Food gets all of the attention at New Year’s Eve parties, but the drinks you serve can really take your event to the next level. Not sure what to serve? I’ve got you covered. I’m sharing my 17+ top New Year’s Eve drinks that will please every type of guest on your list.
17+ Best New Year’s Eve Drink Ideas for Every Guest Type on Your List
1. Jack Frost Mimosa
You can never go wrong with a good mimosa. This recipe combines Blue Curacao with champagne (or sparkling wine) and lemonade. I prefer sparkling wine because it adds a hint of sweetness to this drink.
Don’t forget to rim glasses with honey and coconut flakes for a tropical, festive drink that’s perfect for NYE. I recommend serving these in champagne flutes.
If you want to ditch the alcohol, you can use a Blue Curacao syrup instead.
2. Vanilla-Pear Holiday Punch
Sweet, spiced and everything nice, this punch is the perfect addition to your NYE party – and the perfect excuse to break out your punch bowl set. Combine pear juice with tequila, cinnamon, lemon juice, honey simple syrup and vanilla extract.
Want to make this drink family-friendly? Ditch the tequila. You can use lemonade instead of lemon juice if you want an alcohol-free version that’s on the sweeter side. Garnish with fresh cranberries and a rosemary sprig.
Related: 21+ Delicious New Year’s Eve Finger Food Ideas for Your Party This Year
3. White Cranberry Mimosa
A festive and simple cocktail that everyone will love. You need just three ingredients for this recipe: white cranberry juice, champagne and triple sec. To make your drinks extra-festive, rim each glass with maple syrup and cinnamon sugar.
These festive champagne flutes would be perfect for this drink. Don’t forget to add fresh cranberries and a sprig of rosemary for garnish.
I like to make candied cranberries for this drink. Not sure how to make these? Here’s a great tutorial:
4. Pomegranate Rum Punch
One of my favorite New Year’s Eve drinks to serve because it’s so simple and quick to make. This punch combines champagne, rum, pomegranate juice, ginger beer, orange juice, cinnamon sticks, cranberries and other tasty ingredients.
Fresh herbs, citrus and cranberries take the presentation over the top. Make sure that you serve this in a clear punch bowl, so everyone can see it.
5. Glitter Champagne Jello Shots
These shots are every bit as gorgeous as they are tasty. Along with vodka, you’ll need a good champagne or sparkling wine, edible glitter, sugar, gelatin and fresh lemon juice.
If you want a lower ABV option, try using lemonade instead of vodka. For a completely alcohol-free version, use sparkling cider or lemonade.
Jello shots can be addicting, so make sure that everyone drinks responsibly when making these. It’s easy to go overboard because they’re so sweet and go down easy.
6. Sparkling Champagne Margaritas
One of the simplest New Year’s Eve drinks on this list. Combine tequila, champagne and triple sec with fresh lime juice for the perfect NYE drink. Rim glasses with sugar or salt and add fresh lime for garnish.
This drink is best served in a margarita glass, but you can also use regular drinking glasses instead.
For a non-alcoholic version, Punch of Yum has a great recipe here. You’ll create a jalapeno cilantro simple syrup and mix it with tonic water and lime juice.
7. New Year Sunrise Mocktail
This mocktail recipe is perfect for younger guests, but even adults will love them. You’ll need just four ingredients: grenadine, orange juice, sugar-free lemonade and orange slices. Add fun NYE-themed straws, orange slices and little streamer drink stirrers as garnish.
I recommend using fresh orange juice for this drink, but you can always use a high-quality orange juice if fresh isn’t an option.
You can use other juices instead if you like, but make sure they’ll pair well with the grenadine first.
8. Raspberry Champagne Punch Bellini
A super delicious punch that takes just four ingredients: raspberry schnapps, champagne, fresh raspberries and mint. You’ll need a blender for this recipe to mix the fresh berries and schnapps. Top off each glass with champagne and add a sprig of mint.
If you’re worried about someone breaking your expensive drinkware, try serving this in plastic champagne glasses instead. You can even use a plastic punch bowl if you want.
You can find non-alcoholic versions of each ingredient in this drink, but you can also simply use fruit juices instead. Lemonade and orange juice would be fine substitutes for a punch that everyone can enjoy.
9. Non Alcoholic Christmas Punch
This may be labeled as a Christmas punch, but there’s no reason why you can’t serve it on New Year’s Eve. The great thing about this punch is that it can be enjoyed by guests of all ages.
It’s a sweet mix of cranberry juice, orange juice, ginger ale, cinnamon, lime zest, warm spices and fresh cranberries. Just mix all of the ingredients in a punch bowl, and you’re ready to serve.
You can easily whip this up last minute before your guests start arriving. Just don’t forget to add ice to keep this punch cool throughout the night.
10. Santa’s Strawberry Smash
An adorably named drink that can easily be made alcohol-free. This cocktail recipe calls for gin, but you can easily skip it or use an alcohol-free gin alternative.
Lime juice, coconut milk, simple syrup and strawberry round out this tasty, festive drink. For garnish, you’ll need marshmallows and fresh strawberries.
If you don’t have one already, I recommend investing in a good cocktail shaker set that includes a muddler. You’ll need one for this drink!
11. Winter Aperol Spritz
Saying goodbye to the holiday season with a winter Aperol spritz seems fitting. As one of my fave New Year’s Eve drinks, this spritz will take about 50 minutes (with cooling) to make. You’ll need a small saucepan for this recipe, along with:
- Cranberries
- Water
- Sugar
- Prosecco
- Aperol
- Cranberry simple syrup
- Soda water
And you’ll also make a garnish out of rosemary sprigs and cranberries. If you read through the recipe, you can make the simple syrup up to five days before you plan on making your spritz, which will save you some time.
12. Holiday Cranberry Mojito Recipe
A new year is upon us, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the mojito that you made on Christmas again for New Year’s Eve. For me, I love the look and taste of this mojito. It just looks so festive with the cranberries, lime slices and mint sprigs.
You’ll need to make a cranberry syrup out of:
- Fresh cranberries
- Granulated sugar
- Water
And the mojito itself will be made from fresh mint leaves, granulated sugar, lime juice, cranberry juice, club soda, ice cubs and rum.
Your garnish will complete the look and taste of this drink.
13. Limoncello Reviver Cocktail
You can never go wrong with a good limoncello like you’ll learn to make with this recipe. Rosy coconut water and Empress gin go into this cocktail, along with:
- Lillet Blanc
- Lemon juice
- Simple syrup
- Pink coconut water
And for the Limoncello, the recipe calls for Fabrizia Limoncello, which you may have a hard time sourcing. I did see quite a few stores selling this variety online, but you can also swap it out for any variety that you find locally.
With the pink coconut water, your coupe glasses will look amazing filled with this drink.
Related: 17 Fun New Year’s Eve Games to Try This Year
14. Salted Caramel Mudslide
Dessert cocktails are always such a good choice during New Year’s Eve celebrations. But I do have to warn you that you may end up getting yourself in trouble drinking these because it’s like drinking candy.
You’ll need six main ingredients for your mudslide:
- Bailey’s Irish cream
- Kahlua coffee liqueur
- Vodka
- Caramel sauce
- Raw sugar
- Sea salt
And while half of the caramel sauce will go into a small dish, you’ll also dip the rim of each glass in it, along with some sugar for an extra-sweet taste.
15. Sparkling Apple Pie Cocktail
New Year’s Eve drinks that taste like apple pie? Sign me up. Total prep time is ten minutes and you’ll use some sinful ingredients, such as:
- Apple cider
- Cinnamon schnapps
- Honey
- Champagne or sparkling wine
- Cinnamon and sugar
- Apple slices
You’ll dip the rim of each glass into a mixture of cinnamon sugar, but before you do, be sure to wet the rim so that the mixture “sticks.” Margarita glasses are always a great option for this cocktail.
Related: 25+ Delicious New Year’s Eve Food Ideas for Your Party This Year
16. Christmas Amaretto Sour
A Christmas amaretto sour will warm you up on New Year’s Eve and includes:
- Lemon juice
- Avril amaretto
- Maraschino cranberry juice
You’ll pour all three ingredients into a shaker and shake well. Sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar onto your glass to frost it. Garnish with a fancy cinnamon stick and cranberries, add ice and fill the glass with the contents of your shaker.
17. Holiday Mojito Mocktail with Cranberry and Pomegranate
Grab your cocktail glasses because you’re going to love this recipe. First, you’ll add water, sugar, and fresh cranberries to a saucepan and simmer on low heat. You want the sauce it creates to get nice and thick. And the aroma is divine, too.
While all of this is happening, pop your lime and mint into each glass and add ice. Mix together before adding in your:
- Canada Dry
- Pomegranate juice
Finally, add in your garnish of cranberries, lime and mint.
