New Year’s Eve Cocktails: 9 Drinks to Toast Midnight

Every New Year’s Eve host faces the same two questions: how much bubbly do I actually need, and what do I do with it besides pour it straight? This guide answers both. You get the bottle math first, an honest champagne-versus-prosecco verdict, and then nine drinks: seven sparkling cocktails and two zero-proof sparklers, so nobody at the party is stuck holding a glass of water while everyone else toasts. If you are planning the whole night, pair this with our New Year’s Eve party ideas for games and themes to go with the drinks.

First, the champagne math: how many bottles per guest

A standard 750 ml bottle pours about six flute-sized glasses at roughly 125 ml each, or five more generous 150 ml pours. Toast-only pours, the small splashes people hold for the countdown, stretch further, around eight to ten per bottle. The planning formula is simple: multiply guests by glasses per person, divide by six, and round up. Twenty guests having two glasses each need about seven bottles (20 x 2 / 6 = 6.7, rounded up). Add one or two extra bottles as a buffer: running out at 11:40 pm is the one party failure nobody forgives.

For a full evening rather than a single toast, plan on two to three glasses per drinking guest across the night, plus a separate count for cocktails, since a French 75 uses only about 90 ml of sparkling wine per drink and stretches a bottle further than straight pours do. A magnum (1.5 litres, two standard bottles) is worth considering for the midnight toast itself: it pours about twelve glasses and looks spectacular on the table. For the full breakdown of pour sizes by glass type, see this guide to glasses per champagne bottle.

Champagne vs prosecco: which bottle should you buy

Here is the honest version. Champagne comes from the Champagne region of France, uses Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier grapes, and gets its bubbles from a second fermentation inside each bottle, followed by at least fifteen months resting on the yeast. That long yeast contact is where the brioche and toasted-nut flavours come from, and it is why real Champagne costs more. Prosecco comes from north-eastern Italy, is made mostly from the Glera grape, and gets its bubbles from a second fermentation in a large pressurised tank, a process that takes about a month. The result is fresher and fruitier: green apple, pear and white flowers, at a much lower price. For the full side-by-side, see this prosecco vs champagne comparison.

The practical rule for New Year’s Eve: buy one good bottle of real Champagne for the midnight toast, and buy prosecco or cava for everything mixed. Citrus, cassis and pomegranate bury the subtle brioche notes you paid for in Champagne, while prosecco’s bright fruit actually improves a cocktail. Cava, Spain’s traditional-method sparkler, sits in between: bottle-fermented like Champagne, priced closer to prosecco. Whatever you buy, keep it cold: refrigerate sparkling wine for several hours before opening, and pour slowly down the tilted side of the glass so the foam settles instead of erupting.

The 9 drinks

1. The classic Champagne toast, done right

Do not overthink the midnight moment itself. Chill the bottle for hours, not minutes in the freezer, and open it with a firm twist of the bottle (not the cork) while holding the cork, so it sighs out instead of popping across the room. Pour slowly into tilted flutes, filling about two-thirds full, and let the foam settle before topping up. A good brut Champagne needs nothing else. If you want one small flourish, a single frozen cranberry in each glass looks festive and chills the drink slightly without sweetening it. Open the toast bottle ten to fifteen minutes before midnight, not an hour before: an open bottle starts losing its sparkle the moment it is uncorked.

2. French 75

The French 75 is the cocktail that converts people who think they do not like champagne cocktails. Shake 45 ml gin, 20 ml fresh lemon juice and 15 ml simple syrup with ice, strain into a chilled flute, and top with about 90 ml of cold brut sparkling wine. Twist a strip of lemon peel over the glass to release its oils, then drop it in. The gin gives it backbone, the lemon keeps it sharp, and the bubbles keep it light. For a party, mix the gin, lemon and syrup ahead in a jug and refrigerate, then pour about 80 ml of the base per flute and top with sparkling wine to order. Never pre-mix the sparkling wine itself: a French 75 assembled more than a few minutes early is a flat French 75.

3. Kir Royale

The simplest drink on this list, and the one that looks most expensive. Pour 15 ml of creme de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) into a flute and top slowly with about 120 ml of chilled Champagne or dry sparkling wine. The cassis sinks, then blooms upward in a deep ruby gradient that photographs beautifully. Use a dry brut, not a sweet sparkling wine, or the drink turns syrupy: the cassis already brings all the sweetness this drink needs. A single fresh blackberry or a few frozen cranberries make a fine garnish.

4. The classic Champagne cocktail

This is the oldest champagne cocktail in the book, and it survives because it works. Place a sugar cube in a flute, add two or three dashes of Angostura bitters directly onto the cube, and top slowly with about 150 ml of chilled brut Champagne. The cube fizzes dramatically as the bubbles dissolve it, and the bitters add a spiced, almost festive depth. Finish with a long strip of lemon peel, twisted over the glass. Use a real sugar cube rather than loose sugar, which sinks and clouds the drink.

5. Pomegranate and rosemary sparkler (make-ahead pitcher)

For the host who wants one big-batch drink handled before guests arrive, this is the one. In a large jug, combine 750 ml of pomegranate juice, 250 ml of cranberry juice, the juice of two oranges, and a handful of rosemary sprigs, lightly bruised between your palms to release their scent. Refrigerate for at least two hours. To serve, fill glasses one-third full with the juice base and top with chilled prosecco, about two parts sparkling wine to one part base. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and a short rosemary sprig. The rosemary is not a gimmick: its piney note against the tart pomegranate is what makes this taste like winter rather than just fruit punch.

6. Cranberry orange mimosa (batch-friendly)

Mimosas are not only for brunch. For a New Year’s version, mix equal parts cranberry juice cocktail and fresh orange juice in a jug, then pour one part juice mix to two parts chilled prosecco in each flute. The cranberry sharpens the orange and turns the drink a deep festive pink-red. Make the juice mix a day ahead and refrigerate it; the only job at party time is pouring. Orange slices and fresh cranberries make the garnish, and a sugared rim (dip the flute rim in orange juice, then in caster sugar) turns it into something guests remember.

7. Spiced apple cider sparkler

This is the drink for guests who find straight Champagne too dry. Warm 500 ml of apple cider gently with two cinnamon sticks, three whole cloves and a strip of orange peel for ten minutes, then cool it completely and refrigerate. Do not boil it: boiling dulls the fresh apple flavour. To serve, pour about 60 ml of the cooled spiced cider into a flute or wine glass and top with about 120 ml of chilled prosecco or cava. Garnish with a thin apple slice and a cinnamon stick. The spice is subtle, not mulled-wine heavy, and the bubbles keep it from feeling like a winter warmer.

8. Zero-proof: sparkling cranberry ginger fizz

The first of two zero-proof options, and deliberately not an afterthought. In a glass filled with ice, combine 90 ml of cranberry juice, 30 ml of fresh lime juice and a teaspoon of honey syrup (equal parts honey and warm water, stirred until dissolved). Top with about 120 ml of chilled ginger ale or ginger beer, depending on how much bite you want, and stir once, gently. Garnish with fresh cranberries and a lime wheel. The ginger gives it the grown-up sharpness that most non-alcoholic party drinks lack, and serving it in the same flutes or wine glasses as everything else means non-drinkers are not visually singled out. Make the cranberry-lime base ahead in a jug and top glasses to order.

9. Zero-proof: midnight citrus sparkler

For the midnight toast itself, non-drinkers deserve something that feels like a toast, not a substitute. Pour chilled non-alcoholic sparkling wine into flutes, and add a splash (about 15 ml) of blood orange juice or pink grapefruit juice per glass, which gives it colour and a tart edge without sweetness. Garnish with a twist of orange peel and a single rosemary sprig. Open and pour these at the same moment as the real Champagne, so everyone raises a glass at the same second. That timing matters more than the drink: nobody wants to toast alone while their glass is still being poured.

The garnish and prep timeline

Almost everything in this guide can be prepared before the party, which is the whole point. The day before, make the pomegranate-rosemary base, the cranberry-orange juice mix, and the spiced cider, and refrigerate all three. Wash and dry the garnishes: cranberries, rosemary sprigs, citrus for twists, pomegranate seeds. Chill every bottle thoroughly, and chill the flutes too if you have freezer space: a cold glass keeps bubbles lively longer. On party day, set out a small garnish station so guests can dress their own drinks and you are not playing bartender all night. One hour before midnight, set the toast bottles in an ice bucket by the spot where you will count down. At eleven forty-five, open the Champagne and the non-alcoholic bottles together and pour. If your night also needs a host gift or a prize for party games, our Christmas gift ideas for the whole family covers that side of the evening.

A quick word on pacing the night

Sparkling wine is easy to drink quickly, which is exactly why it catches people out. Eat before the party starts and keep food out all evening, put a jug of water on the same table as the drinks, and alternate each alcoholic drink with water or one of the zero-proof sparklers above. Decide rides and designated drivers before the first bottle opens, not after the last one. The best New Year’s Eve parties are the ones everyone actually remembers, and a little pacing is what makes that possible.

Pick two or three drinks from this list rather than attempting all nine. A good party menu is a short one: one welcome drink, one batch pitcher, one midnight toast, and one zero-proof option covers every guest and keeps you out of the kitchen. Whatever you choose, buy the extra bottle. You will be glad you did.