Happy Hour: Celebratory Cocktails

It's New Year's Eve tomorrow and in the UK that tends to mean alcohol and lots of it. Make your party a sophisticated one this year with these two very special cocktails and end the year on a high!

Rum Old Fashioned
Makes 1

50ml dark rum 
2 dashes Angostura Bitters  
1-2 tsp sugar 
cubed ice 
To garnish: Orange peel 

Add the sugar and Angostura Bitters to a rocks glass with a single ice cube. Stir the mix until the ice cube has melted enough to dissolve the sugar. Add another 3 to 4 ice cubes and half of the dark rum then stir for around 60 seconds. Top up the glass with more ice and add the rest of the dark rum, then stir for another 60 seconds. 

Cut a piece of orange peel about the size of your thumb (be careful not to bend it yet). Hold the piece of orange peel over the glass and bend it to release some oil into the drink. Add the orange peel to the drink, stir a couple more times and serve.

Le Fizz
Makes 1

45ml vodka 
20ml elderflower liqueur 
1/4 lime
soda water 
ice, cubed 

Pour all the ingredients apart from the soda water in a shaker and top with cubed ice Shake hard for about 20 seconds to chill the liquid really well then strain into a chilled glass (I like a martini glass or a champagne flute for this). Top with soda water and serve.