Five Cocktails That Can Be Made With Dollar Store Ingredients

In the midst of a recession it's tempting to cut back on celebrations. After all, alcohol isn't cheap and after the hats, noise makers and other New Year's Eve decorations-the cost can add up fast.

This year, we have suggestions on how to make your party look like you just got a raise. For the cost of two cocktails at a fancy bar you can impress your guests while keeping them socially lubricated all night long.

We've compiled a list of easy drink/martini recipes that can be made with ingredients found at your local dollar store. If you don't own martini glasses, you can even pick those up for $1 each at the store.

The only thing you can't get at the dollar store is the alcohol. In the spirit of saving money, these recipes are all for vodka cocktails. We have five impressive looking ways for you to stretch a single bottle of vodka out all night long without ever looking cheap.

TROPICAL COCKTAIL

This easy vodka cocktail can be made super cheap. Pick up a $1 container of mango juice, a $1 bag of banana chips, and two $1 cans of diced pineapple.

Crush half the banana chips into very fine pieces - the more like flour the better. Mix them with ¼ cup of either white or brown sugar and spread the mix in a shallow bowl. Dip your martini glass in water then dip the rim in your banana mix. You should now have a nice, fancy crust on the rim of your glass.

Mix ½ shot pineapple juice (from your one can of pineapple chunks), two shots of mango juice and one shot of vodka, then pour them into your rimmed glass. Top the cocktail with a solid banana chip and perch a chunk of pineapple on the rim.  For $4 (plus the cost of your vodka) you now have the supplies to make a dozen impressive cocktails.

GINGERBREAD COCKTAIL

Pick up a $1 box of gingersnaps and a $1 pack of room temperature Yoo-Hoo. You're going to use the same glass rimming trick as in the Tropical Cocktail because good presentation never gets old.

Grind half the gingersnaps into a coarse flour. This time, after you dip the rim in water then into the gingersnap flour to rim the glass, add about ½ tsp of the flour to two shots of Yoo-Hoo and mix well. Add a shot of vodka, mix again, then serve with a whole gingersnap cookie floating on top. Most gingerbread cocktails you find in bars are nothing more than fancy looking alcoholic chocolate milk.

S'MORES COCKTAIL

This feels super indulgent and looks fantastic. No one needs to know you only spent $4 on supplies to make two dozen.

Pick up a $1 tub of marshmallow whip, a $1 bag of chocolate chips, a $1 box of graham crackers and a $1 package of Nesquik mix.

Grind about half the graham crackers into a coarse flour. Before you rim the glass, dip the rim into the marshmallow whip and get it nice and gooey. Now dip it into the graham crackers to form a nice crust. Drop six chocolate chips in the bottom of the glass. Now mix the Nesquik according to package directions and add two shots of your chocolate milk plus one shot of vodka to the glass.

You can spend $2 more to make it a "Turtle" cocktail by adding caramel dip and a bag of pecans. Drizzle some caramel dip across the bottom of the glass after rimming and add a pair of pecans to the drink.

CARAMEL APPLE COCKTAIL

Pick up a $1 container of apple cider, a $1 tub of caramel dip, and a $1 bottle of caramel syrup. If you're making the S'mores or Gingersnap cocktails, feel free to reuse extra graham crackers or gingersnap cookies as a garnish.

Once more, we're rimming the edge of the glass with sticky, messy caramel. Add two shots of apple cider, one shot of vodka, and a dash (1/2 tsp) of caramel syrup to your martini glass. Mix well. If they have dried apple slices in stock, pick up a bag of those as a garnish.

BANANA PUDDING COCKTAIL

This one takes a little faith, but when well done it's very impressive.

Pick up a $1 container of banana pudding mix, a $1 bag of vanilla wafers, a $1 bag of banana chips and a $1 bottle of vanilla syrup. The key to this is using the banana pudding mix very sparingly, so this is a good one to mix in advance.

Instead of two cups of milk, add 4-5 cups to the banana pudding mix. You should have a liquid too thin to be pudding but notably thicker than plain milk. It should also taste like bananas. Leave this in the fridge. Meanwhile, grind half your vanilla wafers into flour and use them to rim your martini glass. Mix two shots of banana mix with one shot of vodka and a dash (1/2 tsp) of vanilla syrup. It should taste like a liquid alcoholic version of delicious banana pudding. Garnish with an additional vanilla wafer.

OTHER IDEAS   

The dollar store has their own brand of tonic water (four cans for a dollar) for gin and tonics, their own brand of energy beverage for a Red Bull and vodka substitute, cranberry juice for a basic vodka cranberry, and cans of pre-made Bloody Mary mix. Once the party is in gear, no one cares what brand you bought, so save a little money on mixers.