A New Year's Eve Cocktail

Fresh berries add a splash of color to your champagne toast.
Champagne Cocktail

Champagne Cocktail

Pimm’s No. 1 and fresh berries add a colorful twist to this New Year’s Eve cocktail.

Photo by: Photo by Mick Telkamp

Photo by Mick Telkamp

Pimm’s No. 1 and fresh berries add a colorful twist to this New Year’s Eve cocktail.

A smooch at midnight, fireworks, colorful underwear, a rousing rendition of “Auld Lang Syne” and a plateful of Hoppin’ John on New Year’s Day. The traditions of New Year’s Eve are many and varied, but among the best known is a champagne toast as the clock strikes twelve. 

Tipping a glass of bubbly to ring the new year is rumored to have began in the 17th century, thanks to an innovative monk named Dom Perignon (whose very name tells the tale). Perignon developed a method for bottling sparking wine without the pressure that would normally cause it to shatter. Thicker glass and a wire cage around the cork solved the problem, but wasn’t cheap. Sparkling wine became associated with prosperity and was reserved for special events, most notable New Year’s Eve. A tradition was born. 

Not every New Year’s toast uses champagne (a sparkling wine must be bottled in Champagne, France to bear that name). Some even forego wine for family-friendly sparkling cider or grape juice. If it sparkles, bubbles and the glasses are raised high, the tradition remains intact.

This year we will toast the new year with a colorful twist on a champagne cocktail. Similar to the Kir Royale, the Pimm’s Royale is a simple cocktail of champagne and Pimm’s No. 1, a gin-based liqueur with quinine, spices, and citrus with warm reddish-brown color and a recipe that remains a well-kept secret to this day. A splash of Pimm’s and a burst of color, thanks to select fresh berries bobbing in the glass, add great flavor and festive flair to a New Year’s classic. Although the Pimm’s Royale is usually garnished with strawberries, a variety raspberries, blackberries or blueberries in the glasses are a pretty and colorful way to toast good times, great friends and a happy and healthy year to come. 

Pimm’s Royale

  • 1 ounce Pimm’s No. 1
  • Champagne or other sparkling wine.
  • Approximately 2 tablespoons fresh berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries or strawberries)

Pour Pimm’s No. 1 into champagne flute.

Add selected berries to the glass.

Top off glass with champagne and serve.

Next Up

Cocktail or Mocktail: Preserve Fresh Fruit as a Sippable Shrub

Got a bumper crop of berries? Lucky you! Learn how to turn fresh fruit into a centuries-old sip: a shrub, or drinking vinegar, that can be enjoyed as either a cocktail or an alcohol-free restorative. And, bonus, because shrubs rely on the juice extracted from fruit, you can use very ripe and even overripe fruit for maximum fruity flavor.

Crabapple Jelly Recipe

Surprisingly sweet and tasty, crabapple jelly packs a pucker punch and is also easy to make.

Winning Watermelon Recipes

Savor summer with a watermelon margarita and a melon salsa.

Fig Fest: A Party Spotlighting This Elegant, Delicious Fruit

Celebrate this seasonal delicacy with lifestyle expert P. Allen Smith, who prepares a figgy fete to herald the end of summer.

A Lemonade Cocktail That Pops!

When life hands you lemons, make this cool drink (with Pop Rocks).

How to Make Watermelon Refrigerator Pickles

Don't toss those watermelon rinds! Turn them into a tasty summer snack with a little help from your fridge.

Pickled Cranberries

Make this stunning garnish for your holiday dishes.

Pickled Grapes

From vine to table with a pickle less ordinary.

Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Surround your bright, beautiful berries with cake and cream.

How to Make Candy Apples

Learn how to make your own candy apples with this simple, step-by-step recipe.

Go Shopping

Get product recommendations from HGTV editors, plus can’t-miss sales and deals.

On TV

Follow Us Everywhere

Join the party! Don't miss HGTV in your favorite social media feeds.