Midnight Special

What they're pouring New Year's eve at top bars worldwide

Stay us with flagons, the 21st century is here! Come midnight on December 31, millions will welcome the new millennium with the predictable pop of a champagne cork. But those lucky enough to be partying at, say, the Bubble Lounge in San Francisco or the Ritz in Paris can toast the next thousand years with drinks created just for this night. So if you can't drop by the Bubble, the Ritz or other great bars serving signature millennium cocktails, here's a sneak peek at what they've concocted.

[recipe_title]Millennium A-Go-Go[/recipe_title]

(Mauna Lani Bay Hotel, Kohala Coast, Hawaii)

[recipe]1 1/4 ounces Bacardi light rum[/recipe]

[recipe]3/4 ounce rock candy syrup[/recipe]

[recipe]2 ounces Calamansi lime juice[/recipe]

[recipe]1/3 mango, peeled[/recipe]

[recipe]Lime wedge[/recipe]

[recipe]Sprig of mint[/recipe]

[recipe]Orchid[/recipe]

Combine rum, syrup, mango and lime juice in a blender with crushed ice and blend until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and garnish with lime wedge, mint and orchid.

[recipe_title]Millennium Meltdown[/recipe_title]

(Tony's, Houston)

[recipe]1 ounce Godiva chocolate liqueur[/recipe]

[recipe]2 ounces vodka[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 ounce white crème de menthe White chocolate shavings[/recipe]

Combine chocolate liqueur, vodka and crème de menthe in a shaker with ice cubes. Shake until well blended and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with chocolate.

[recipe_title]Tru Rose 2000[/recipe_title]

(Tru, Chicago)

[recipe]3/4 cup raspberries[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon pink peppercorns[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup sugar syrup[/recipe]

[recipe]6 ounces Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve champagne[/recipe]

Combine berries, peppercorns and syrup in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve. Pour champagne slowly into a flute and add four drops of the puree.

[recipe_title]Snowball[/recipe_title]

(The Hemingway Bar at the Ritz, Paris)

[recipe]2 ounces vodka[/recipe]

[recipe]1 ounce Galliano liqueur[/recipe]

[recipe]1 ounce crème de cacao[/recipe]

[recipe]1 egg yolk[/recipe]

[recipe]2 ounces lemonade[/recipe]

[recipe]1 ounce heavy cream[/recipe]

Combine all ingredients in a blender with crushed ice and blend until smooth. Pour into a tall glass. Optional garnish: a lighted sparkler.

[recipe_title]Five M's and An N[/recipe_title]

(Louie's Backyard, Key West)

[recipe]1/2 ounce Myers's rum[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 ounce Mount Gay rum[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 ounce Malibu rum[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 ounce Captain Morgan rum[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 ounce Captain Morgan spiced rum[/recipe]

[recipe]2 1/2 ounces Coco Lopez[/recipe]

[recipe]2 ounces pineapple juice[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 ounce Nassau Royale liqueur[/recipe]

Combine all ingredients except Nassau Royale rum in a blender with ice cubes, blend until smooth and strain into a hurricane glass. Pour Nassau Royale on top.

[recipe_title]Imperial Duo[/recipe_title]

(The Bubble Lounge, San Francisco)

[recipe]1/4 ounce Rémy Martin V.S.O.P. cognac[/recipe]

[recipe]5 1/2 ounces Piper-Heidsieck Brut champagne[/recipe]

[recipe]Orange twist[/recipe]

[recipe]Combine cognac and champagne in a flute and garnish with orange twist.[/recipe]

[recipe_title]The Flambeau[/recipe_title]

(The Loa Bar at the International House, New Orleans)

[recipe]2 ounces Captain Morgan rum[/recipe]

[recipe]1 ounce Grand Marnier liqueur[/recipe]

[recipe]1 ounce Chambord liqueur[/recipe]

[recipe]Twists of lemon and lime[/recipe]

Combine all ingredients except twists in a shaker with ice cubes, shake until well blended and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with the twists. Heat a little additional Grand Marnier in a small pan, carefully light with a match and pour it, flaming, into the cocktail.

[recipe_title]The Calypso[/recipe_title]

(D.C. Coast, Washington, D.C.)

[recipe]3 ounces Bacardi Limón rum[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 ounce blue curaçao liqueur[/recipe]

[recipe]Juice of half a lime[/recipe]

[recipe]Green-colored sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]Twists of orange and lemon[/recipe]

Combine rum, curaçao and lime juice in a shaker with ice cubes, shake until cold and strain into a martini glass rimmed with green sugar. Garnish with twists dipped in sugar.

[recipe_title]The Red Square 2000[/recipe_title]

(The Red Square, Las Vegas)

[recipe]2 ounces Moskovskaya vodka[/recipe]

[recipe]Splash of sweet vermouth[/recipe]

[recipe]Olive stuffed with blue cheese[/recipe]

Combine vodka and vermouth in a shaker with ice cubes, shake until cold and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with olive.

[recipe_title]Lillet Rouge[/recipe_title]

(Café Rouge, Philadelphia)

[recipe]4 ounces champagne[/recipe]

[recipe]1 ounce red Lillet aperitif[/recipe]

[recipe]Lemon twist[/recipe]

Chill champagne and Lillet until cold and pour into a flute. Garnish with twist.

[recipe_title]Asian Orange[/recipe_title]

(Fusebox, Atlanta)

[recipe]2 ounces Absolut Mandarin vodka[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 ounce Grand Marnier liqueur[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 ounce orange juice[/recipe]

[recipe]Orange slice[/recipe]

Combine vodka, Grand Marnier and orange juice in a shaker with ice cubes, (concluded on page 272) Midnight Special (continued from page 181) shake until cold and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with orange slice.

[recipe_title]Aphrodisiac Shot[/recipe_title]

(Tantra, Miami Beach)

[recipe]1/2 ounce Absolut vodka[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 ounce Bacardi Silver rum[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 ounce DeKuyper peach schnapps[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 ounce DeKuyper crème de banane liqueur[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 ounce cranberry juice[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 ounce pineapple juice[/recipe]

Splash of grenadine

1 teaspoon of a mixture of ground ginger, vanilla bean, cinnamon, anise Dried edible flower

Combine all ingredients except flower in a blender with crushed ice, shake until smooth and pour into a large wine or cocktail glass. Garnish with flower.

[recipe_title]The Rubicon[/recipe_title]

(Al Biernat's, Dallas)

[recipe]1-1/2 ounces Fris vodka[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 ounce Hiram Walker black raspberry liqueur[/recipe]

[recipe]Splash of cranberry juice[/recipe]

[recipe]Splash of water[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]Juice of half a lime[/recipe]

[recipe]Lime wedge[/recipe]

Combine all ingredients except lime juice and wedge in a blender with crushed ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled martini glass. Squeeze in the lime juice and garnish with lime wedge.

[recipe_title]Millennium Cocktail[/recipe_title]

(Blackbird, New York)

[recipe]1-1/2 ounces Courvoisier Millennium cognac[/recipe]

[recipe]1-1/2 ounces pineapple juice[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 ounce Hiram Walker orange liqueur[/recipe]

[recipe]2 dashes Angostura bitters[/recipe]

Orange twist

Combine all ingredients except twist in a shaker with ice cubes and shake until cold. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with twist.

[recipe_title]The Coast is Clear[/recipe_title]

(Conundrum, Aspen)

[recipe]3 ounces Stoli Orange vodka[/recipe]

[recipe]1 ounce cherry juice[/recipe]

[recipe]Juice of half a lime[/recipe]

[recipe]Juice of quarter of an orange[/recipe]

[recipe]Orange slice[/recipe]

Pour vodka over ice cubes into a cocktail or wineglass. Add juices, stir until cold and garnish with orange slice.

[recipe_title]Fizzbomb[/recipe_title]

(Oxo Tower, London)

[recipe]2 ounces passion fruit puree[/recipe]

[recipe]1 ounce Mandarine Napoleon liqueur[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 ounce peach liqueur[/recipe]

[recipe]4 ounces champagne[/recipe]

[recipe]Peach slice[/recipe]

Combine puree and liqueurs in a shaker with ice cubes, shake until cold, strain into a flute, top with champagne and garnish with peach slice.

[recipe_title]Pomegranate Martini[/recipe_title]

(The Beach House, Santa Monica)

[recipe]3 ounces Belvedere vodka[/recipe]

[recipe]1 ounce Chambord liqueur[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 ounce pineapple juice[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 ounce pomegranate juice[/recipe]

[recipe]Red apple slice[/recipe]

Combine all ingredients except apple slice in a shaker with ice cubes, shake until cold and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with apple slice.

[recipe_title]Grand Fashion[/recipe_title]

(Starlight Room, San Francisco)

[recipe]Dash of bitters[/recipe]

[recipe]Maraschino cherry[/recipe]

[recipe]2 blood orange slices[/recipe]

[recipe]Sugar cube[/recipe]

1-1/2 ounces Bacardi Añejo rum

1-1/2 ounces St. Raphael Rouge aperitif

In a shaker, muddle sugar cube, bitters, cherry and one blood orange slice. Add ice, rum and aperitif. Shake and serve straight up in a martini glass. Garnish with remaining orange slice.

The Morning After

Of course, no worthy bartender would let a reveler head into the new year without a hangover remedy.

At Louie's Backyard in Key West, recovery is hastened by pouring--in exact order--one ounce of Evan Williams Single Barrel bourbon, one egg and a drizzle of hot sauce over ice cubes in a tall glass. Chug it fast and repeat the dosage if your symptoms persist.

At the Red Square in Las Vegas' Mandalay Hotel, dawn in the desert on the first day of the new millennium will be toasted with crushed ice blended with eight ounces of water, three ounces of cachaca liquor, one egg white, the juice of one lemon and two tablespoons of honey. Strain into a highball glass and garnish with a lime wedge.

Atlanta's Fusebox takes the heebie-jeebies seriously. Its millennium cure-all should be prepared two weeks in advance. Bring 12 cups of bottled spring water to a boil and add one pound of Asian shiso leaves or opal basil. Simmer for 20 minutes, then strain, discarding the leaves. Add 1 1/2 pounds of sugar and two teaspoons of citric acid (available at a pharmacy). Stir, then let cool and pour into bottles and refrigerate for two weeks. On the morning of January 1, fill a tall glass halfway with the cure-all, stir in a teaspoon of fresh ginger juice and top off with sparkling mineral water. Serves 12.

Al Biernat, at his namesake restaurant in Dallas, says he has three levels of recovery. Level one is "Al's famous ramos": one and a half ounces of Absolut Citron vodka combined with half a cup of fresh raspberries and blueberries in a blender with ice. Mix until smooth and serve in a collins glass. Level two is the "amaretta, you get betta," made with one ounce sweet and sour mix and one ounce Absolut Citron vodka, 1/4 ounce Southern Comfort, 1/4 ounce amaretto, 1/4 ounce Salignac brandy and one ounce of fresh orange juice. Shake with crushed ice and strain into a martini glass. Level three is Biernat's "y-bother." The victim is instructed to "just roll over in bed, take three aspirins and hope for better days ahead."