Recipe Roundup

30 New Year’s Eve Cocktails to Toast Through the Night

Watch the ball drop with one of these festive New Year’s drinks in hand.

By Maggie Hoffman and The Editors of Epicurious

December 7, 2023

Two glasses of French 75 cocktails with long lemon twists beside of bottle of brut Champagne.

The most important part of the last night of the year is the people you spend it with, but if you’re hosting, New Year’s Eve party cocktails and bites are a close second. Whether you’re planning a festive NYE dinner for the family or a glamorous cocktail party with a buffet of appetizers to fuel you through midnight, everyone will appreciate that you chose a special drink to complete the celebration. Below you’ll find a few of our favorite New Year’s drinks, including Champagne cocktails, large-format punch recipes, and classic cocktails that have been around to ring in the new year since auld lang syne.

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Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh
1/30
Make-Ahead Chilled Mulled Wine Punch
If you want to serve New Year’s party cocktails without having to prep individual drinks, a make-ahead option like this punch from bartender Natasha David is a great way to go. It’s sweetened with spiced maple syrup and mixed with a touch of tangy hibiscus tea.
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Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
2/30
Champagne Cocktail
If you really want to splash out, you can make this easy cocktail with real Champagne. But any decent bubbly will do.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
3/30
Classic Dry Martini
Martini preferences vary, but pretty much every martini is delicious with old-school appetizers like shrimp cocktail and gougères. Consider setting out a DIY martini bar with an assortment of gins, vodka, dry vermouth, and garnishes so that everyone can mix their own drink. (Ask a few guests to bring backup bags of ice too.)
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Simon Andrews
4/30
Champagne Punch With Brandy and Citrus
Fresh grapefruit juice, lime, and lemon balance this minty punch, which gets its oomph from cognac or other brandy.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
5/30
French 75
Garnishing this effervescent cocktail with a long lemon twist makes it feel even more elegant.
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Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh
6/30
Palaver Punch
Allspice dram is basically winter in a bottle, adding warmth and complexity of flavor to this gin and juice combo.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
7/30
Jersey Lightning
Manhattans feel like a swanky choice for an NYE party. But you might like this easy apple-brandy-based riff even better.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
8/30
Bee’s Knees
See if you can find some local honey to make this 3-ingredient gin drink.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
9/30
Mulled Wine
Keep all your guests cozy by the fire with warm mugs of wine spiced with whole black peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, and orange and lemon zest.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
10/30
Fleming Fizz
The smoky Penicillin goes fizzy in this festive winter cocktail. You’ll make a spicy ginger-honey syrup in advance, then mix it with scotch, fresh lemon juice, and chilled sparkling wine.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Sean Dooley
11/30
Amaretto Sour
It’s time to reconsider the amaretto sour. This one isn’t cloying or overly perfumed. The secret’s in the shake.
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Photograph by Kelly Puleio
12/30
Tingly Pomegranate Rum Punch
The tingly factor here comes from a few tablespoons of Sichuan peppercorns that you’ll add to a bottle of rum a day before your New Year’s gathering.
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By Denny Culbert
13/30
Howitzer
This spin on the French 75 swaps out the gin for bourbon and adds a few drops of fruity peach bitters to the mix.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele
14/30
Last Word
Don’t let 2023 get the last word. Especially if you have a bottle of green Chartreuse around.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele
15/30
Stroke of Midnight
Making a big-batch cocktail means a chilly drink is ready to pop and pour. This pear-scented martini variation just needs a lemon twist on top.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele
16/30
Life of the Party
Your New Year’s Eve cocktail plan needs a nonalcoholic drink, and this booze-free pitcher cocktail is a showstopper.
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Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Judy Haubert
17/30
Salted Amaro Espresso Martini
Not sure you’re gonna make it to midnight? Consider a homemade espresso martini—or this fabulous citrusy variation on the coffee drink.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
18/30
Gourmet’s Classic Eggnog
This might be the last chance to drink eggnog this year, so make it a good version of the holiday staple. This classic recipe is a longtime favorite, but we also love this one made with coffee and sherry and this variation with smoky tea.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
19/30
Apples and Oranges
A superlative take on spiked cider, stirred with amaro, citrusy Grand Marnier, and salted butter for hot-buttered-rum-meets-caramel-apple vibes.
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Photo by Alice Gao, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Diana Yen
20/30
Champagne Punch With Ginger, Lemon, and Sage
A Bundt pan ice ring shows off lemon slices and sage leaves here; just make sure your serving bowl can fit the whole thing before you freeze it.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert
21/30
Classic Whiskey Sour
Stock up on the good cocktail cherries if you plan to make this drink for New Year’s.
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Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Judy Haubert
22/30
Fino Martini
Fino martini is particularly food-friendly; pour a round of these as your guests dive into all of the hors d’oeuvres you’ve set out.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou
23/30
Lipstick Memory
Lovers of bitter drinks like negronis and boulevardiers will appreciate this tart cranberry and Campari cocktail. Carefully singe the rosemary garnish for a little smoky botanical aroma.
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Photo by Denny Culbert
24/30
Celery Stalker
Celery bitters give this sparkling drink a lightly savory side. Any drops left over will be great mixed with seltzer after your party.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
25/30
Aperitif Scorpion Bowls
This flexible punch recipe is great for using up any sweet vermouth you opened this month—and whatever amaro you have on the bar cart.
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Photo by Kelly Puleio
26/30
Bitter French
Gin, lemon, sugar, and sparkling wine makes a French 75, but adding Campari makes it something else altogether. This crisp and lightly bitter drink might become your new go-to.
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27/30
All She Wrote
Make this drink to mark the end of the year—and make a second bottle to stash in your fridge for 2024. It gets even better with time.
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Photo by Jerrelle Guy
28/30
Sorrel
Set out this spiced hibiscus tea alongside a bottle of rum. People will know what to do.
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Photo by Bobbi Lin
29/30
Earl Grey–Bourbon Punch
Tea—especially a fragrant one like Earl Grey—is a simple way to add a lot of flavor to a make-ahead New Year’s Eve punch.
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Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones
30/30
Adonis Spritz
When people Google “cocktail drinks for New Year’s Eve,” we’re guessing they’re looking for simple New Year’s party cocktails, like this refreshing combo of sherry, sweet vermouth, club soda, and bitters. Why make life harder when easy drinks like this are so delicious?
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Maggie Hoffman, formerly the Digital Director of Epicurious, is a freelance editor and writer based in Brooklyn. She is the author of Batch Cocktails: Make-Ahead Drinks for Every Occasion and The One-Bottle Cocktail: More than 80 Recipes with Fresh Ingredients and a Single Spirit, both published by Ten Speed Press,... Read more

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