The Happy New Year Cocktail

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Pour the brandy, port, and orange juice into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.

3. Shake well.

4. Strain into a Champagne flute.

5. Top with Champagne.

6. Serve and enjoy.

Endless Brand Possibilities

There are many elements going into this cocktail and many options for each. You really cannot go wrong with any of the choices and you can have a lot of fun playing around with different brands for each.

One of the better combinations we've found is Sandeman's 10 Year Old Port (actually a tawny port, though they make a great ruby as well) with fresh-squeezed orange juice, Korbel Brandy, and Moet & Chandon Imperial Brut Champagne. However, we really have yet to find a bad combination because this is simply a great cocktail no matter what you pour.

This is also a fantastic drink that can fit into any budget. There are great options in every price range for the brandy, ruby port, and Champagne. You can spend as much or as little as you like and have a fantastic drink to serve guests.

A Primer on Port Wines

Most of us are very familiar with everything in the happy New Year recipe. The one exception may be the ruby port. Like vermouth, ports are a style of fortified wine though ports have a much more pronounced fruit taste as opposed to the botanical profile of vermouth. This is, for the most part, because they are fortified with brandy before aging.

There are distinct styles of port and they are either wood-aged or bottle-aged. Ruby port is considered the introductory port wine. It is younger, less expensive, and used most often when a port is called for in cocktails. Other styles include tawny, vintage, and white port.