What Panorama Room's Cocktail Maestra Estelle Bossy Is Drinking This New Year's Eve

Estelle Bossy, a veteran of the New York City cocktail scene for over a decade, is one of the greatest bartenders I’ve ever met, plain and simple. She’s a force behind the stick, an unwavering oasis of calm, cool, and collected Franco-fashion energy no matter how high the drink orders stack—while she’s far too humble, I feel it’s my duty to share the wintry dreamscape that is Estelle’s seasonal drinks program at Panorama Room inside Graduate Roosevelt Island for the general benefit of humanity. Without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about making seasonal cocktails according to the grand dame of drinking herself.

Tell us about some of your holiday and winter cocktails this year and into 2022!
Hibiscus appears in my holiday drinks pretty much every year. Bright and floral, it plays beautifully with baking spices or with herbaceous flavors, and I love that scarlet hue. At the moment, I’m serving a Yule Mule that’s built with hibiscus, ginger beer and cranberry shrub—it’s a zesty non-alcoholic capped with fresh bay leaf and rosemary, but also spikes well with just about any spirit of choice.

A New Orleans-style milk punch is a great way to offer something rich and desserty, like egg nog, minus the raw egg/custard making. This year I’ve got a variation inspired by panettone, a fruit-studded Italian bread and my favorite Christmas sweet. I make something similar to cereal milk, infusing cream with toasted slices of panettone—when shaken with Grand Marnier, cognac, and honey, it makes for a velvety and slightly indulgent drink.

Any go-to hot cocktail recipes?
Spiced apple cider is the ginger beer of warm mixers—it tastes great with every spirit, light or dark, fruity or spicy. I go for rye whiskey and garnish my mug with a dried orange slice and a cracked cinnamon stick. 

I am also a devotee of boozy hot chocolate, especially one fortified with agave, amaro or Chartreuse. We’re making the Snowmobile at Anything At All with a frothy mix of whole milk, 70% chocolate, mezcal and genepy. 

What’s the secret to making hot cocktails at home?
An Instant Pot or Crock Pot works fine to heat cocktails, but I prefer a sous vide—I can stick several bottled cocktails in the water bath, warming them and keeping them at temperature for as long as I need. 

What are some of your favorite things to drink on New Year's Eve and why?
Bubbles make everything more festive, so naturally I love a sparkling cocktail like an Old Cuban or a French 75 (New Orleans-style with cognac). It’s a bartender’s trade secret that just about any classic is delicious when topped with champagne—the technique works especially well with drinks that lean a bit sweet, like a Last Word or a Penicillin. This year I’m feeling escapist and can see myself finishing a Piña Colada with a generous splash of Extra Brut.

Any last thoughts on winter hosting/bartending/drinking?
I’m a firm believer in non-alcoholic cocktails during all seasons, but I think it’s particularly important to have something celebratory and booze-free at a New Years’ shindig so that folks who don’t drink (or are looking to slow down) can still join in the toast. There are loads of great effervescent mixers out there that don’t need much doctoring, and a beautiful glass and garnish will go a long way!

[Photos via @theladybossy/Panorama Room]