The Best Celebratory Cocktails
National Cocktail Day is right at the end of the week! The world of cocktails is so diverse, ranging from light drinks to richer concoctions. We've gathered the best recipes for you to try and celebrate this fun day. Whether you prefer a refreshing citrus-y blend or a more indulgent, decadent mix, there's a perfect cocktail waiting to elevate your celebration.
Pink Gin Spritz
Fun and fruity – this sweet and refreshing drink is perfect for celebrating the wonderful combination of flavors.
Ingredients:
2 fl oz pink gin
1 fl oz Prosecco wine
1-2 fl oz regular tonic water
1 lime wheel for garnish
Raspberries for garnish
Ice
Instructions:
- Fill 3/4 of a big wine goblet with ice.
- Add the pink gin, Prosecco, and tonic water. Stir gently with the cocktail spoon.
- Top the glass with the tonic water. Depending on the size of your glass you might need more tonic or less.
- Garnish: Cut a few raspberries in half and throw them inside the glass. Make a thin slit in one raspberry and lime wheel, and sit them next to each other on the glass brim.
Hummingbird Cocktail
Light and airy like a bird, this cocktail takes a bit more effort, but it sure does pay off when you take a sip of this delicious drink.
Ingredients:
For the hummingbird cocktail:
Ice
3 oz elderflower liqueur (1.5 oz per coupe)
6 oz Brut or Extra Brut Sparkling Wine/Champagne (3 oz per glass)
Splash of club soda
Candied lemon or lemon twists for garnish
For the candied lemons:
1 lemon sliced thinly with a mandolin and patted dry.
1 cup water
1/2 cup raw organic sugar
Instructions:
- For the candied lemons:
- Boil water and sugar together for approximately 2 minutes until sugar has dissolved.
- Turn heat to low.
- Drop lemon rounds into the sugar and water mixture
- Do not boil but coat for and stir for roughly 1 minute.
- Remove lemons from sugar syrup using tongs or a slotted spoon and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place lemons in the oven and bake at low temperature for 30 to 45 minutes. Flip halfway through and remove from the oven before they brown. Set aside to cool.
- For the hummingbird cocktail:
- Pour ice cubes into two champagne coupes or glasses of choice.
- Pour 1.5 oz elderflower liqueur into each coupe.
- Top each coupe with 3 oz of champagne.
- Then balance each glass with a splash of club soda.
- Garnish with candied lemon or lemon twists.
Cosmo Margarita
Fragrant and sophisticated, this cocktail is the right pick if you’re hosting a calmer and more classic party.
Ingredients:
50ml blanco tequila
15ml triple sec or Cointreau
15ml, plus a wedge to garnish lime juice
25-50ml, cooled hibiscus tea
Instructions:
- Shake the tequila, triple sec or Cointreau, lime juice and hibiscus tea in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lime wedge.
Orange Creamsicle Whiskey
A childhood snack filled with nostalgia turns into a bright cocktail — how perfect can this celebration be?
Ingredients:
Whiskey or bourbon
Orange soda
Instructions:
- In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the whiskey and orange soda. Shake well until chilled.
- Pour into a glass over ice.
- Garnish with an orange peel and edible flowers.
Buck's Fizz
A simple 2-ingredient, 2-step recipe means one thing – we're going straight to celebrating as early as now!
Ingredients:
50ml orange juice
100ml-120ml champagne, chilled
Instructions:
- Pour the orange juice into a chilled champagne flute.
- Slowly top up with the champagne, then immediately serve.
Espresso Martini
This rich and aromatic coffee cocktail will not only wake you up but also take you straight to celebration with every sip!
Ingredients:
100g caster sugar
50ml vodka
2 tbsp coffee liqueur
2 tbsp, hot espresso
3 coffee beans to garnish
Instructions:
- Put the sugar and 100 ml water in a pan and heat gently, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Cool. This will make more than you need but will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
- Put a handful of ice into a cocktail shaker followed by the vodka, coffee liqueur, hot espresso and 25ml of the sugar syrup. Shake vigorously for at least 15-30 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass and garnish with the coffee beans before serving.