What does one drink at a premiere party?

Well, cosmos for one. Once the clear favorite at cocktail parties thanks to Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City, it’s still considered a staple.

Cosmopolitan

1 1/2 ounces vodka
1/2-ounce Triple Sec
2 ounces fresh lime juice
1-ounce cranberry juice

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and mix vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist. (Editor’s note – I prefer a lime slice)

(Check out Absolut’s web site for more variations!)

My personal favorite is the vodka martini

Vodka Martini

4 or 5 parts Vodka
1 part Dry Vermouth

Stir well (reportedly shaking it bruises the vodka) with ice and strain “up” in a martini glass. Serve with a twist of lemon peel. (Editor’s note – some folks like olives as a garnish, as shown here, but I’m a lemon peel girl)

And clearly, you can’t watch a show about Manhattan without… a Manhattan, the famous cocktail named after the Manhattan Club (and reportedly invented by Sir Winston Churchill’s mother, Jennie).

 

Manhattan

 

3/4 oz sweet vermouth
2 1/2 oz bourbon whiskey
1 dash bitters
1 maraschino cherry

1 orange twist

Combine the vermouth, bourbon whiskey, and bitters with ice. Stir gently. Place the cherry in a chilled cocktail glass and strain the drink over the cherry. Garnish with an orange twist.

For more great party cocktails, check out cocktailtimes.com!

And for those of you who are planning on watching Gossip Girl in dorm parlors at school – or those of you who are underage – there’s no need to sacrifice style when you can’t (and shouldn’t) drink. Try these fabulous mocktails:

The Smart-ini (from LCBO)

2 oz pineapple juice
2 tsp lime juice
2 oz. cranberry juice

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add pineapple juice, lime juice and cranberry juice. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a pineapple and cranberry skewer.

Mango-Ginger Mocktails (from Rachael Ray)

4 c. ginger ale
4 c. mango nectar
1/3 c. fresh lemon juice
lemon slices
ice

Just before serving, mix together the ginger ale, mango nectar and lemon juice in a large pitcher. Pour into tall glasses filled with ice and garnish with lemon slices.