New Year's Eve Cocktails: 6 Drink Recipes To Help Ring In 2015

Champagne may be the beverage of choice for most New Year’s Eve parties, but there’s no reason revelers can’t alter their drink menus as they celebrate 2015’s arrival. Save the traditional glass of bubbly for the midnight toast and try your hand at these unique New Year’s cocktails.

Sunset Prosecco Float

-- 2 scoops sorbet of your choosing

-- Approximately 4 ounces Prosecco (sparkling white wine)

Former reality TV star Whitney Port teamed up with People, Martini Sparkling Wines and Library Bar in Los Angeles to create this simple, delicious New Year’s Eve cocktail. Just add 2 small scoops of sorbet to a champagne glass and top with Prosecco and a mint sprig. Watch Port make the drink in a video here:

Grand Champagne Cocktail

-- 4 shots orange liqueur

-- 4 fresh strawberries

-- 4 teaspoons honey

-- 1 bottle Champagne

This recipe is from the Food Network’s Bobby Flay. Simply blend the orange liqueur, strawberries and honey until smooth, add the mixture to a glass, then finish with Champagne. Watch a demonstration here.

Christmas Margarita

-- 1½ shots tequila

-- 1½ shots cranberry juice

-- ½ shot fresh lime juice

-- ½ shot Grand Marnier liqueur

Don’t let the name fool you – the Difford’s Guide’s Christmas Margarita is a perfect New Year’s Eve cocktail. Just shake the ingredients with ice, strain and serve.

Orange Mimosa Float

-- 8 tablespoons orange juice

-- 1 bottle sparkling wine

-- 1 small scoop vanilla bean ice cream

-- mint leaves, orange rings for garnish

This refreshing drink was crafted by Fox 8 in Cleveland. Add 2 tablespoons of orange juice to each of 4 glasses, then pour in the sparkling wine until the concoction nearly reaches the top of the glass. When the drink settles, add the ice cream and garnishes.

Roman Cosmo Martini

-- Grey Goose vodka

-- Martini Rosso vermouth

-- White cranberry juice

-- Lime juice

This festive drink recipe comes courtesy of Grey Goose vodka, via the Toronto Sun. Fill a cocktail shaker with 1½ parts vodka, ¾ part vermouth, ½ part lime juice and 1 part white cranberry juice. Shake thoroughly, strain into a martini glass and enjoy.

Bellini Bar

-- 2 cups sugar

-- 1 cup water

-- 16-ounce bag frozen peaches, thawed

-- 16-ounce bag frozen strawberries, thawed

-- 16-ounce bag frozen blueberries, thawed

-- 4 to six 750-milliliter bottles Prosecco, chilled

-- Fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, orange peel for garnish

Expecting a large group of people with unique tastes? The Food Network’s Giada De Laurentiis has you covered with her Bellini Bar, which allows imbibers to customize their cocktails. First, combine the sugar and water and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Allow the mixture to cool.

Combine the peaches, some orange peel and ½ cup of the sugar mixture, puree until smooth, then strain into a bowl, cover and refrigerate. Clean the blender, then add the strawberries with 1/3 cup of the sugar mixture, puree until smooth and strain into a separate bowl, throwing out the seeds. Cover and refrigerate.

Finally, in a clean blender, combine the blueberries with 1/3 cup of the sugar mixture, puree until smooth. Then strain into another separate bowl, throwing out any seeds or solids. Cover and refrigerate.

When ready to serve, add each of the fruit mixtures to separate pitchers. Pour 2 to 4 tablespoons of the mixture of choice into a Champagne glass, add Prosecco until the glass is filled, then stir the concoction. Serve with a smile.