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Raise a glass to the Year of the Horse with a Chinese Old Fashioned

A festive spin on a classic cocktail

By Mark Stock Published February 10, 2026

Remy Martin Cognac. — Remy Martin

The Year of the Horse is upon us. We’re just a week away from the Lunar New Year, which officially kicks off on February 17th. And, to celebrate, we’re mixing up some of our favorite cocktail recipes.

It’s inspiring sentiment. The Year of the Horse is all about moving deliberately and freely towards success, with the strength of a steed. It’s a chance to start anew again, so consider revisiting those New Year’s resolutions or key points you put in your annual planner.

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The festivities are set to last 15 days and will include everything from fireworks to red dragons. There will be food, gifts, and, of course, good drinks. Which leads us to a nice winter cocktail recipe tailor-made for the holiday.

This one comes to us from Rémy Martin and a special collaboration release done with Chinese pop artist Xue Song. It celebrates the forthcoming holiday with a cool centaur-themed bottle.

Read on for the full recipe.

XO 橘 (Jü) Old Fashioned

Cognac and mandarin is a combination we could get used to, as this cocktail proves.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 ounces Rémy Martin XO
1/3 ounce mandarin liqueur
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
1 cube brown sugar
Ice cube
Fresh mandarin wedge or dried/candied peel for garnish

Method:

Muddle or stir all ingredients with ice in an Old Fashioned glass.
Garnish with citrus.

Look out for the custom bottle this year. It’s not the first time the brand has produced a special bottle for the event and it certainly won’t be the last. Here’s to a prosperous stretch ahead.

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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