Ring In The New Year With These Tasty Local Cocktails
New Year’s is the quintessential time for turning over a new leaf, and what better way to get an early start than sampling a brand-new cocktail as you celebrate the arrival of 2016? But what’s the best cocktail to choose as December 31 ticks off the final hours of 2015?
We reached out to some neighborhood bartenders and mixologists, paraphrasing Frank Loesser to ask this musical question: “Maybe it’s much too early in the game/But I thought I’d ask you just the same/What are you drinking New Year’s Eve?”
Who: Eric Lewis
Where: Oxcart Tavern (1301 Newkirk Avenue)
What: Poinsettia — rum or vodka with lime juice muddled with mint and pomegranate seeds, topped off with Prosecco
Why: The poinsettia is basically a mojito dressed up with the red berries of the pomegranate to echo the colors of the holiday flower; this version adds prosecco to ring in the new year. Lewis likes his with rum “because it’s a more wintry spirit.”
What are you doing New Year’s Eve: The Oxcart Tavern will be serving their full dinner menu, which tends to be the busiest part of their New Year’s Eve celebration. As diners thin out after 11pm, they will be tuning the TV for the ball drop in Time’s Square and getting bottles of champagne ready for a midnight toast.
Who: Mike Sheehan
Where: Highbury Pub (1002 Cortelyou Road)
What: French 75 (Soixante Quinze) — Gin, Campari, Champagne, blood orange, lemon
Why: “’Best’ is subjective, of course, Sheehan explained, “but at Highbury we’ve come up with a special cocktail for New Year’s Eve that I think people will enjoy. We’ll be serving our holiday take on the classic French 75. Beefeater Gin with blood orange juice, lemon and a splash of Campari shaken with ice and strained into a flute and topped off with champagne. The blood orange lends a festive holiday color and a bit of sweetness that is tempered by the lemon juice and the Campari.”
What are you doing New Year’s Eve: No cover, great music all night long, watch the ball drop on large-screen TVs and enjoy a free champagne toast at midnight.
Who: Margaret Cain
Where: 773 Lounge (773 Coney Island Avenue)
What: Seda de Naraja — Gran Centanario Reposada Tequila, Gran Marnier, orange bitters, Champagne
Why: “Our cocktail is a nice festive champagne drink festive for the day,” says Cain.
What are you doing New Year’s Eve: 773 with be hosting a traditional New Year’s Eve celebration with hats, noisemakers, and a champagne toast at midnight.
Who: Mark Alan Schwab
Where: The Castello Plan (1213 Cortelyou Road)
What: The Amber Stone — Bourbon, house-made butter pecan scotch-liqueur, black walnut bitters
Why: “I infuse a scotch blend whiskey with butter, roasted pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg,” mixologist Schwab explained. “Once that is ready (which takes about a week of infusion) I strain it, then I stir that with bourbon and a dash of those bitters then serve it on the rocks with a cinnamon stick. It’s a nice boozy drink with a winter-spiced kick! Perfect way to ring in the new year!”
What are you doing New Year’s Eve: The Castello Plan is offering an eight-course New Year’s Eve feast with a Prosecco toast with a $55 seating at 6:30pm and a $75 seating at 9:30pm. Make reservations by calling 718-856-8888 or emailing info@thecastelloplan.com.
Who: Frank Zarate
Where: Bar Chord (1008 Cortelyou Road)
What: Champagne Cocktail — Sparking wine, Angostura bitters, sugar cube, garnished with a lemon swath
Why: “This is how to ring in the New Year,” said Zarate. “I love this drink! It’s a classic that’s fun and a bit over the top. The way this year’s politics are shaping up it only seems appropriate! Happy New Year’s.”
What are you doing New Year’s Eve: Neighborhood favorites Alegba & Friends headline a New Year’s Eve blowout featuring hats, noisemakers, drink specials all night and a champagne toast at 12am. Contrary to New Year’s Eve expectations, but true to Bar Chord’s standard practice, there’s no cover so the music is free.
This is the kind of list that makes it hard to choose—some elegant takes on a champagne cocktail, a couple of drinks specially created for the holiday, and an all-time classic done with a twist. The diversity reminds you how nice it is to live in a neighborhood with so many interesting bars and restaurants concentrated in a small area.
That concentration may be the answer to the question of what’s best for New Year’s Eve; take the Ditmas Park Corner pub crawl, stopping for a signature cocktail at every spot on the list. Maybe start with dinner at someplace offering a full meal and arrange to arrive just before midnight at whatever place is serving your favorite drink, ducking in at the other clubs in between. Just remember that the really important thing is “whose arms will hold you good and tight/When it’s exactly 12 o’clock at night/Welcoming in New Year’s Eve.”
