Cocktails To Make at Home This New Year's Eve Stay-In

So, you were planning a big night out for New Year’s Eve, and then this new wave of coronavirus cases hit Beijing – and now you’re staying in. But you’re not about to head to bed before midnight! You’ve got to keep the party going at home. Of course, a bottle of wine would do the trick, but hey, 2020 is a year we’re all especially excited to bid farewell to, so might as well make it a special celebration with a few homemade cocktails. What will you have in your hand in the first moments of 2021?

Champagne cocktails

For New Year’s Traditionalists, there can be only one glass in hand when the clock strikes 12, and that’s a champagne flute. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get a little creative with it!

Simple Champagne cocktail

Easy enough. Simply add some bitters and a dash of sugar to taste, then garnish the glass with lemon peel for a little zest.

Black Velvet

Champagne and beer? It sounds so bizarre that you might as well be putting cheese in your eggnog. But in fact, this drink is tried and tested, as it dates back to London in 1861.

Simply pour half a glass of Champagne, then top it off with a cold stout of your choice until the glass is full, and serve.

The Happy New Year

Now we’re getting fancy. Pour a shot of brandy, half a shot of port wine, and half a shot of orange juice into a cocktail shaker and mix. Add the mixture to half a glass of Champaign, et voila.

Coffee Cocktails

If you’re having trouble staying up for the main event, there’s an obvious solution: a little caffeine in your cocktail.

Espresso Martini

Time to boot up the old Moka pot. Pour a shot and a half of vodka, half a shot of coffee liquor (like Kahlúa), half a shot of simple syrup, and a shot of espresso into a cocktail mixer and shake with ice before straining into a martini glass and garnishing with a couple of coffee beans.

Holiday coffee

This is a festive drink for those who prefer brewed coffee. First, however, you’ll need to prepare the peppermint syrup. Start by crushing up some candy canes until you have about 250 milliliters of the stuff. Place it in a pot with 250 milliliters of water and heat until the candy cane dissolves, then let it cool in a bowl.

Next, add a shot of bourbon to a glass and mix in the candy cane syrup. Fill the rest of the glass with coffee and top with a splash of cream. Garnish with a sprinkling of extra candy cane, or just stick a whole cane in the glass.

Drinks to keep warm

Heater not keeping your home as warm this winter? Perhaps you’ve already had enough mulled wine this season, so try one of these hot drinks instead.

Buttered rum

The go-to for warm winter drinks, you can’t go wrong with buttered rum. Start by preparing the spiced butter: Soften about 100 milliliters of butter, then mix it in a bowl with 15 milliliters of brown sugar, 15 milliliters of cinnamon, and 8 milliliters of nutmeg. Stir well. (If you’re not making the rum right away, you can store the spiced butter in the fridge for later use.)

Place a dollop of the butter into the bottom of a glass and add a shot of spiced rum. Then fill the rest of the glass with hot water or hot cider and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Naughty Hot Chocolate

Why sip regular hot chocolate when you can sip hot chocolate... with alcohol? Heat 250 milliliters of milk in a pot and stir in hot cocoa mix. Turn off the heat and stir in two shots of vodka. Optionally, stir in a chocolate liqueur as well. Pour into a glass or mug and plop in a marshmallow.

READ: Cold Out? Stay Toasty and Tipsy With 3 Mulled Wine and Cider Recipes

Image: Pexels, Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott, Guinness, Jason Loucas, Tim Nusog, Homemade Hooplah, Pinterest,