Eurovision cocktails and hosting tips for a douze points party
It’s big. It’s bold. It’s bizarre. It is, of course, Eurovision, taking place on Saturday, May 16. The one night of the year the continent comes together to watch the best - and, in some cases - the worst of entertainment.
It’s no surprise that Eurovision has become a highlight of the year for many. However, hosting a Eurovision party - much like being a Eurovision contestant - isn’t always as simple as it may seem. Much like struggling to stay on tune when surrounded by dancing grannies or hitting an epic key change live on stage in front of billions, making sure all your guests are catered to while not missing out on the action takes practice. It needs precision. And it requires panache. Three things that, often, Eurovision acts fail to deliver.
However, you will rise above the Nil Points curse and, as a host, you’ll be crowned the champion if you stick with some of these practical tips...
‘Big Five’ Eurovision themed cocktails
In a perfect world, everyone would be included on your cocktail menu, but it can be daunting to think of a menu for all 25 countries competing in the final.
To keep things streamlined, we’re offering up five defined cocktails representing the song contest’s ‘Big Five’ - the countries so named because they are the largest financial contributors to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), and they automatically make it to the Grand Final.
These are France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. For good measure, we’ve also included a cocktail for Sweden. Because, really, what is Eurovision without Sweden?
To make it as simple for you as possible, we’ve also chosen cocktails that use a lot of the same ingredients. A top hosting tip - make things as easy for yourself as possible, without compromising on the overall experience for your guests.
The Bucks Fizz Cocktail
In 1981, Bucks Fizz, arguably the UK’s answer to ABBA, swept the competition and won with Making Your Mind Up. To pay homage to the UK icons, let’s serve up a British classic that shares the same name.
You’ll need:
25ml Gordon's London Dry
60ml orange juice
Champagne or Prosecco to top
To make:
Using a measure, pour your gin and orange juice into a chilled Champagne flute
Top with your choice of fizz.
Top tip: the core components of this cocktail - orange juice and fizz (Champagne or Prosecco) allow for some easy experimenting. If you’d prefer to swap out gin, for example, you can add a measure of Cointreau instead for an extra citrussy flavour, or you can even try a measure of tequila for a spicier twist.
The French 75
While countries really lean in to the quirkier side of Eurovision with their entries, France has a tendency to keep things tres chic. So what better cocktail to serve up than an elegant classic with the word French right there in the name?
You’ll need:
30ml Tanqueray London Dry Gin
20ml lemon juice
15ml sugar syrup
60ml Champagne
To make:
Shake your gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup hard over ice. Once shaken, strain into a Champagne flute and top with Champagne.
Gin Sangria
This addition to your menu will work overtime, because it can double up as a batch drink that will free up some of your time. It’s a botanical, dry twist on the classic sangria, and is simply poured straight from the jug into a glass with ice.
For a batch serve, you’ll need:
250ml gin - a dry gin, like Gordon’s London Dry works best with the citrus flavours
400ml tonic water
500ml orange juice (fresh is best)
3 tbsp demerara sugar
1 bottle of red wine
Sliced fruits of your choice - we suggest orange, lemon, strawberries and raspberries
To make:
Combine all your ingredients in a large jug or serving bowl. Let it sit in the fridge for a few hours before you’re ready to serve. When serving, ladle or pour into a glass with ice.
Top tip: offer guests the chance to cut the sweetness and potency of their sangria by including a choice of sodas to add to their glass. A simple flavourless soda can add dilution, but flavoured sodas like a lemonade or a ginger ale work well with the gin and fruit flavours.
The Apple Strudel Cocktail
For Germany, let’s take a defining dish and make it a sumptuous cocktail.
You’ll need:
45ml Ketel One Vodka
15ml Johnnie Walker Black Label
15ml apple liqueur
15ml dry vermouth
15ml apple juice
Optional: 10ml cinnamon syrup (this transforms your apple strudel drink into a spiced apple strudel)
To make:
Combine all your ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and shake hard over ice. When the surface of the shaker is cold to the touch, fine strain into a chilled coupe glass.
The ‘Waterloo’ Sunset
Your guests will be saying Gimme Gimme Gimme to this cocktail which can be served in honour of the Swedish icons, ABBA, who were propelled to worldwide fame after winning the competition with Waterloo in 1974.
You’ll need:
60ml Tanqueray No Ten
30ml Elderflower liqueur
15ml Raspberry liqueur
Champagne or fizz to top
To make:
Start by stirring your gin and elderflower liqueur in a mixing glass with ice. Once stirred for around 30-45 seconds, strain into a chilled champagne flute. Top with your choice of fizz and finish with a pour of raspberry liqueur to float on top.
Top tip: If you want to really make this a nod to Sweden, either swap out the raspberry liqueur for a teaspoon of Lingonberry jam, or just add the teaspoon to the recipe as is. Native to Sweden and Northern Europe, Lingonberry is quite tart and tangy and will add a complexity to the gin and raspberry flavours.
Batch cocktails you can make ahead
Once you’ve decided on a few signature drinks to impress, you should also add a couple of low-maintenance batch drinks that can give you breathing room, and ensure you’re not spending the whole night whipping up cocktail after cocktail.
Top tip: If you’re making a batch cocktail of a spirit-forward drink, like an Old Fashioned or something you’d typically stir or shake, a rule of thumb is, after you’ve worked out your batch proportions, add around 20% of that total volume in water. This will mimic the effect you’d normally get stirring or shaking with ice.
Batch cocktail recipes (and easy to batch classic cocktails)
Douze points for these nil pour alcohol-free drinks
Seeing zero might be a worst fear for many performers on the night - and a frequent reality for the United Kingdom - but seeing zero alcohol mocktails on the menu will make you a winning host.
Alcohol-free drinks make a party more inclusive, and thanks to the boom in the market, you can still offer up a wide array of flavours, from zingy margaritas to a zesty Clover Club.
The Nil Points Eurovision mocktail
Inspired by the glistening, glass microphone trophy the winners get, this sparkling mocktail will be a standout entry on your menu.
You’ll need:
25ml Seedlip Garden
15ml elderflower cordial
15ml tonic water
Sparkling apple juice to top
A sprinkling of edible glitter
To make:
In a highball glass, add a few ice cubes and pour in your Seedlip, elderflower cordial and tonic water. Sprinkle some edible glitter and top with sparkling apple juice.
Add a ‘Your Vision’ DIY drinks section
Another really simple way to cater to everyone’s taste is to give them the power to choose. It plays with the theme of the competition, and it gives you something of a break as a host.
DIY drink assembly stands have become something of a trend, everywhere from brunches to weddings. It’s not only an efficient way of keeping guests happy, it adds a layer of fun to the proceedings.
If you’re thinking of doing this, there’s a few simple ideas to make it easier:
Keep it simple - stick with some core spirits and mixers that all go well together. Think vodka, gin, rum and tequila, with soda water, tonic, and flavoured sodas including lemonade and cola.
Colour code it - while a DIY bar is about letting people create their own drinks, you can be a good host and label things that tend to go well together. For example, adding red labels to tequila, lemonade and pineapple juice indicate they are complementary flavours.
Give them the tools - make sure there are plenty of measures so people can drink responsibly, and there’s enough to avoid cross contamination. Using the same jigger for rum and gin? You might get a strange tasting Gin and Tonic...
Eurovision party tips - scorecards, decorations and more
Some finishing touches for that final flourish?
Encourage fancy dress - your guests could be assigned a country to represent and must come dressed appropriately (however they infer that dress code is up to them)
Decorate with flags - it’s inclusive and it’s an ingenious way to transform your space into a Eurovision-approved spectacular
Host your own challenges - how many flags can people properly name? Who has the best costume? You can hand out prizes for your own mini competition around the song competition
Hand out scorecards - Mission Eurovision is a great resource for your own scorecards
Serve food that complements your drinks - it’s not just cocktails that can be inspired by the continent. From Swedish meatballs to tapas and Swiss raclette, getting creative with the snacks is such a simple but memorable tip.
The Bar Team
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