The Top 5 Creative Cocktails To Start 2013 With A Bang

The New Year is always party season; from Christmas, through to New Year’s Eve and beyond, you’ll have countless get-togethers and nights out and you’re going to want to stop things from going stale and samey.
Trying new drinks is a good way to get things going, but it can be difficult to get excited about a cocktail that you’ve never heard of or one that sounds particularly unappetising. Thankfully, novelty and themed cocktails are more popular than ever, with plenty of topical tastes to get you excited.

This article runs down the top five cocktails that are particularly fitting for 2013.

The Apocalypse

So the 2012 Mayan Apocalypse has passed us by without any fuss, and to celebrate avoiding the extinction of the human race (well done, by the way) we recommend trying this cocktail. It’s a pretty strong mix, but hey – surviving apocalyptic disasters is stressful business, so we all deserve a stiff one. The credit for this goes to the guys at Bar None Drinks.
Just mix 30ml Peppermint Schnapps, 22ml Kahlua, 15ml vodka and 15ml bourbon whiskey into a glass with ice and give it a good stir.

The Bilbo Baggins

The Hobbit came out in 2012, but its popularity will carry it well on into 2013 as well as the second instalment coming later in the year. The Hobbit Pub in Southampton, England do loads of Middle Earth-themed thirst quenchers, but the most fitting of all is ‘The Bilbo’.
More orange in colour than a warm hearth in Bag End, this cocktail combines Tia Maria, vodka, coconut liqueur and orange juice into a single glass for a truly adventurous drink.

The Cherry Bomb

This brightly-coloured firework cocktail from Betty Confidential is a good one to remember, since it will ensure that the New Year will go off with a bang regardless of the year.
Just mix 45ml of cherry-flavoured vodka in glass along with 120ml of ginger ale, a splash of grenadine and plenty of ice. Pop a cherry on the top, take a sip and watch sparks fly!

The Iron Man

2012 brought us The Avengers, but that’s not the end for the metal man with a Black Sabbath theme song. Iron Man 3 will hit cinema screens in 2013 with more ridiculous explosions, quick-witted quips and unrelenting charm from Robert Downey Jr. than ever before. As any movie fan will know, the iron-clad crusader loves a good drink, particularly a relaxing scotch on the rocks. Comic website ‘The More I Arty’ put their Iron Man cocktail ‘somewhere between a tequila sunrise and a rusty nail’.
Start with 1 part grenadine and 1 part Drambuie in a tall cocktail glass before adding 2 parts orange juice. Top it off with 1 part scotch, Tony Stark’s signature drink, and finish with an orange slice on the rim. I can already feel my jaw getting more chiselled.

The Superman

Tony Stark isn’t the only superhero returning to the silver screen in 2013, with ‘Man Of Steel’ bringing a brand new Superman movie to cinemas. You’ll be pleased to know that Make Me A Cocktail’s Superman cocktail stays true to the same red and blue colour scheme as our airborne overseer, with the different coloured ingredients separating beautifully.
Add 22ml of overproof dark rum (like Barcardi 151) and a splash of sour mix, before popping in the 15ml of blue curacao. Finally, sink the grenadine until there’s a clear red/blue distinction in the glass. Add Kryptonite to taste.
This article was written by Tom McShane on behalf of Coxtails. If you’re looking for a professional cocktail barman to hire for exciting cocktails at your party, then Coxtails are the guys to call.