New Year Cocktails To Get The 2023 Party Started
We don’t know about you, but we think Hogmanay is the BIGGEST party of the year, and what’s a party without a good cocktail or two? Of course, if there was ever a time to get the champagne or prosecco flowing it would be as the bells chime midnight but there is plenty of time pre- (and post-) midnight to enjoy a few cocktails. With this in mind, we’ve created a cocktail guide straight from the Misty Isle to prepare you for the festivities.
THE MISTY ISLE ‘COUNTDOWN’ FIZZ
Putting a Misty Isle spin on a classic, this Gin Fizz provides a mix of sweet and sour flavours with a bubbly kick. A light and refreshing serve, this cocktail is very easy to make using our handcrafted Cill Targhlain Gin which provides juniper notes in the foreground with hints of blueberry to complement the refreshing, tasty cocktail. To make a glass of this delicious cocktail in the lead-up to the bells, we recommend:
- 50ml of our Misty Isle Cill Targhlain Gin
- 30ml freshly squeezed lemon or grapefruit juice
- 15ml sugar syrup
- Ice
- Soda water
- Lemon (or grapefruit if you prefer) wedge to garnish
It is quick and easy to make this New Year’s Eve cocktail; all you have to do is mix the first four ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Ensuring this has been shaken well, you should then strain the liquid into an ice-filled highball glass, topping it up with soda water. The final step is to garnish with your choice of a lemon or grapefruit wedge. Enjoy!
MINCE PIE MISTY MARTINI
Ok, this one takes a little bit more prep time than the other cocktails on our list, but we promise it’s worth it! If you haven’t eaten enough mince pies already this festive season, you’re going to love this one as it packs all the classic flavours of spiced, fruity mincemeat into a festive cocktail. It’s also handy if you have leftover mincemeat to use up! To make four glasses, we recommend:
- 100g caster sugar and 50g mincemeat (for the mincemeat syrup)
- 4 tbsp caster sugar and 4 tsp mixed spice (for the garnish)
- 4 tsp mincemeat
- 100ml of our award-winning classic Misty Isle Gin
- 100ml sweet red vermouth
- 20ml dark rum
The first step to creating this unique cocktail is to make mincemeat syrup. Pour 100ml water into a pan with the golden caster sugar and mincemeat and bring to the boil. Cool and strain through muslin into a sieve. Mix the mixed spice and caster sugar, and then dampen the rims of four glasses (we’d recommend martini glasses) before dipping into the sugar and spice mix.
To produce the cocktail itself, muddle the mincemeat in a shaker before adding the Misty Isle Gin, dark rum, sweet red vermouth, 80ml of mincemeat syrup and ice. Shake this well before pouring it into the prepared glasses. And there you have it, a unique festive cocktail to ring in the New Year with friends and family.
MISTY ISLE VODKA & CRANBERRY BLUSH
Are you having a dinner party to see in the bells? This is a sophisticated drink to delight your guests before popping open a bottle of bubbly in the wee small hours. Our triple gold award-winning Misty Isle Vodka provides the perfect base for this cocktail having been carefully distilled using the crystal-clear waters from Skye, it is a crisp, clean, and smooth spirit. To serve six guests and add a festive cranberry kick, you will need:
- 100ml each of our Misty Isle Vodka and Cointreau
- 300ml cranberry juice
- 200ml orange juice
- Strips of peel from one or two limes
- Crushed ice (for serving)
Firstly, pour both the Cointreau and our Misty Isle Vodka into a jug before adding the cranberry juice and orange juice. Stir well. Use a knife to peel strips from the lime(s) and add crushed ice to six glasses. Pour the mixed Misty Isle Vodka and Cranberry Blush over the ice and garnish each glass with a strip of lime peel. This is the perfect dinner party cocktail to treat your guests to this New Year!
STROKE OF MIDNIGHT MISTY MIMOSA
Looking to toast the New Year as the clock strikes midnight? We’ve got the perfect recipe to make use of your bottles of bubbly with a Misty Isle twist. There isn’t a better way to celebrate the end of one chapter, and the start of a new one, than with a bit of fizz. This modern twist on a classic mimosa (or Bucks Fizz) recipe with Misty Isle Gin and orange juice is sure to go down a treat as you ring in 2023. To make the perfect glass, you will need:
- 25ml Misty Isle Gin (we’d recommend our Cill Targhlain gin but our classic will also taste great!)
- 25ml orange juice
- Champagne (to top each glass)
- OPTIONAL: 5ml agave syrup
- Orange twist (to garnish)
Simple to make, all you have to do is add the gin, orange juice and agave (optional) into your cocktail shaker. Shake well with ice and strain into a champagne flute. You can top this off with champagne, as much or as little as you want — it is a celebration after all! If you want to garnish the drink, we’d recommend using an orange twist.
HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE MISTY ISLE
Do you have a favourite drink to enjoy each New Year? Perhaps our recipes above have provided inspiration for a new tipple to try this Hogmanay, or have added a new spin on an old classic you’ve tried many times before! Our delicious range of premium handcrafted spirits makes the perfect base ingredient for a New Year tipple. Why not show off your Misty Isle concoctions on social media? Make sure to tag us in your posts so we can see your fabulous recipes. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
However you choose to spend Hogmanay, we wish you all the best for 2023 from all of us at Isle of Skye Distillers!
