Enter the Dragon! Cocktails for the Lunar New Year (2024)

Editor’s note: We are celebrating the year of the dragon and saying goodbye to the year of the tiger. If you’d like to toast the tiger a farewell until 2034, take a look at our cocktails for celebrating the year of the tiger.

February 10 marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year and ushers in the year of the wood dragon. The luckiest and most auspicious of the 12 Chinese zodiac symbols, the dragon signifies unprecedented opportunities.

Occurring only once in a 60 year cycle, the wood dragon is a supernatural being that has no equal for talent and excellence. Historically, emperors were seen as the reincarnation of dragons.

The dragon is synonymous with yang energy – vitality, vision and vigor.

The wood element is growth, vitality and kindness. It is also connected to resilience, perseverance, imagination, creativity and a deep sense of empathy.

Tied to the lunar-solar Chinese calendar, the Lunar New Year marks the end of winter and the welcoming of spring. It is a season of joy and indulgence, with many rituals and opportunities to help you celebrate the fortuitous year ahead.

Lunar New Year traditions include spending time with family and friends, watching the lions dance, cleaning house and decorating with red paper cut outs and plum blossoms. Red symbolizes good luck and happiness, and plum blossoms represent courage and hope.

Enjoy a special new year’s dinner serving traditional dishes such as dumplings for wealth and fish for prosperity. Set off some fireworks to frighten away evil spirits, and of course, mix up some fabulous cocktails.

For more fun, check out the stunning artwork various brands have had created to commemorate the holiday.

Chinese-born artist, Yunshu Li has designed a special edition bottle for Royal Salute’s 21-Year Old Signature Blend. The design uses a striking, bright and colorful style through a vibrant swirl of discoverable details. These combine figurative cues of Lunar New Year and depict the “gun salute” being fired from Royal Salute’s symbolic home, the Tower of London. The artwork also contains floral bouquets representing wishes of happiness, growth, prosperity and love intertwined with icons from across the globe.

Tokyo Hiro, one of the most renowned tattoo artists in Southern California, has designed a limited edition Year of the Dragon six-pack for Sapporo. The dragon-themed package is Sapporo U.S.A.’s first nationally available six-pack, featuring two dragons flowing around the package and the Sapporo can. The open mouth of one dragon wards off evil spirits while the closed mouth of the other keeps good spirits in. The two together are representative of the end and the beginning of the New Year.

Humberto Leon with red envelope for D’USSE XO Limited Edition Lunar New Year

Cognac brand, D’USSE XO tapped style icon Humberto Leon to design red envelopes which feature twin dragons and the classic Chinese character for “luck” or “richness” on the front and flame emblems and the traditional greeting, Gong Hay Fat Choi, on the back. They are exclusively available with purchase of the D’USSE XO Limited Edition Lunar New Year gift box in select stores and cities, for no extra cost, while supplies last.

Restauranteur Humberto Leon has also created a Lunar New Year specialty cocktail called the Lucky Highball. Using ingredients not usually found in cocktails but with ingredients found in many Asian and Asian American homes, the Lucky Highball showcases a harmonious blend of rice milk, sesame oil, and jasmine green tea.

Cocktails for the Lunar New Year

The Lucky Highball

2 ounces D’USSÉ XO

1 ounce simple syrup

¾ ounce fresh lime juice

3 slices of cucumber (muddled)

Handful of fresh coriander

1 ½ ounce jasmine green tea

1 ounce ice milk

1/3 ounce sesame oil

Shake all ingredients in an ice-filled shaker. Garnish a chilled glass with a long slice of cucumber and strain the cocktail into it.

Aubrey Slater, Saint Luna’s Head Mixologist and Chief Brand Queen, created the Dragon Moon cocktail for the year of the wood dragon. It is a fruity libation featuring Saint Luna’s charcoal filtered moonshine.

Dragon Moon

1 ½ ounce Saint Luna Saint Luna SAINT LUNA Charcoal Filtered Moonshine

1 ounce Rockey’s Botanical liqueur Rockey’s Liqueur

1 ounce coconut cream

½ ounce agave

1 ounce lime juice

Muddled Red Dragon Fruit

Muddle a few chunks of red dragon fruit in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add ice and remaining ingredients to the shaker. Shaker for 20-30 seconds until ice cold and strain into a chilled highball glass. Garnish with dragon fruit.

Caroline, @abstractmixologist on Instagram is an English girl in Texas. She hosts cocktail and mixology workshops all over the Dallas and Fort Worth area and specializes in making seasonal cocktails using handmade, local, and artisan ingredients. She designed the Dragons Breath Daquiri to be full of healthy ingredients to get your year of the dragon off to a great start!

Dragons Breath Daiquiri

1 ½ ounce white rum

2 tablespoons red dragon fruit (Don’t be fooled by the label. Make sure that it’s red inside.)

½ ounce lime juice

¾ ounce coconut water

Grated ginger root

Matcha powder

Egg white alternative

Mini pinch salt

Muddle fruit. Add rum coconut water, lime juice and a little grated ginger. Add egg white, dry shake, wet shake then double strain. Dust with matcha, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.

Holiday, CocktailsTracey BroussardFebruary 3, 2024chinese new yearComment