Tonight, the clock changes over to 2019. And as the year resets, we also get to do a soft reset on our lives. The minute the clock strikes midnight and we slide into a new year, the dreams we’ve always wanted to accomplish will suddenly seem closer than they were way back in 2018. We were so much younger then. So much less able to run a marathon. We totally have this now. We’re like the Hulk, bursting through our old weak bodies and into our hotter, fitter selves.
Our novel will write itself. It will be a best-seller and make us rich. With the money, we will book that ticket to our number one bucket list destination. And our celebrity crush will happen to be sitting next to us on an airplane to that destination, and he/she will say something like, “Oh man, my hotel suite is so big. Too big, actually. You should totally crash there. By the way, are you a marathon runner? You’re really fit and hot.”
That’s a practically guaranteed scenario. Because in the New Year, everything seems possible. But that sparkling new you and your new, improved life all start with the last hurrah tonight. If you’re throwing a party — stocking up on the cocktail ingredients you’ll make at your NYE bash — you might want to think about what cocktail truly represents the new, emerging you.
These are the drinks that will predict the outcome of the rest of your year.
THE RESOLUTION: A BETTER LOVE LIFE
THE NYE COCKTAIL: A LYCHEE MARTINI
We love lychee martinis in general, but especially on New Year’s. The lychee is a fruit that symbolizes romance, and so if you’ve felt low on love this year, why not turn things around the old-fashioned way? No, not therapy to make yourself more emotionally vulnerable. We’re talking about lucky fruit. Duh.
Picking this delicious cocktail to sip on may be the key to turning your love life around. You’ll have more lovers than you’ll know what to do with! Seriously, you’ll have to put an addition on your house cause they just keep showing up asking to stay. There will be tents all over the yard and neighbors will complain. But even when you say “NO MORE LOVERS!” they will continually arrive, until you flee into the woods and change your name just to get one second of peace from models asking to rub your back seductively.
To make it happen (via The Food Network):
Ingredients:
- Ice cubes
- 6 ounces vodka
- 4 ounces lychee juice
- Splash vermouth
- 2 lychees, for garnish
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice add vodka, lychee juice and vermouth. Shake until chilled. Pour into 2 martini glasses and garnish with lychees.
THE RESOLUTION: MORE FRIENDSHIPS
THE NYE COCKTAIL: A BELLINI
Mimosa’s cooler older cousin (who totally lived in Europe for a while), the Bellini is a classic way to shake up your heavy NYE champagne consumption. And, you know, the fruit juice makes it healthy, right? Reminiscent of long brunches and picnics, the bellini should be your go-to drink if you’ve been feeling like you don’t have as many friends as you’d like.
If you’ve drifted apart from your college pals but haven’t yet made close friends in your new city, 2019 will be the year for you. The bellini is the promise that you’ll accept more invitations that get sent your way, and then, talk to strangers, make connections, and just generally, put yourself out there. By next New Year’s eve, you’ll have a core group of buddies to ring in the roaring 20s.
To make it happen:
Try setting up a “serve yourself'” bellini bar with champagne, pineapple juice, orange juice, and fruit purées. Champagne and peach purée is the traditional mix, but you’re free to play. Have some fresh fruit available for garnishes!
THE RESOLUTION: TO SLOW THE HELL DOWN
THE NYE COCKTAIL: A HARVEY WALLBANGER
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Looking to save enough money to quit your corporate job, take off for life on the road, and start living the #vanlife — surfing, meditating, and seeing the world full-time? A Harvey Wallbanger is the cocktail for you. The 1970s era drink was widely rumored to have been invented for a surfer, though, that’s probably not true. What is true is that it’s from an era when people took off on more road trips and were generally better at slowing down.
If you’re ready for a different kind of pace and a hippie-ish kind of life, your best date is a drink named Harvey.
To make it happen:
Mix vodka, orange juice, and ice. Add about a tablespoon and a half of Italian liquor Galliano to float on the top. Garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry!
THE RESOLUTION: TO LEVEL UP IN YOUR CAREER
THE NYE COCKTAIL: A MANHATTAN
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You’ve been putting in all the hours working your way up the ladder at your job, and this year, you plan on getting that promotion you deserve. You need a no-nonsense drink that’s as serious as you are about….making partner? Becoming head clown? First seat trombone?
Whatever the job is that you want to succeed at this year, a Manhattan is the drink that will put you on the path toward achieving your career ambitions.
To make it happen (Via The Food Network):
Ingredients:
- 2 3/4 ounces rye whiskey
- 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
- 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- Lemon twist, for garnish
Combine the rye, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth and bitters in a cocktail shaker, add ice, and stir until chilled. Strain the mixture into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with the lemon twist and serve immediately.
THE RESOLUTION: TO TRAVEL MORE
THE NYE COCKTAIL: SANGRIA
Want to do more traveling in 2019? Serve a drink tonight that is entirely best enjoyed on a patio in a warm climate with a gentle breeze and the faint smell of sea salt in the air. If you’ve been itching to see more of the world, (but felt like life kept getting in the way), now is the time to book tickets to an adventure. Sangria is the drink that signifies you’re ready to loosen up, dance, and vagabond your way through the New Year.
To make it happen (via Taste of Home):
Ingredients:
- 1 bottle red wine
- 1 cup brandy, rum or sweet orange liqueur
- Sliced fruit
- Sugar, to taste
- Ice
In a pitcher, stir in one bottle of red wine, one cup of brandy, rum or orange liqueur and sliced fruit along with a few teaspoons of sugar if you like it sweet. Chill for 2-3 hours or overnight. Add two cups of cold sparkling soda and ice and serve.
THE RESOLUTION: TO CREATE GOOD ART
THE NYE COCKTAIL: A TEQUILA SUNRISE
This is the drink for anyone who has an artistic pursuit they’ve been putting off and need to finish in 2019. The light, sweet drink will remind you to put in the hours to make art, no matter what you have to do. Work all night until the sun rises? Feverishly write during your lunch break? Take off for a week, hole up in a cabin, and power through painting 24 hours a day? Yes, to all of that.
We all have fears and reasons that we aren’t following our dreams. A Tequila Sunrise in your hand at midnight will say you’re done with those excuses.
To make it happen (via Food Network):
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 ounces tequila
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 3/4 ounce grenadine syrup
- Orange slice, for garnish
- High-quality maraschino cherry, such as Luxardo, for garnish
In a highball glass filled with ice, pour in the tequila and orange juice. Slowly pour the grenadine into the glass over the back of a spoon or by drizzling it down the side of the glass, allowing it to settle at the bottom. Garnish with an orange slice and maraschino cherry.
THE RESOLUTION: NONE, YOUR LIFE IS ON TRACK
THE NYE COCKTAIL: CHAMPAGNE!
If you’re one of those lucky few people perfectly content with where their life is, not looking to make any drastic changes, just steady little improvements, stick with the straight bubbly stuff this New Year’s Eve. Be happy, get tipsy, and ring in the New Year with a smile and a glass of champagne in your hand.
To make it happen:
Grab the best champagne or prosecco you can afford and pour all night!
