Beyond Bubbly

—Steffie Nelson

11⁄2 ounces peach vodka
21⁄2 ounces lemon-ginger echinacea juice
1 ounce Power-C Vitamin Water (the dark-pink bottle with “dragonfruit”)
1 squeeze fresh lime
1 splash seltzer water
1 large basil leaf, torn

Pour liquids into cocktail shaker and chill in ice or in a freezer until cold, about 20 minutes. Place torn basil leaf in bottom of a martini glass and slowly pour contents of shaker over the leaf to release the basil oil. If you wanna get really fancy, toss in one of those cute curls of lemon peel. Raise your glass to La Revolución! Serves 1.

The fizzazz of Purple Reign

Purple Reign
I’ve got a cocktail confession: I’m a serial girlie-drink sipper. If it’s sweet, colorful and/or has a sexually suggestive name, it was probably my “usual,” that is, until I got bored and moved on to another shade of the rainbow. I still dip into the greens (Midori Sour, Apple Martini), the blues (Hypnotic shots, Blue Hawaiian) and, of course, the reds (Sex on the Beach, Sea Breeze), but only purple can kick off the New Year with majesty, passion and, okay, Prince. And while the Purple Hooter is a perfectly respectable drink for the bar scene, New Year’s Eve calls for something special, hence my tasty concoction here, which combines the pizzazz of the Hooter with the fizzazz of the holiday’s most popular libation. But beware, if you don’t follow the recipe exactly, you may end up with a drink that’s more Robitussin than rapturous. Either way, this one ain’t for shrinking violets.

—Lina Lecaro

4 ounces champagne
2 ounces cran-raspberry fruit cocktail
1 ounce vodka
2 generous splashes (about 1 ounce) Chambord
Ice

Pour liquids into cocktail shaker, add ice, and shake gently. Pour into glass and serve cold with berry garnish on rim. Serves 1.



Lina’s Rock-tail Playlist
A successful cocktail party isn’t just about the drinks you concoct. A saucy soundtrack is equally important, particularly at a last-night-of-the-year gathering. Thematically, you wanna choose tunes about moving forward, looking back and just letting loose, while sonically building the tempos and decibel levels as the night progresses. Now is not the time to show how cool you are with that collection of early-’70s Swedish indie rock obscurities, though a sprinkling of swanky, quirky ditties is perfectly acceptable earlier in the evening (note the Taco tune). After midnight, when the booze has kicked in and the coffee table has been moved out of the way, it’s all about bumpin’ the humps, so stick with funky, upbeat, celebratory stuff (but never, ever Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration!”) and spike it with a li’l rock & roll and even a few of the year’s biggest pop hits. It’s hard to kick friends out of your house, so when you’re ready for the whole shebang to be over, the trick is to choose slower, even cheesy, classic rock nuggets that’ll keep ringing in their ears even as they race for the door. Here are a few track suggestions to get you started. Happy downloading!

—Lina Lecaro

Gettin’ ’em in the mood:
“Stay With Me,” The Faces
“I’ll Take You There,” The Staples Singers
“New Year’s Resolution,” Otis Redding
“Starting Over,” John Lennon
“Such Great Heights,” The Postal Service
“Happy New Year,” Abba
“Puttin’ on the Ritz,” Taco
“The New Year,” Death Cab for Cutie
“It’s the End of the World as We Know It,” R.E.M.
“In the Midnight Hour,” Wilson Pickett
“Ain’t No Stoppin Us Now,” McFadden & Whitehead
“Joy to the World,” Three Dog Night
“Wonderful Night,” Fatboy Slim
“Midnight Rambler,” The Rolling Stones
“Auld Lang Syne,” Guy Lombardo

Gettin’ ’em movin’ (after the countdown):
“1999,” Prince
“Let’s Get It Started,” Black Eyed Peas
“Holla Back Girl,” Gwen Stefani
“Music,” Madonna
“Funky New Year,” The Eagles
“Got To Give It Up,” Marvin Gaye
“Bust a Move,” Young MC
“Rock Steady,” Aretha Franklin
“You Shook Me All Night Long,” AC/DC
“Take Me Out,” Franz Ferdinand
“Dancing Days,” Led Zeppelin
“Sex Machine,” James Brown
“Groove Is in the Heart,” Dee-Lite
“TKO,” Le Tigre
“World Destruction,” John Lydon and Afrika Bambaataa
“Tear the Roof off the Sucker,” Parliament
“Battle Revolution,” Lo-Fidelity All-Stars
“Banquet,” Bloc Party
“20th Century Boy,” T-Rex
“Lust for Life,” Iggy Pop
“Another One Bites the Dust,” Queen

Gettin’ ’em out:
“New Year’s Day,” U2
“Living Thing,” ELO
“Sister Christian,” Night Ranger
“Come Sail Away,” Styx
“Dream Weaver,” Gary Wright
“Sweet Dreams,” Marilyn Manson
“Good Riddance,” Green Day


Party Tips

Don’t skip dinner just so you can fit into that skintight dress (in fact, just don’t wear it). Eat a healthy meal around 5-ish, drink lots of water, and when you’re at the party, pace yourself! V8 before bed does wonders, too. And if you’re just too messed up to remember any of the above, just make sure you have some Gatorade by the bed for the morning after, preferably grape flavor.

—L.L.

Candles make a party feel instantly more warm and festive, but why are nice ones so expensive?! Buy a bag of tea lights (around 5 bucks for 100 at Target) and place them in old tea cups. The porcelain gives off a nice glow, and you can pick up pretty, hand-painted bone-china cups at garage sales for as little as 10 cents.

—S.N.

For more Style Council, go tohttp://laweekly.blogs.com/style_council/