NEW YEAR, NEW DRINK
This cocktail is a twist on the usual bubbly
veryone knows the lyrics to “Auld Lang Syne.” At least, everyone knows the last three words to “Auld Lang Syne,” or at least the general sound they should make coming out of your mouth.
If you’re like some of us, you may be a little fuzzy on the exact sentiment of this iconic New Year’s anthem. And while humming along has gotten you this far, this year it might be worth giving those lyrics a quick Google.
E“Auld Lang Syne,” which roughly translates to “times long past” or “days gone by,” is a poem by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Set to that familiar folk song melody, the version we know (sort of) has been translated to modern English, and encourages us to think about the people with whom we’ve shared our lives. After all, what better moment for solemn reflection than while wearing a paper tiara and swinging a champagne flute?
So now that you know a little bit about what you’ve been hearing all these years, we’re going to give you a cheat sheet for the most important part of the song. During the chorus, revelers sing, “and we’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.” A cup of kindness is a special sentiment, and here at The Culinary Institute of America, we love kindness. But we also feel like raising a cup of kindness is sort of a missed opportunity.
Lucky for us, Culinary Institute of America instructor Rory Brown has created a special cocktail that we can use to fill our cups and raise to the New Year.
If you’re hosting a party, you can make the cocktail in a pitcher ahead of time — just leave out the sparkling wine. Guests can add that to their glass at 11:55.
Honey Simple Syrup is an easy make-ahead recipe that you’ll enjoy for more than this cocktail. Use it to lightly sweeten lemonade for young guests (add a splash of sparkling water for bubbles) or as a sweetener for mulled apple cider.
When he created this cocktail, Brown said, “In an ode to the New Year, we have combined the sparkling wine you expect with the history you might have forgotten. Burns reminds us to take a minute to recognize the moments of the past year, for there is but one until we must begin again.” We’ll raise a cup of Kindness to that.