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Need a NYE cocktail? Check out this recipe from The Ariston in Nashville

A mixed beverage worthy of your New Year's Eve plans

By Mark Stock Published December 29, 2025

Charlie Don't Surf cocktail. — Victoria Quirk

As 2025 winds down, it’s prime time for gratitude, forward-looking, and reflection. Turns out, all of those things serve as great backdrops for a good winter cocktail recipe. The ball is about to drop, and that calls for some raised glasses.

Now, one can go a lot of ways when it comes to New Year’s Eve. Some like to host, batching out large format cocktails for the whole gang to enjoy. Others like to keep it intimate, enjoying a nice pour of single malt whiskey or similar, either solo with with a significant other.

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Really, there’s no wrong way to go about it. But you should have something good in your glass. It’s the end of an era after all. Perhaps it’s a wine you’ve been cellaring for a while or a recent Christmas gift you can’t wait to crack. Maybe it’s trying to replicate your favorite cocktail from your favorite bar.

As always, we reached out to those in the know. And we heard back from one of our favorite havens for mixology. It’s a tequila drink that goes next level thanks to a few important add-ons.

We have an excellent cocktail from a top bar in Nashville. Read on for details.

Charlie Don’t Surf

This cocktail is all about balance, plus a pleasant tropical hit thanks to the flavored orgeat.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces blanco tequila
1/2 ounce Amaro Montenegro
3/4 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce salted coconut orgeat
Muddled cucumber

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a rocks glass with ice and garnish with muddled cucumber.

Contributor

Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since…

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