Entertaining
Drew Limsky, ReserveBar Contributor
Most commonly associated with the Chinese calendar, the Lunar New Year — coming up fast on February 10 — also figures into the calendars of South and Southeast Asia and even the Jewish and Islamic calendars. We like that the holiday, which starts on the second new moon after the winter solstice, is so encompassing.
It gives lunar lovers of all persuasions a way of rhapsodizing about the moon to the strains of “Moon River,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” and “Harvest Moon.” But are there as many cocktails that honor the moon as there are songs, poems and movies? You bet. Here’s a taste.
Lunar New Year cocktails are typically colorful so that they lend a party-like atmosphere to a gathering, nod to the resplendent parades held in many cities, and pay homage to the moon’s most dazzling colors. The bright orange blossom punch is a perfect example.
Pour gin, sweet vermouth and orange juice into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with an orange wedge.
Grenadine lovers will gravitate to this bracing, fizzy party favorite, which is so embarrassingly easy to make that it should be on every home cocktail menu. Plus, it leans into the tendency of Lunar New Year drinks to rely on various juice flavors.
Fill a rocks glass with ice and add the cherry vodka. Add the lemon-lime soda, then top off with the grenadine. Garnish with a cherry.
The bumpy, rose-colored skin of the lychee is an iconic signifier of China, and the fleshy white fruit inside makes a fine base for a fun, sophisticated cocktail. But don’t let the flavored liqueur do all the work — make the extra effort to bring home some actual tropical lychees for authenticity.
Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lychee.
Some people just can’t get enough lychee. And it’s not a party if you’re not busting out the blender! If you want a family-friendly drink, you can do the nonalcoholic version first, then add the rum and brandy for the grownups.
Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend thoroughly. Pour the mixture into a Collins glass. Garnish it with a maraschino cherry or a slice of lime.
Snowy winter nights around Lunar New Year call for making incredibly flavorful and tantalizingly fragrant dishes, or simply ordering your favorite Chinese, Korean or Vietnamese takeout, setting the table with colorful flowers and bowls of tropical fruit, and enlivening the evening with the sweet, festive drinks noted above.
If you want to go all out on the holiday theme and really wow your guests, send them home with a limited-edition, hand-crafted Sugarfina Year of the Dragon Zodiac Candy Tasting Collection, which features 12 different candy types, plus other exclusive Sugarfina Lunar New Year Releases. And for all the special people in your life — entrepreneur types will find their clients especially tickled — send over a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Blended Scotch Whisky: It’s a limited-edition offering in honor of 2024, the Year of the Dragon. Gifting add-ons include this gorgeous ReserveBar Boston Shaker Set.
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