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New Years Cocktail Suggestions

C

citizenzen

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Mar 22, 2010
1,543
11,788
My wife and I are going to enjoy a quiet New Years together. She'd like to have a cocktail and I'm curious whether anyone has some suggestions.

It's been cold outside, so I thought perhaps a hot beverage might be nice, but she seemed to think something cold would be tastier ... though she did say she'd leave it up to me.

One thing it has to be is tasty and easy to drink. She is not much of a drinker, and not into overly strong flavors. But one cocktail can give her a pleasant little buzz, which she would enjoy very much ... especially tonight.

Any thoughts?
 


To be honest, I am not really much of a fan of the cocktail, as I prefer my drinks unadulterated. Besides, I also like to know what I am drinking.

More to the point, cocktails are often designed to disguise the taste of the alcoholic beverages in the drink, and sometimes taste quite disturbingly innocuous.

The first thing to establish is what her actual taste preferences are: Does she like savoury, citrus, fruity, or sweet? That will have some bearing on the nature of the cocktail prepared for her.

Would she prefer something almost innocuous, or would she like to be able to taste the alcohol? Are the cocktail classics the sort of thing that she desires, or is she adventurous and would like to try something new?

The second thing to remember with cocktails is that, precisely because it is a new - and sometimes risky - taste experiment, the reassurance of the familiar does not apply here. Therefore, a lot of effort will go into appearance, in other words, making the drink look as attractive as possible in an appropriate and preferably stylish glass.
 
obeygiant said:
Lime infused vodka, sprite, grenadine, ice.

----------



You'll need the copper cups for it to taste right.
Click to expand...

I have had some version of that lime infused vodka drink, with ice, made with tender loving care and an impressive attention to detail - by the - almost unbelievably clichéd American Mother of a US academic colleague of mine who came to visit him in a university where I taught over twenty years ago.

Served with peanuts, it is a deceptive drink, sliding down a treat - or should I write, throat - with unnerving ease. In fact, you think it is almost nothing, - just cool easy tasting lime, (with some strange and masked slight 'bite') until a sledgehammer effect………takes inevitable effect.

Delicious. But deceptive.
 
Peace said:
Well it is NYE so you have to please the wife.

Long Island Ice Tea.


That will give her a buzz.

:p
Click to expand...

Long Beach Iced Tea. Would be fruitier, plus give her a nice buzz. :p

Or, if you can find the recipe and the ingredients in time, an Illusion (I haven't had a good Illusion since Australia).

EDIT: Ahh, here you go.

Illusion Recipe said:
30 ml Malibu® coconut rum
30 ml Midori® melon liqueur
30 ml vodka
15 ml Cointreau® orange liqueur
1 splash pineapple juice
Click to expand...

It's the orange, pineapple, and Midori that makes it taste like a good Kool-aid. ;)

BL.
 
Scepticalscribe said:

The first thing to establish is what her actual taste preferences are: Does she like savoury, citrus, fruity, or sweet? That will have some bearing on the nature of the cocktail prepared for her.
Click to expand...

She has a sweet tooth and loves fruit.

I on the other hand love savory, and, like you, prefer my drinks straight

Oh the things we do for love.

bradl said:
... Or, if you can find the recipe and the ingredients in time, an Illusion (I haven't had a good Illusion since Australia).
Click to expand...

I ran out of time and had to go to the store before your post. But your idea sounds pretty similar to the drink I'm making tonight.

It's based on a drink recipe I found online ... cognac, tangerine, lemon and a ginger simple syrup. But when I got to the store I talked to the guy working the fruits and vegetables and he said the best citrus he had in house were blood oranges.

So I'm starting with a Remy Martin V.S.O.P. Fine Champagne Cognac and will add the juices from the blood orange and lemon and also a ginger simple syrup. I'll rim the glasses with sugar (probably an unnecessary step) and enjoy an alcohol/sugar rush like never before.
 
citizenzen said:
She has a sweet tooth and loves fruit.

I on the other hand love savory, and, like you, prefer my drinks straight

Oh the things we do for love.



I ran out of time and had to go to the store before your post. But your idea sounds pretty similar to the drink I'm making tonight.

It's based on a drink recipe I found online ... cognac, tangerine, lemon and a ginger simple syrup. But when I got to the store I talked to the guy working the fruits and vegetables and he said the best citrus he had in house were blood oranges.

So I'm starting with a Remy Martin V.S.O.P. Fine Champagne Cognac and will add the juices from the blood orange and lemon and also a ginger simple syrup. I'll rim the glasses with sugar (probably an unnecessary step) and enjoy an alcohol/sugar rush like never before.
Click to expand...





Ah, blood oranges. My very favourite oranges of all - I can eat them endlessly…..

Now, to 'sweet and fruity'. Your suggestion sounds as though it should work very well, and I wish you the best of luck with it.

Rum is always a good starting point for a sweet tasting cocktail; pineapple juice, too, and any combination thereof. Or that French 'cassis' (Blackcurrant) flavour.

My own tastes run to savoury - thus, for cocktails, I will drink anything with a citrus flavour, or a decent 'Bloody Mary' as I love tomato juice.
 
Scepticalscribe said:


Ah, blood oranges. My very favourite oranges of all - I can eat them endlessly…..

Now, to 'sweet and fruity'. Your suggestion sounds as though it should work very well, and I wish you the best of luck with it.

Rum is always a good starting point for a sweet tasting cocktail; pineapple juice, too, and any combination thereof. Or that French 'cassis' (Blackcurrant) flavour.

My own tastes run to savoury - thus, for cocktails, I will drink anything with a citrus flavour, or a decent 'Bloody Mary' as I love tomato juice.
Click to expand...

OOOO..

Next time you have a Bloody Mary try using Spicy V8 instead of Tomato Juice.
 
citizenzen said:
My wife and I are going to enjoy a quiet New Years together. She'd like to have a cocktail and I'm curious whether anyone has some suggestions.

It's been cold outside, so I thought perhaps a hot beverage might be nice, but she seemed to think something cold would be tastier ... though she did say she'd leave it up to me.

One thing it has to be is tasty and easy to drink. She is not much of a drinker, and not into overly strong flavors. But one cocktail can give her a pleasant little buzz, which she would enjoy very much ... especially tonight.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

You are a sweet sweet man.
 
I have been doped up on cold medicine all week, a drink tonight should be a good ole time. :p
 
Oh... just for the record, the only difference between a Long Island Iced Tea and a Long Beach Iced Tea is that for the Long Beach Iced Tea, substitute cranberry juice for Coke.

BL.
 
citizenzen said:
My wife and I are going to enjoy a quiet New Years together. She'd like to have a cocktail and I'm curious whether anyone has some suggestions.

It's been cold outside, so I thought perhaps a hot beverage might be nice, but she seemed to think something cold would be tastier ... though she did say she'd leave it up to me.

One thing it has to be is tasty and easy to drink. She is not much of a drinker, and not into overly strong flavors. But one cocktail can give her a pleasant little buzz, which she would enjoy very much ... especially tonight.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Out of curiosity what did you wind up serving ?
 
Peace said:
Out of curiosity what did you wind up serving ?
Click to expand...

Cognac with the juice of freshly squeezed blood oranges, lemon and a fresh ginger simple syrup.

Served chilled with chilled glasses (not shaken with ice ... because ... I forgot the ice. :rolleyes:).

My sweet-toothed wife said it was delicious and she couldn't even taste the alcohol.
 
citizenzen said:
Cognac with the juice of freshly squeezed blood oranges, lemon and a fresh ginger simple syrup.

Served chilled with chilled glasses (not shaken with ice ... because ... I forgot the ice. :rolleyes:).

My sweet-toothed wife said it was delicious and she couldn't even taste the alcohol.
Click to expand...

Sounds excellent, and you could build that with a few different liquors (probably adjusting ratios a bit) for some nice variations on that theme.
 
citizenzen said:
Cognac with the juice of freshly squeezed blood oranges, lemon and a fresh ginger simple syrup.

Served chilled with chilled glasses (not shaken with ice ... because ... I forgot the ice. :rolleyes:).

My sweet-toothed wife said it was delicious and she couldn't even taste the alcohol.
Click to expand...

That sounds quite delicious. Blood oranges, yum…..

I served a tomato salad with oranges, blood oranges, olive oil, and a touch of balsamic vinegar at the week end when I prepared a dish or roast beef.

Meanwhile, Mobilehaathi is quite right to suggest creative variations on this theme - you could be on to a winner with this recipe.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
That sounds quite delicious. Blood oranges, yum…..

I served a tomato salad with oranges, blood oranges, olive oil, and a touch of balsamic vinegar at the week end when I prepared a dish or roast beef.

Meanwhile, Mobilehaathi is quite right to suggest creative variations on this theme - you could be on to a winner with this recipe.
Click to expand...


Personally, I'm a man of simpler tastes. I received a gift of Irish whiskey, which I've enjoyed with a splash of water. That's my idea of the perfect Christmas cocktail.
 
citizenzen said:
Personally, I'm a man of simpler tastes. I received a gift of Irish whiskey, which I've enjoyed with a splash of water. That's my idea of the perfect Christmas cocktail.
Click to expand...

An extremely good Irish whiskey (for which you don't need a splash of water) is the relatively recently released 'Yellow Spot'. They are the only whiskies in the country that still bottle their own on the premises, on the old 18th century model.

The company had disappeared in the 1950s, but resurrected its 'base' whiskey (called 'Green Spot' - the colour denotes how long it has been aged), a little over a decade a go. Then, in 2012, they re-introduced 'Yellow Spot' - which, while not exactly inexpensive - is smooth, sweet, mellow and absolutely lovely.
 
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