Create Your Own Hollywood-Inspired Cocktail & Win a Trip to Cannes

We've partnered with Cointreau to share a few of our favorite Hollywood-themed drinks, and inspire you to mix up a new cocktail creation for your own—it could win you a trip to the Cannes International Film Festival!

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Ever since I was little, I have always loved the glitz and glamour of awards season. I vividly remember sitting down on the couch with my parents to watch the Academy Awards red carpet, deciding with completely unfounded authority who would take home the evening’s real prize: best dressed. More than that, though, I loved watching as many nominated films as possible before the season’s first "big night" so that I could make an informed decision when scribbling down my picks on my dad’s pre-printed ballots.

Fast-forward to 2019, and not much has changed. I still try to catch up on the season’s most acclaimed films and my mom and I still argue—now, over the phone—about whose dress gets highest marks (Jennifer Lawrence, always) and who, well, could have hired a better stylist (I’m not naming names). Only this year, instead of gluing myself to the television with a personal pizza, I’m going all out and throwing an awards show viewing party, complete with homemade movie theater snacks and a signature cocktail inspired by my favorite film, which I had so much fun dreaming up.

While I’d highly recommend you make a batch of my cocktail for your own watch party (yes, I’m tooting my own horn here), there's also a very good reason you should create a brand new one for yourself. Why, you ask? Because doing so could win you a trip for two to the Cannes International Film Festival! Here's the deal:

Our partner Cointreau is running a cocktail recipe contest all about Hollywood-inspired drinks. Create your own concoction (including Cointreau and whatever else your heart desires), then snap a pic and post it to the 'Gram for a chance to win the once-in-a-lifetime grand prize. Ok, here’s everything you need to know to enter:

• The contest runs from January 2 to February 24, so you’ll be able to enter your submission any time during that period.
• To officially put your drink in the contest mix, upload an original photo of your movie or awards night-themed cocktail creation to Instagram. Just don’t forget to include the recipe in the caption!
• One special note: Each cocktail must have at least 3/4 oz of Cointreau included in the recipe.
• Tag your Instagram photo with #TheArtOfTheMix and #F52Contest, and tag @cointreau_us in the caption.
• Oh, and one last thing: If you don’t already, follow @cointreau_us and @food52 on Instagram in order to win—we’ll be checking!
• For more details on the contest, check out all of the official rules here.

If those creative juices aren't flowing just yet, here's a look at how I came up with the movie-inspired cocktail for my own watch party. When picking a film, I went with The Godfather, since it's a Hollywood classic I've seen a zillion times. First step down. The slightly more difficult part came as I was trying to figure out what type of cocktail to start with. I kept it simple and went straight to the beginning of the film: the wedding of Don Corleone's daughter.

The festivities made me think of bubbly, which inspired me to riff on a French 75, one of my favorite sparkling cocktails. While the classic calls for gin or Cognac, simple syrup, fresh lemon juice, Champagne, and a lemon peel, I gave my version a Godfather-inspired twist: Oranges, in the form of Cointreau, blood orange juice, and a strip of blood orange zest. (According to a few eagle-eyed movie buffs, oranges pop up throughout the film to foreshadow that certain characters are in danger, which...happens a lot.)

I worked in the citrus flavor in more ways than one, starting with Cointreau instead of simple syrup, blood orange juice instead of lemon juice, and a strip of blood orange zest for garnish. The fruit's name and deep red hue is a not-so-subtle wink at the film's plot (catch my drift?); but perhaps more importantly, the flavor is a great match for gin and Prosecco (you think I'd top this cocktail with anything but Italian wine?). I'm calling this effervescent number "Kiss the Ring"—it wouldn't be out of place at any celebratory occasion, including my awards show viewing party.

Should you need more inspiration—for your own cocktail creation or your own awards viewing party—here are a few cocktails inspired by a mix of Hollywood classics and this year’s best films, plus our favorite movie snacks. Any of the picks from this lineup would work perfectly for a crowd (all you need to do is scale up the proportions).

In partnership with Cointreau, makers of the premium orange liqueur at the heart of hundreds of original cocktail recipes, we're excited to highlight different ways you can show off #TheArtOfTheMix. Whether you’re hosting an awards show viewing party or getting friends together to watch this season’s nominees, Cointreau is the must-have on your bar cart for cocktails that elevate the occasion. Don’t forget to enter your red carpet-ready cocktail recipe for a chance to win a trip to Cannes! See official contest rules here.