Stay home and prepare our cocktails for New Year’s Eve! They taste better than at the bar

Saying goodbye to the year that just passed and welcoming the year to come is celebrated not only with good food, but also with good drink.

We have prepared these recipes for New Year’s Eve cocktails that will get everyone’s party going!

Come try some of our favorites and break the stereotype that mixed drinks are only for summer!

Mojito

Mojito doesn’t only taste great in summer, see for yourself!

What will we need

• 4 parts lightly sparkling unflavored water or soda for making drinks
• 1 part white rum (best Caribbean)
• juice from a quarter of a lime (ideally make two drinks at once and squeeze half a lime + a slice of lime for decoration
• cane sugar (about two spoons, depending on the glass – measure so that there are about 3 mm of sugar at the bottom
• fresh mint
• ice shards (if we don’t have the possibility to make ice shards, ice cubes will suffice)

Method

1. First we measure the sugar. We follow the size of the glass or the preference of whether we want the drinks sweeter.
2. Add mint and lime juice. Squeeze to let the mint release its aroma.
3. Pour in a portion of rum and cover with crushed ice.
4. Fill the rest of the glass with soda – the proportion should be 4 parts.
5. Mix everything again.
6. Place a cut slice of lime on the edge of the glass.

Aperol Spritz

A simple cocktail that everyone has associated with the bright orange color will make you the best hosts.

What will we need

• 3 parts Prosecco
• 2 parts of Aperol
• 1 part soda
• crushed ice for refinement
• orange slice for garnish

Method

1. Put a few spoons of ice in a larger wine glass (about two-thirds of the glass).
2. We pour exactly the same proportion of Prosecco and Aperol.
3. Add soda up to the edge and mix everything – it’s a good idea to prepare straws for this occasion. They can seem long in a wine glass, so we can trim them to make it comfortable to drink from.
4. Decorate with a slice of orange.

Cuba libre

Familiar, simple and great tasting. Why not make this one?

What will we need

• 4 parts coca cola
• 1 part white rum
• juice of half a lime (amount for two drinks)
• the other half of a lime for garnish (amount for two drinks)
• ice cubes

Method

1. Fill the glass with ice cubes. Not only does the drink stay chilled for a long time, it also looks stylish.
2. Squeeze the lime juice and pour it over the ice. Cut the other half into slices.
3. Add rum and coca cola.
4. Throw a few slices of lime loosely into the glass, cut one and decorate the rim with it.

Pina colada

This New Year’s Eve cocktail recipe is perfect for a themed New Year’s party! A tropical blend of rich coconut cream, white rum and sweet pineapple will get any party going!

What will we need

• 120 ml of pineapple juice
• 60 ml of white rum
• 60 ml of coconut cream
• a slice of pineapple, for garnish

Method

• Mix all the ingredients together with a handful of ice in a blender until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and garnish as desired.

Margarita

Tequila and triple sec come together in this fabulous New Year’s Eve cocktail mixed with lime juice. Garnish the rim of the glass with salt for extra flair!

What will we need

• ice
• 50 ml tequila reposado
• 25 ml lime juice
• 20 ml triple sec (orange liqueur)

For decoration

• Salt
• 2 lime wedges

Method

• Sprinkle a small plate with a few teaspoons of salt.
• Rub one lime wedge around the rim of the glass, then roll it in salt so that the entire rim is covered.
• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, then add tequila, lime juice and triple sec.
• Shake until the outside of the shaker feels cool.
• Strain the mixture into the prepared glass over fresh ice.
• Serve with a lime wedge.

Cosmopolitan

Don’t let the color fool you, this drink has power!

What will we need

• 45 ml lemon vodka
• 15 ml triple sec (orange liqueur)
• 30 ml of cranberry juice
• 10 ml of lime juice
• ice

For decoration

• orange peel or lime wedge on the rim of the glass

Method

• Shake the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
• To make the garnish, hold a 3cm piece of orange peel about 10cm above your cocktail and very carefully wave it over a lit match or lighter flame.
• Bend the outer edge of the peel toward the flame to release the orange oils, then place the peel into the drink.

A new year in history and in the world

The beginning of the new year has been celebrated for thousands of years.

Sometimes it was just an opportunity for people to eat, drink and be merry, but in some places the festivities were linked to natural or astronomical events.

For example, in Egypt the beginning of the year coincided with when the Nile River flooded, and this normally happened when the star Sirius was rising.

The Persians and Phoenicians began their new year with the vernal equinox (that is, around March 20, when the Sun shines more or less directly on the equator and the length of night and day are nearly equal).

The oldest celebration of the New Year
The city of Babylon in ancient Mesopotamia was where the first New Year celebrations were recorded around 4,000 years ago.

Modern celebrations
In many cities around the world, spectacular fireworks are held after midnight on December 31st. In recent years, Sydney, Australia has been host to one of the first of these celebrations, as the New Year arrives there earlier than most other major international cities.

Traditional New Year celebrations
In Scotland, New Year’s Eve is called Hogmanay, or “the first leg,” a custom in which they visit the homes of friends and neighbors just after midnight. The first person who visits your house should bring a gift as it will bring good luck.

In Spain it is customary to eat 12 grapes while ringing the bells at midnight on December 31st. Each time the bell rings, one grape is eaten, and each grape is supposed to bring good luck for each month in the coming year.

In Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela and some other Central and South American countries, people wear special underwear of different colors on New Year’s Eve. Red is supposed to bring love in the new year, yellow brings money.