade. From the rise of whiskey to elevated tequilas, the liquor industry has evolved greatly. Even the popularity of the celebrity endorsed liquor has become a huge trend.

In addition to all the liquor, the sparkling seltzer trend was huge in 2019 and it doesn’t seem to be ending. With Bud Light Seltzer coming to store shelves, these alcoholic beverages will still be filling everyone’s glasses in 2020.

As a new decade is ushered in, the 2020s might be getting some inspiration from the roaring 20s. That era of economic prosperity and prohibition could inspire some cocktail trends beyond the New Year’s Eve Cocktails that everyone will be sipping at those parties.

From the classic Boulevardier to the fun to say Bees Knees, these Great Gatsby inspired cocktails could be the perfect way to celebrate the new decade. In a way, gin could become the liquor of the year.

Rediscovering classic cocktails can be the perfect resolution for many foodies. Although some people might be having a dry or dryish January, sipping on a perfectly crafted cocktail is quite enjoyable. In many cases, it can lead people to enjoying just one cocktail over an evening.

Since it is the end of a decade and people are ready to celebrate, SVEDKA Vodka has created a New Year’s Eve cocktail that is a celebration of the past 10 years. Here’s how to Toast to the 2010’s.

"SVEDKA’s Toast to the 2010’sIngredients:· 1 oz Svedka Vodka· 1 oz Rosé Svedka· 2 oz Grapefruit Juice· .50 0z Vanilla Syrup· .50 oz Lemon Juice· .50 oz Hibiscus Tea· .50 oz Blue Pea FlowerInstructions:Combine vodkas, grapefruit, lemon and vanilla into shaker with ice. Shake for 5 seconds and strain into a Collins glass with fresh ice. Float 3 ounces of Hibiscus tea over a bar spoon. Float 3 ounces of blue pea tea over a bar spoon to fill."

This cocktail is absolutely stunning. If you serve this cocktail, it will be the envy of all your Instagram followers. The layers of colors are definitely worth the effort.

Even if you don’t have the Blue Pea Flower, you can make the cocktail without it. The flavors are bright, herbaceous and refreshing. This cocktail is a lovely way to toast to the years gone by.

If you are looking for a cocktail that might be a little easier to say goodbye to the last decade, my New Year’s Eve celebration will be enjoying this cocktail that I created, Merry Mischief.

In some ways, the holidays were both filled with merry and a little mischief. That combination of fun, festive, and frivolity is something that I want to carry into the New Year.

Here’s how to make Merry Mischief by Cristine Struble.

Merry Mischief

Ingredients

• 1 ½ oz Svedka Cherry Vodka
• ½ oz St Germain Elderflower liqueur
• 1 1/2 oz cranberry juice
• Dash of Martini & Rossi Bitter
• Floater sparkling wine (or sparkling water for less alcohol)
• Fresh cranberries for garnish

Method

Mix ingredients, sans sparkling wine/water in a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour over one large ice cube, top with floater and garnish with cranberries.

No matter how you ring in the New Year, with New Year’s Eve cocktails, sparkling wine or your favorite soda, embrace the year ahead and all the opportunities that it brings. Cheers!