Here Are Eight Lunar New Year 2024 Cocktails You Must Try
It’s time to celebrate the Year of the Dragon, so get your loved ones together, make some delicious drinks, and get all the good luck you can gather this Lunar New Year. Whether you’re making long noodles to wish for longevity, opening red envelopes for bountiful fortunes, or gifting the exquisite Johnnie Walker Blue Label Year of the Dragon, our in-house expert Adam Hussein, has curated eight lucky cocktails to serve alongside your own special traditions.
Adam has always held the ethos of “hospitality is about the ease of access to information and the guest experience” and has strived to share information that he has gathered over a ten-year tenure in luxury hospitality including world-renowned bars such as the Artesian, the NoMad hotel and Bar 18o6. Adam is also the author of the acclaimed cocktail book Rise of the Bartender.
1. Lucky Dragon Sour
Start the Year of the Dragon right with a cocktail that symbolises good luck and strength. This gin-based cocktail is simple to make but packs a punch with sour notes as well as a touch of heat from the ginger garnish.
Ingredients:
60 ml Tanqueray Gin
25 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
25 ml simple syrup
1 dash of orange bitters
2 sage leaves
Fresh ginger slice to garnish
Instructions:
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, then add the gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, one dash of orange bitters, and the sage leaves. Shake vigorously until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a thin slice of fresh ginger.
2. Lychee Champagne
Add the delicate sweetness of lychee – a classic flavour across many Asian cultures – to champagne, for an effortless way to toast the Lunar New Year. For this cocktail, you’ll add frozen lychee sorbet into a large coupe glass and top with champagne. Make sure to serve with spoon, so that your guests can enjoy the lychee sorbet and drink the blended champagne mix once finished. Make this cocktail sing with some grated lemon zest on top to garnish.
Ingredients:
425 gms can of lychees in syrup
Champagne or sparkling wine
Grated lemon zest
Instructions:
Blend the canned lychees in syrup until smooth. Transfer to a plastic container and freeze until solid. Scoop the frozen lychee sorbet into Champagne glasses and top with Champagne or sparkling wine.
3. Johnnie Walker Red Label & Jasmine Tea
Tea is seeing a huge resurgence in the cocktail sphere as it provides a great method of adding subtle flavour without the risk of over-diluting your cocktail. It's also great for batching cocktails to drink later. In this recipe, we’ll mix the delicate and aromatic essence of East Asian Jasmine tea with the fruity, sweet and smoky, Johnnie Walker Red Label.
Ingredients:
50 ml Johnnie Walker Red Label Blended Scotch Whisky
100 ml jasmine tea
1 lemon wedge for garnish
Instructions:
Fill a highball glass with ice cubes, pour whisky over and stir with a bar spoon. Add jasmine tea into the glass to top up. For the garnish, slice a lemon wedge and place on top of the drink. And if you want to make it even more interesting, use a sparkling jasmine tea to add some light effervesce.
4. Mandarin & Clove Cooler
The Chinese words for orange and tangerine closely resemble the words for luck and wealth, and the colour also brings gold to mind, adding layers of symbolism to this delectable mandarin-flavoured cocktail.
Ingredients:
5 ml clove bitters
50 ml mandarin juice
50 ml London Dry Gin
20 ml lemon juice
10 ml simple syrup
1 dash of bitter lemon
Instructions:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker except the bitter lemon. Fill with ice, then seal and shake. Strain into a tall glass over ice, and top with a dash of bitter lemon. Adding a citrus garnish is designed to complement the cocktail with the aroma of citrus over the top of the drink. For a more authentic touch, instead of a classically sculpted citrus twist, garnish with a dried mandarin slice for rustic appeal.
5. Chinese New Year Martini Cocktail
Baijiu, distilled from sorghum, wheat, rice or corn, is growing in popularity in the West, but it’s one of the most-consumed spirits in the world thanks to its popularity in Asia. Our Chinese New Year Martini combines this Asian spirit with a Western classic.
Ingredients:
50 ml Smirnoff Vodka
20 ml Baijiu
20 ml dry vermouth infused with fresh ginger and green tea*
2 drops of orange bitters
Lemon twist to garnish
Instructions:
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a coupette glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.
*Infuse vermouth by combining it with a piece of fresh peeled ginger and 15ml of green tea in a sterile container for one hour. Strain the liquid and store in the refrigerator for up to 30 days.
6. Seedlip Cosmopolitan
The world’s first non-alcoholic spirit, Seedlip offers an elegant option when you entertain guests who love sophisticated mocktails. Seedlip, made from distilled botanical ingredients, is a must-have for your home bar. The Seedlip Cosmo lends an especially celebratory air because of its colour. Bright red is considered extremely lucky, making this Lunar New Year cocktail sing in both taste and looks.
Ingredients:
60 ml Seedlip Grove 42
30 ml cranberry juice
15 ml lime juice
15 ml simple syrup
Orange twist to garnish
Instructions:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a coupe glass, then garnish with an orange twist. This cocktail can also be made as a highball, in a tall glass filled with ice – just add your favourite flavoured mixer to see how you can personalise this drink.
7. Prosperity Punch
This auspicious cocktail combines the rich flavours of whisky with the sweetness of pomegranate for a simple, yet elevated drink that symbolises good fortune. Try pairing your Prosperity Punch with rich and savoury dishes that also have a bit of sweetness, such as sweet and sour pork or honey-glazed spare ribs.
Ingredients:
60 ml whisky (choose your favourite)
30 ml pomegranate juice
15 ml triple sec
7.5 ml fresh lime juice
A splash of sparkling water
Pomegranate seeds and lime wedge (for garnish)
Instructions:
Fill a highball glass with ice. Add the whisky, pomegranate juice, triple sec, and fresh lime juice. Stir gently to combine, then top with a splash of sparkling water. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and a lime wedge.
8. The Firecracker
Invented in China thousands of years ago, fireworks have always been a feature of New Year’s festivities. Many Chinese households light firecrackers to ward off evil spirits and celebrate a fresh start. This expertly crafted cocktail is not for beginners, but it will light up any party if you’re feeling adventurous. Be extremely careful with the flaming garnish – ensure the lime shell is stable before lighting and remember, you only need to use a little splash of rum.
Ingredients:
6 mint leaves
24 ml lime juice, freshly squeezed
15 ml simple syrup
60 ml Johnnie Walker Green Label single malt scotch
15 ml ounce Campari
Garnish with a flaming lime shell*
Instructions:
Add the mint leaves, lime juice and simple syrup into a Collins glass and press the leaves gently with a muddler. Add the scotch and fill the glass with crushed ice. Float Campari on top and fill with more crushed ice. Garnish with a flaming lime shell.
*Create a flaming lime shell by squeezing out the juice from half a lime (reserve the juice for another use). Place the lime shell on top of the prepared cocktail and place one sugar cube inside the shell. Lightly douse the sugar cube with a little splash of 151-proof rum and carefully light it on fire. Extinguish before drinking.
Food, fun and a fresh start
Whether you’re hosting a large family gathering or simply raising a glass on your own, we hope these Lunar New Year cocktails bring you good fortune and great flavours as you welcome the Year of the Dragon.
