Dec. 26–It’s New Year’s Eve. You’re mingling with friends, you’re drinking (responsibly, we hope), and the 60-second countdown has begun. Time for the champagne, right?
Stop the clock right there. As much as we love our bubbly, sometimes a new year calls for some new flavors. We asked Orlando bartenders for their favorite cocktails to spice up that first sip of 2014.
But let’s not forget that all-important morning after. What kicks off those hasty resolutions better than a nice Bloody Mary or mimosa on New Year’s Day? Check out our drink recipes before you answer. These “hair of the dog” mixers will have you howling again in no time.
New Year’s Eve
Rosemary’s Baby New Year
Fragrant rosemary balances the sweetness in this variation on the classic Negroni, the brainchild of mixology guru Mike Bass at Cask & Larder (565 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park).
1 ounce Smooth Ambler Gin
1 ounce Cocchi Americano Sweet Vermouth
1 ounce rosemary-infused Aperol (place 3-4 sprigs of rosemary in a bottle of Aperol, let sit for 3-4 hours at room temperature)
4 dashes of chocolate bitters
4-5 sprigs of rosemary
Add all ingredients to mixing glass and stir. Strain over ice into a rocks glass, garnish with a sprig of rosemary.
Seelbach
Champagne was never more at home than on top of this fruity, fizzy favorite. Bass gives us his take on the Southern classic, named for its birthplace at the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Ky.
1 ounce Smooth Ambler Old Scout Bourbon
1/2 ounce Cointreau
Champagne
In a mixing glass, stir bourbon and cointreau over ice. Strain into coupe or champagne flute and top with champagne. Garnish with orange zest.
French 75
Gene Zimmerman of mixology mecca The Courtesy (114 N. Orange Ave., Orlando) calls this his favorite champagne cocktail, light and refreshing but as fast-acting as the French artillery gun from which it gets its name.
1ounce gin (Zimmerman recommends Blu Coat or Smooth Ambler)
1 sugar cube (or 1/2 ounce simple syrup)
1/2 ounce fresh squeezed lemon
Champagne, cava, a dry Prosecco, or sparkling wine
Shake first three ingredients until flavors incorporate and the sugar cube is dissolved. Pour over crushed ice, top with champagne. Garnish with lemon twist.
Death in the Afternoon
Looking for something potent and simple? Zimmerman recommends this “super decadent” classic created by author Ernest Hemingway.
3/4 ounce Herbsaint Absinthe
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce lemon juice
Champagne
Combine ingredients, pour into champagne flute and top with champagne.
Big Apple Manhattan
From the bar at White Wolf Cafe (1829 N. Orange Ave., Orlando) comes this savory sipper. New general manager Jeff Folks says he enjoys the “sweet, balanced acidity” in his recipe, mixed with his house-infused bourbon.
1 1/2 ounces apple cinnamon bourbon
3/4 ounce apple juice
1/2 ounce ginger syrup
1/4 ounce lemon juice
Serve chilled in a martini glass, garnish with apple wedge.
New Year’s Day
Betty Ford Bloody Mary
The eye-opener from The Courtesy boasts plenty of garden munchies (thanks to a garnish provided by K Restaurant), but it is certainly no garden-variety Bloody Mary. The addition of stout thickens the mix and makes it a hearty liquid feast.
2 ounces Tito’s Vodka
3 ounces Bloody Mary mix
1 ounce Murphy’s Irish Stout (or any good domestic or imported stout)
Combine over ice in a tall glass in the listed order. Garnish with a jalapeno pickle spear, smoked olives, pickled green bean and a wedge of thyme.
Corpse Reviver No. 2
Wake up and smell the gin. The name says plenty about this reliable and tangy restorative, tweaked from the classic recipe by bartenders at The Courtesy.
3/4 ounce gin
3/4 ounce Cocchi Americano Sweet Vermouth
3/4 ounce Cointreau
3/4 ounce lemon juice
Absinthe
Rinse cocktail glass with absinthe, then serve remaining ingredients chilled in glass. Garnish with orange twist.
Apple Spice Sangria
Smooth as a sunset, this fruity sangria comes to us from White Wolf Cafe bartender Jon Breidenstein. Perfectly suitable for the party punch bowl, it’ll be even better the morning after.
3 ounces red wine
1/4 ounce apple cinnamon moonshine
1/4 ounce brandy
1 ounce citrus soda
1 lemon wedge
1 orange wedge
1 lime wedge
2 sticks cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 cup apple juice
8 whole allspice berries
2 cloves
Combine and chill overnight, then serve over ice.
Sunday Morning Coming Down
They love their drinks and the Man in Black at Cask & Larder. The first of two drinks named for Johnny Cash songs, this one is a porch-sipping refresher from bartender Larry Foor.
1 ounce Bluecoat Gin
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce Fernet Branca
2-3 dashes grapefruit bitters
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake and strain over ice in a rocks glass and garnish with a twist of grapefruit.
Hey Porter Flip
Cask & Larder bartender Eric Foster loves any chance to incorporate the bar’s house brews into his drinks, but he says any decent porter will substitute for the main ingredient in a pinch. Foster says his silky but substantial concoction is “good for wintertime, or an after-dinner drink.”
2 ounces Cask & Larder Strawberry Chocolate Porter
1 cube of brown sugar
1 ounce port wine
1 whole organic egg
Add all ingredients to mixing glass and shake with no ice. Add ice and shake again. Strain into coupe glass and garnish with grated nutmeg and three drops of Angostura bitters.
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