What are the best Chinese New Year cocktails to try?
- Jade Cocktail (2 Ways)
- Orange Blossom
- Firecracker
- Lion’s Tail
- Lucky Tiger
- Spiked Lemonade with Lemongrass
Chinese New Year is right around the corner, and people across the globe are already preparing for the festivities. This event, celebrated by many Asian cultures, marks a time of renewal and a new year of luck.
While celebrations are varied, they all include symbols of luck and happiness — like alcoholic drinks. The Chinese word for alcohol (酒, jiu) is similar to their word for “long-lasting”. It is believed that drinking alcohol during these celebrations can provide prosperity and protect you from bad luck.
These six Chinese New Year cocktails are great not just for celebrating but also for setting you up for a prosperous Lunar Year.
Jade Cocktail (2 Ways)
Jade stones are considered invaluable in many Asian cultures, particularly in China. They represent virtues like sincerity, loyalty, justice, wisdom, and purity. If you need any of those in your life, try one of our variations of this cocktail — we picked two that offer different, yet equally enjoyable tastes.
The first is similar to a Mojito, as it features rum, creme de menthe, and lime. While the second tastes sweet and tart, with lots of fruity notes, bubbles, and a hint of spice.
Recipe #1
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces white rum (try the Negrita White Rum)
- ¼ ounce green creme de menthe
- ½ ounce Cointreau
- ½ ounce lime juice
Steps:
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, and add all the ingredients.
- Shake well until chilled (takes about a minute).
- Strain the cocktail into a martini glass, and serve.
Recipe #2
Ingredients:
- ½ ounce Midori
- ½ ounce blue Curacao
- ½ ounce lime juice
- A dash of Angostura bitters
- Champagne (we recommend the Moët & Chandon Brut Imperial)
Steps:
- Fill a shaker with ice, and pour in the Midori, Curacao, lime juice, and Angostura bitters.
- Shake until chilled (takes about a minute)
- Strain the cocktail into a chilled flute glass.
- Top it off with some chilled champagne.
- Garnish with a slice of lime and serve.
Orange Blossom
Oranges signify good luck, so what better way to start the new Lunar year than with the Orange Blossom cocktail? Combining orange juice with gin and sweet vermouth creates a reddish color for a doubly lucky drink. We recommend making this cocktail with fresh juice for the best flavors.
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce gin (we suggest Cruxland Gin)
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
- 1 ounce orange juice, freshly squeezed
- Orange wedge, to garnish
Steps:
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, and add gin, sweet vermouth, and orange juice.
- Shake vigorously until well-chilled.
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange wedge. Enjoy!
Firecracker
Fireworks are a well-known Chinese New Year tradition. They’re used to scare away monsters and other evil spirits — like this cocktail is sure to! Fiery and powerful, the Firecracker cocktail features enough flavor to get your celebration cracking.
Ingredients:
- 2 1-inch-cubed watermelon chunks
- 1 ½ ounces aged rum
- ½ ounce triple sec
- ½ ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- ⅙ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Lime wedge, to garnish
Steps:
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle the watermelon chunks.
- Add in the rest of your ingredients, plus ice, into your cocktail shaker.
- Shake vigorously until well-chilled.
- Strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lime wedge.
Lion’s Tail
The Lion Dance is an important cultural component of the Lunar New Year celebration. Inspired by the traditional dances, it features spice, richness, and aromatics — this cocktail is sure to get you pumped up and dancing too!
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces bourbon (try this recipe with the John Lee Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey)
- ½ ounce allspice dram or dark spiced rum (use our Bayou Spiced Rum)
- ½ ounce lime juice
- 1 teaspoon simple syrup
- 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
- Orange twist, to garnish
Steps:
- Fill your cocktail shaker with ice, and add bourbon, allspice dram or spiced rum, lime juice, syrup, and Angostura bitters.
- Shake well until chilled and fully incorporated.
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
- Lightly express the oil of the orange twist to top the drink, and serve!
Lucky Tiger
With 2022 being the year of the Tiger, what better cocktail to serve than the Lucky Tiger? Those born in the year of the Tiger are bold, competitive, charming, and adventurous — which this cocktail channels perfectly with the heavyweight taste of Hennessy mixed with vivacious ginger and citrus flavors.
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces pomelo juice (we recommend using freshly squeezed juice)
- 1 ounce Delamain XO
- ¼ ounce ginger liqueur
Steps:
- Fill a shaker with ice and add your ingredients.
- Shake vigorously until chilled (about 20 seconds).
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and serve.
Spiked Lemonade with Lemongrass
Lemonade is a great drink — they cool you down and they taste delicious. But why have regular lemonade when you can enjoy spiked, lemongrass-flavored lemonade for your Chinese New Year party? With its refreshing citrus flavor and Asian aromatics, it's a nice lightweight drink to sip on with your friends and family.
Ingredients:
- 3 20cm lemongrass stalks (halved vertically)
- 400 grams granulated sugar
- 3 lemons, zested and juiced
- 4 kaffir lime leaves, bruised
- 2 cups of water
- ½ cup vodka (use Stoli Ohranj Vodka for a more pronounced lemonade flavor)
- Prosecco, to serve (use Bolla Prosecco Extra Dry)
Steps:
- Heat a pan or grill to high heat. Heat lemongrass stalks, turning frequently for 5-6 minutes until charred. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan combine the sugar, water, lemon zest, and kaffir lime leaves.
- Bring to a boil and stir until sugar has dissolved. This will create your syrup.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Add grilled lemongrass stalks in your syrup, and chill completely.
- Stir in lemon juice and vodka into your syrup.
- Pour around 60ml to 100ml of syrup over ice in a highball glass.
- Top with some prosecco, and serve!
Key Takeaway
Whether you’re entertaining for the festivities, or want a few glasses in a quiet celebration with family, these six Chinese New Year cocktails are sure to ring in a sweet, delicious, and auspicious start to the Lunar year!
