The Year of the Dragon
This year, the [Chinese New Year][2] begins on January 23 and lasts for 15 days. It is a celebration in which millions—excuse me—billions of people participate. Let’s make some cocktails that will go well with the festivities. It’s easy; start with something red. Why red? It’s a lucky color in Chinese culture and helps keep the evil spirits—the ethereal, not the alcoholic—at bay. We’ll start with a classic:
Singapore Sling
Ingredients
- 1½ oz. London dry gin
- ½ oz. cherry liqueur
- ¼ oz. *Cointreau* or triple sec
- ¼ oz. Benedictine
- 4 oz. pineapple juice
- ½ oz. lime juice
- 1/3 oz. grenadine
- 1 dash Angostura Bitters
Directions
Combine ingredients into shaker with ice. Shake and strain into an ice filled [Collins glass][1]. Garnish with cherry and slice of pineapple.The next cocktail is simpler, but calls for [*Lichido* liqueur][3], a French liqueur made from vodka, lichee and guava essence, *Cognac,* and white peach juice. If it isn’t available at your local liquor store, you can substitute [lychee liqueur][4]. The lychee is a nut that looks like a strawberry, but opening the shell reveals a white, sticky, sweet fruit. It’s been used throughout Asian cultures for millennia.
Red Lotus
Ingredients
- 1½ oz. vodka
- 1½ oz. *Lichido* (or lychee) liqueur
- 1 oz. cranberry juice
Directions
Combine ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into an ice filled [highball glass][5], and garnish with a lotus flower that you undoubtedly have laying around.For Asian fusion fans, there’s the Negroni, which is Italian in flavor, but the color of Chinese New Year.
Negroni
Ingredients
- 1½ oz. sweet vermouth
- 1½ oz. [*Campari*][6]
- 1½ oz. London dry gin
Directions
Combine ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into an ice filled [highball glass][5], and garnish with an orange wheel.Of course, we’ve made our own red creations: [Hurricane Punch][7]; [Bloody Mary/Bloody Maria][8]; and my own [Melba’s Cranjack][9].
As part of Chinese New Year, it is a tradition to make peace and forget all grudges. So get out there, gather your friends together, put a glass in their hands, and wish them all health and happiness!
[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collins_glass
[2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year
[3]: http://www.lichido.com/main.htm
[4]: http://cocktails.about.com/od/liqueurscordials/p/lychee_liqueur.htm
[5]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highball_glass
[6]: http://drunkandunemployed.com/index.php/bottle-fund/
[7]: http://drunkandunemployed.com/index.php/2011/09/hurricane-season/
[8]: http://drunkandunemployed.com/index.php/2010/10/bloody-mary-bloody-maria
[9]: http://drunkandunemployed.com/index.php/2011/11/lairds-applejack