If you thought serving up impressive New Year’s Eve cocktails involved spending the whole night with a shaker in your hand, we’ve got good news. Pre-batching cocktails means you can create a delicious drinks menu without having to play bartender the whole night – leaving more time for chatting, dancing and coming up with New Year’s resolutions (that you’ll really keep this year).
Big batch cocktails like punches always go down a treat, but you can also get ahead by creating syrups and cordials for people to add to drinks for instant flavour. Read on to see our recommendations for your New Year’s Eve cocktails.
Mulled Mizunara Highball
Wrap up the festive season with something mulled. And no, that doesn’t mean having to slowly sip on a piping Hot Toddy or mulled wine when the party’s in full swing. Meet the Mulled Mizunara Highball, a drink that brings all the festive flavours of cinnamon, orange and clove to the refreshing highball format. Simply make the mulled cider syrup in advance, then put it out on the drinks table with Chivas Mizunara, soda and ice. Easy.
Storm in a Teacup
We’ll forgive you if you haven’t heard of a shrub. Rising to popularity centuries ago, shrubs are made by preserving fruits in vinegar which results in a sweet yet tart syrup that’s perfect for cocktails. Now, this batched cocktail recipe does require a little extra foresight than a day – you’ll need to leave a week for your shrub to properly infuse. We promise the extra effort is worth it though; all your guests will need to do on the night is add lime, soda and our celebratory Chivas XV to the pear and ginger shrub for a richer, more sophisticated version of a Dark ‘n’ Stormy cocktail.
Punch Above
What’s a New Year’s Eve party without a punch? The centrepiece to any gathering, a punch is a classic big batch cocktail that always proves a hit. Level up traditional offerings with the Punch Above, which combines rich Chivas Extra 13 Sherry Cask with additional sherry and zesty fruits.
Speyside Highball
If you’ve forgotten to do any New Year’s Eve cocktail prep and have people turning up in a matter of hours, we’ve got you. All you need to do to create the Speyside Highball is infuse honey with chopped peach, then strain into a bottle after a few hours. Add this to the drinks table for guests to pair with their favourite Chivas blend for a sweet and fruity highball. Prefer berries or apple to peach? Just swap the fruit, as this trick works with a range of ingredients. You’re welcome.
18th Cup
The 18th Cup may be inspired by the classic Summer Cup, but that doesn’t mean you should only make it in the warmer months. To turn this into a pre-batched cocktail, create the base of Chivas 18, triple sec and sweet vermouth in advance so guests can add appleade, ginger ale and fruits on the night.
Spiced Apricot Highball
Did you know that tea can be used for more than your morning brew? Adding sugar to tea creates a range of flavoured syrups and cordials with minimal effort. We’ve picked out the Apricot and Chai Highball with delicious butterscotch notes for your New Year’s Eve cocktail menu, but to really impress you can make a selection of tea syrups for people to choose from on the night – give Chivas Camomball and Spiced Orange Highball a try, too.
XV Champagne Cocktail
What’s a New Year’s Eve party without some champagne? This celebratory drink might not necessarily involve pre-batching, but it’s so quick to create we couldn’t leave it off the list. You don’t have to do any prep, shaking or stirring – just pop a sugar cube into a glass, add some bitters and Chivas and top with champagne. The perfect champagne cocktail idea to toast to the new year with, in our opinion.
Interested in more Chivas cocktail recipes? See our range of whisky cocktails here.
