Here are a few fun and zesty cocktail recipes that can spice up your new year!
Whether you're at a party, or at home, these drinks should be easy to put together.
And they're sure to liven up your spirits.
Enjoy these specially curated recipes by Karan Vasani, Vice-President, Wine-making, Sula Vineyards.
Santé!
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Schnapp it up!
A Beluga-based cocktail is a must have for the year 2018! While there many vodkas that are tried and tasted but this super-premium vodka from begs to be treated as a deliberate ingredient in a cocktail, not a casual afterthought!
Ingredients:
1 part Beluga Noble
1 part Apple Schnapps
1 part light cream
Dash of angostura bitters
Apple slice to garnish
How to make it:
Add one part of Beluga Noble and one part of Apple Schnapps to the mixer. In case you're feeling adventurous, add a dash of angostura bitters to give it a bittersweet taste. Shake all the ingredients with Ice. Strain in a martini glass and garnish with an apple slice.
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Not so Antique!
Of all after-dinner drinks out there, Sambuca is one of the best known.
Generally colourless, the anise-flavoured liqueur is served neat or with water, or sometimes as a shot with three coffee beans — known as con la mosca, of "with the fly".
If not tried already, it should be in your list for 2018!
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon grated ginger
½ A stick of cinnamon
3-4 Black pepper corns
½ Tablespoon tea leaves
60 ml Antica Sambuca
1 cup water
Orange wedge to garnish
How to make it: Heat water in a pan and add the ginger, cinnamon, pepper corns and tea leaves to it. Bring to the water to boil and set aside covered.
Let it cool for a while. Once it’s warm enough, strain it in a cup and then pour 60 ml Sambuca. Mix well and garnish with an orange wedge.
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I got ‘New Rules’
2018 should be all about new experiences! If you haven’t had your priced Cognac in mixed drinks and cocktails, it’s time to get into action.
Many Cognac brands now produce lines that’re intended to specifically be used in cocktails to realize how much our beloved drink has embraced the 21st century.
Ingredients:
2 parts VSOP
1 part crème de cacao
¼ part crème de banane
Whipped cream
How to make it:
Add two parts VSOP to a mixer and shake it well. Add crème de cacao and crème de banana with ice to give your drink a sweet to give it a sweet chocolate and banana flavour.
Shake all the ingredients together and then strain it in a glass. You can top it up with a dollop of whipped cream to enhance the flavours!
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Such a ‘Plum’
The cocktail recipe list for the New Year is incomplete without the orange flavoured liqueur ‘Cointreau’. This French liqueur famous for its complex and balanced flavors, is made from a unique blend of sweet and bitter orange peels.
Cointreau is at the heart of creative cocktails perfect for entertaining with a twist.
Ingredients:
60 ml Cointreau
1 plum
Ginger Ale
How to make it: Muddle plums till almost a puree and pass through a sieve. Pour the plum puree and Cointreau in a sparkling glass and top off with ginger ale.
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Elixir of Life
This is another must-have cocktail which brings out strong spirited and persuasive flavours.
Vibrant dark cherry and berry fruit notes with floral, dried herbs and delicate sweet spice notes cast a powerful spell over your palate while bringing-in a magical 2018.
Ingredients
100 ml Pomegranate juice
100 ml Pinot Noir
2-3 Cloves
½ a stick cinnamon
1 tablespoon honey
How to make it: Pour 100 ml Pinot Noir in a pan. Add cloves and cinnamon and warm it. Do not
bring to a boil. Set aside till the flavours merge and comes down to room temperature.
Pour in a wine glass, add the pomegranate juice and honey. Stir and garnish with a cinnamon stick.