Cocktails And Mocktails For A Sparkling New Year

See in the New Year at home with our favourite trendy cocktails and mocktails. Whether you’re dressing up or dressing gown is up to you!

Some good-to-knows before you get shaking. Firstly, you don’t need a fully stocked bar to mix a few drinks, but some kit will come in handy as well as the all-important ingredients. Find out whether you’ll need a jigger, a shaker or a muddler with this guide to bar tools.

As for ingredients, it depends entirely on what you’re knocking together but it’s likely to involve liquors, liqueurs, mixers, sweeteners, ice and garnishes. Your chosen recipe will detail all you need, or you can take inspiration from a good list.

BTW a cocktail is so named because… well, that depends on what you buy into. It could be to do with rooster feathers, the French word for egg cup (coquetier), horse trading and more. Who knows? A mocktail is just a nice play on words.

Giving a classic Moscow mule a hint of festive flavour, this winter spiced version is a lip-smacking combo of vodka, ginger beer and orange with cranberries and fresh rosemary over ice. Yum.

Sticking with the cranberry theme (tis the season to celebrate the heck of ‘em after all), this cranberry cobbler smash is a gorgeous blend of bourbon, berries and spices to warm the soul.

Forget what you know about jelly shots and try something on a whole new level. These champagne jelly shots are made with on-trend boba (tapioca balls – again, forget what you know about tapioca) and will be the talk of the evening.

No less impressive is the Pom and Mary coupe cocktail. We love everything about this drink: the name, the rich colour, the coupe glasses, the garnish – oh and the flavour of course!

Because we couldn’t get enough over the summer, we’ll be popping a pomegranate and grapefruit frosé or two in the blender on the night. Zhuzh with a sprinkle of edible glitter and it’s NYE ready.

Skip the alcohol and mix a delicious concoction to toast the New Year. Where better to start than this celebration mocktail, a zesty blend of juices and non-alcoholic spirit with a stylish finish.

A nojito delivers all the yumminess of a mojito without the pesky fuzzy head in the morning. Much like this fabulous negroni mocktail. We’ll drink to that!

This New Year’s sunrise is a doddle to make and looks the business. So good we’ll be drinking it for New Year’s breakfast too. And for midnight, it has to be this cracking faux fizz. Cheers!

New Year’s drinks need nibbles and we’ve picked some perfect accompaniments for you. Start by baking up a batch of these cute cheese stars, they’ll keep for up to five days in an airtight container so are great for prepping ahead.

Bacon’s not just for pigs in blankets, it’s a star in these potato bites with sour cream dipping sauce too. And these Mexican salmon tostadas make a tasty alternative to blinis.

This trio of vegan appetizers are bite-sized mouthfuls of deliciousness, while these scrummy paneer cubes with quick pickled cucumber are the prettiest of all.

Unleash your inner mixologist with these dazzling recipes – and have a cracking New Year!