With a look ahead to Dry January

You may have guessed by now, but my motto is “Moderation in all things—including moderation.”

We’re almost there, folks. All of the November and December excuses for excess, except New Year’s Eve, are behind us. Here comes 2024, ready or not, and after the Day of Endless Bowl Games our first national event is “Dry January”—or as I like to call it, the “season of regret, repentance, and sacrifice.”

Low-alcohol cocktails are a worthy option if you’re facing a long night of partying; in the beer world, they’d call these “session” cocktails, as in “I’m not drinking all night—I’m having a “cocktail session.” Here are several lower-alcohol cocktail options to employ in your New Year’s Eve celebration, and they’re worth keeping around all year if you’re one of the millions of Americans wanting to moderate your alcohol intake. 

Negroni Sbagliato 
This is not a gin drink. Cocktail theologians such as I have always maintained that the Negroni is a Campari cocktail that’s a riff on the classic Italian Americano cocktail—Campari, Italian vermouth, and soda. The Negroni Sbagliato features Prosecco in place of the gin (or soda), and all the cool kids love it. It’s delicious, pretty, and none of the ingredients exceed Campari’s 22% alcohol by volume (abv); the mix nets out to about 17% abv, or about the same as a sweet vermouth.

THE RECIPE
1 oz Campari
1 oz Italian vermouth (Carpano Antica or a Vermouth di Torino)
1 oz Prosecco

Add the Campari and sweet vermouth to a mixing glass with plenty of ice, and stir until well-chilled.Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice, or serve up in a Champagne flute without ice. Top with Prosecco (well chilled in advance), and garnish with an orange peel.

The Adonis and its variations
This cocktail was created at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel in the 1880s and named for a famous Broadway play of the era. There is apparently no definitive recipe for it, but most versions call for equal parts of sweet vermouth and a sherry; the original probably use fino sherry (light, dry, and a bit briny) or its very close sibling Manzanilla. 

However, it works very nicely with the more aged or oxidized sherries as well (Amontillado, Palo Cortado, or Oloroso). So take your pick; a good sweet vermouth (I still favor Carpano Antica or a Vermouth di Torino for this) carries any of the sherries. My personal favorite is the richness of Oloroso sherry. Feel free to adjust the proportions to your taste.

THE RECIPE
1½ oz Oloroso sherry
1½ oz Italian vermouth (Carpano Antica or a Vermouth di Torino)
1 dash Orange bitters

Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass with plenty of ice, and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe or Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with a twist of citrus peel—lemon for a Fino or Manzanilla version, or orange for any of the others. 

Doctor your sparklers
Theoretically there’s nothing dressier than a flute or coupe of sparkling wine, whether it’s genuine Champagne, cremant, prosecco, cava, or an elegant Finger Lakes sparkler. They all pair beautifully with gowns and tuxedos and sparkly precious jewelry.

The simplest sparkling wine cocktails possible require just two ingredients, one of which is your favorite sparkling wine and one is a favorite liqueur. Pour an ounce or so of the liqueur into a Champagne flute, top up with your sparkling wine, possibly crown the drink with a simple garnish, and you’re done. 

A handful of cordials that will work (there’s orange juice, of course, but … how ordinary!):

• Chambord or other raspberry liqueur (and float one raspberry in the drink)
• St. Germain or other elderflower liqueur (garnish with a small twist of lemon peel)
• Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Bauchant, Italicus, or other orange liqueur (garnish with a small twist of orange peel)
• Créme de Cassis (float a couple of currants or cranberries in the drink)
• Créme de Violette (garnish with an edible flower)
• Sloe Gin (float a couple of cranberries in the drink) 
• Peach brandy liqueur 
• Campari, Aperol, or other bittered orange liqueur (garnish with a small twist of orange peel)

To make a classic Champagne cocktail, first coat a cube of sugar with a couple of dashes of Angostura bitters and drop it into a Champagne flute. Add one ounce(ish) of Cognac or other fine brandy, and top up with Champagne or your favorite sparkling wine. Garnish with a curl of orange peel and/or a Luxardo Maraschino cherry.

Most importantly: When in doubt, don’t take that drink
Beyond the deeper discussion of drinking or sobriety and health, just be safe. If you’ve already had a pop or two and have a nice buzz going, it’s time to stop for the night—especially if you’re driving later—in the simple interest of not killing or maiming anyone, including yourself. At the very least, work some spacers (non-alcoholic beverages) into your evening.

For decades, my approach at extended celebrations has been to sip gin-and-tonic drinks, spacing them liberally with virgin tonic and lime. It has worked well. 

No occasion or drink is worth the price of anyone’s life. Be safe, and I’ll see you in 2024.