Patch Picks: New Years Eve Drinks

"Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.”  -Oprah Winfrey 

This weekend marks New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Here are some cocktail recipes that are sure to impress your guests. Or bartenders, you may want to use these as a featured cocktail on your New Year's Eve featured drink lists. Enjoy, but please drink responsibly and please don’t drink and drive.

Blue Champagne Cocktail

Ingredients you need:

• 1 oz. Vodka
• 1/4 oz Lemon Juice
• 2 - 3 dashes Triple Sec
• 2 - 3 dashes Blue Curacao
• Champagne

How to make a Blue Champagne Cocktail:

• Combine all ingredients except for the champagne in and ice-filled shaker and shake well. Strain into a champagne flute, top with champagne, and serve.

New Year's Sparkler

Ingredients you need:

• 1 oz. SKYY Infusions Passion Fruit
• 1.5 oz. Pomegranate Juice
• 3.5 oz. Champagne
• 5-6 Raspberries

How to make a New Year's Sparkler:

• Combine SKYY Infusions Raspberry and cranberry juice in a chilled champagne flute and top with champagne. Garnish with raspberry tree.
• Slide 5-6 raspberries onto long skewer and place vertically in champagne glass.
• Infuse passion into the New Year with a flashy cocktail featuring SKYY Infusions Passion Fruit, fresh juice and raspberries.

Resolute Cocktail

Ingredients you need:

• 0.5 oz. Apricot Brandy
• 1 oz. Gin
• 0.25 Juice of Lemon

 How to make a Resolute Cocktail:

• Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass and serve.

Winter Sangria

Ingredients you need:

• 1 cup fresh satsuma orange juice (about 4 satsumas)
• 1 cup satsuma orange sections (about 2 satsumas)
• 1/3 cup Triple Sec (orange-flavored liqueur)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
• 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
• 1 (750-milliliter) bottle fruity red wine

How to make a Winter Sangria:

• Combine all ingredients in a pitcher, stirring until sugar dissolves
• Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight

Golden Fruit Punch

Ingredients you need:

• 4 maraschino cherries
• 1 medium navel orange, thinly sliced
• 1 small lemon, thinly sliced
• 1 small lime, thinly sliced
• 1 can (12 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 1 can (12 ounces) frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
• 1 can (12 ounces) frozen pineapple-orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 2 liters diet ginger ale, chilled

How to make a Golden Fruit Punch:

• Arrange fruit in a 5-cup ring mold; add 3/4 cup water. Freeze until solid. Add enough water to fill mold; freeze until solid.
• Just before serving, in a punch bowl, combine juice concentrates with 2 cups water. Stir in ginger ale. Unmold ice ring by wrapping the bottom of the mold in a hot, damp dishcloth. Invert onto a baking sheet; place fruit side up in punch bowl. Yield: 21 servings (4 quarts).

Gingerbling by Guy Fieri of the Food Network

Ingredients you need:

• Apple slice*
• 2 tablespoons sugar*
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon*
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger*
• Grated nutmeg*
• 1 ounce cinnamon schnapps
• 1 ounce vodka
• 4 ounces ginger ale
• Ice

How to make a Gingerbling:

In a cocktail shaker, pour the cinnamon schnapps, vodka, and ginger ale over ice, shake and strain into the glass. Garnish with the apple slice.

Directions for the sugar rim:

Combine all ingredients (*) in a shallow dish or saucer.

Directions for the wet rim:

Wet the rim of a martini glass or tumbler with the slice of apple, reserve for garnish. Dip the rim of the glass in the sugar mixture and reserve.

New Years Eve Cocktail

Ingredients you need:

• 1 bottle Smirnoff® vodka
• 2 bottles sweet vermouth
• 1 cup cola

How to make a New Years Eve cocktail:

• Combine ingredients in a punch bowl. Chill properly before serving.

Suggested cheap bottles of bubbly (prices are estimated/suggested):

• Segura Viudas NV Brut Reserva, Spain $9
• Gruet Brut NV, New Mexico $14
• Paul Cheneau "Lady of Spain" Cava, Spain $15
• Prosecco, Italy $12
• Mionetto Prosecco Brut, Italy $13

Local places to purchase bottles of bubbly or wine for NYE:

• , Germantown
• Pinky & Pepe’s Grape Escape, Kentlands, Gaithersburg
• , Gaithersburg Square, Gaithersburg
• , Goshen Oaks Shopping Center, Gaithersburg
• , Kentlands, Gaithersburg
• , Rio, Gaithersburg

Mixing Ingredients:

Most mixing items can be purchased at your local grocery store like or . Check out the places section on your local Patch.

Alcohol Ingredients:

Any of the liquor items can be purchased at the County’s liquor stores. Below are the Montgomery County stores located in Gaithersburg. To see the complete list, click here.

Montgomery County Department of Liquor Control Retail Locations and Hours

Darnestown

12155 Darnestown Road

Gaithersburg, MD 20878

Phone: 240-773-2028

Hours: Mon - Sat 10am to 9 pm; Sun 12pm to 6pm

Diamond Square

24 Bureau Drive

Gaithersburg, MD 20877

Phone: 240-773-2011

Hours: Mon - Fri 12:00 pm to 8:30 pm, Sat 10:00am to 8:30pm; Sun 12:00pm to 6:00pm

Montgomery Village

19233 Watkins Mill Road

Gaithersburg, MD 20760

Phone: 240-773-2017

Hours: Mon - Sat 10:00 am to 9:00 pm; Sun 12:00pm to 6:00pm

Muddy Branch

866 Muddy Branch Road

Gaithersburg, MD 20878

Phone: 240-773-2057

Hours: Mon-Th 10:00am- 9:00pm & Fri- Sat 10:00am to 10:00pm; Sun 12:00pm to 6:00pm

Walnut Hill

16535 S. Frederick Road

Gaithersburg, MD 20855

Phone: 240-773-2004

Hours: Mon - Sat 10:00 am to 9:00 pm; Sun 12:00pm to 6:00pm

Had too much to drink? Call the Washington Regional Alcohol Program’s (WRAP) Sober Ride at 1-800-200-TAXI or 1-800-200-8294. Call for a free ride home, up to a $30 fare between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. nightly until January 1, 2012. You must be 21 years and older to use this service.

“Important note:  All requests for SoberRide service must be called to and dispatched from 1-800-200-8294.  Do not call a taxi company directly for SoberRide service as the ride will not be covered under this program.” (as noted on Wrap’s website)