Beer: A modern twist on New Year’s Eve cocktails

New Year’s Eve is the perfect occasion to serve festive beverages. Beer cocktails are a modern twist on traditional party libations – and they’re easy to prepare, making party hosting fun and simple. Here are three recommendations to impress your guests and suit anyone’s taste.

First is a classic Black Velvet made with Guinness. Guinness Original Extra Stout is a classic Irish ale that’s dark, sweet and hearty, so it’s perfect for winter. Guinness is considered by its many aficionados to be extremely creamy, but when you add it to champagne or prosecco, its fruitiness emerges as well.

To create a Black Velvet beer cocktail, mix roughly two parts bubbly to one part Guinness [demo]; you can mix it to taste. Black Velvet is a terrific party drink. Like Irish Coffee, it’s found all over Ireland. You can mix it to order as guests arrive, it’s delicious—and it stretches your champagne further!

Black Velvet pairs well with smoky meats and beef, so it’s a great pairing if you plan to serve a nice New Year’s Eve dinner like a filet mignon or roast beef and it also complements finger foods like mini beef wellingtons or the always easy crowd-pleaser: pigs in a blanket.

Next up, you can ring in the New Year with a Mike’s Full Moon. This beer cocktail is light and citrusy, perfect for sipping throughout a New Year’s Eve party. Mixing a classic wheat beer with citrus notes makes this cocktail pair well with several traditional New Year’s dishes, such as shrimp, lobster and other seafood, as well as greens and beans.This cocktail is easy for hosts and hostesses to make on demand without missing out on any fun. Just chill the beer and have it ready to pour!

Serve in a high ball neat and simply mix:
• 1/2 Bottle Mike’s Hard Lemonade
• 1/2 Bottle of Blue Moon
• 1 Orange Wheel for Garnish

Finally, try a Beermosa for a New Year’s Day brunch. This is a modern take on a mimosa, which is typically made with orange juice and sparkling wine. For the Beermosa, instead of champagne use Angry Orchard Muse, a bubbly cider. Using a champagne glass, mix two parts beer to one part orange juice. Garnish with a twist of orange and a cherry.

One important point to note is that Angry Orchard is a high gravity beer, meaning it has a higher alcohol by volume or ABV. Historically in Tennessee these high gravity brews have been available for purchase only at liquor stores. Starting Jan. 1, a new state law raises the ABV limit to 10.1 percent to allow grocery and convenience stores to sell high-alcohol beers. Right now, you’ll have to buy Angry Orchard Muse in a liquor store but after the New Year, look for it in your grocery store. For variety, you can use a wheat beer with lower alcohol content such as Sierra Nevada Kellerweis or Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat.

There are so many delicious beer, cider and nonalcoholic products that you can pair with food and add to special cocktails to make your New Year’s Eve fun and memorable. But, most importantly, we remind everyone that the best recipe for a great holiday is to drink responsibly and designate a sober driver. Happy New Year!

To see these beer cocktail recipes in action, check out the video below from WBIR-TV Channel 10.