Toasting the New Year in James Bond style

There's nothing like bringing in the New Year with a glass of the bubbly. But this year's hottest drink has nothing to do with champagne. It's all about the martini...or I should say: the BLUE martini.

Unlike James Bond who has been drinking martinis since Ian Flemming wrote Casino Royale, I've only been a martini girl for the last decade.

I started with the girlie ones. You know -- cosmos and the occasional decadent chocolate martini, but for the last few years it's been the traditional vodka martini - crisp and clean. I've also been known to get the dirty martini - but just a little dirty with two olives.

But here's my problem: While I love martinis, I have no idea how to make them. They always turn out too strong and just not satisfying. In fact, I've been told from my friends that they are more of a punishment to drink than a treat at the end of the day.

So with the holiday season upon us, and the possibility that I may have to serve beverages to my friends, I turned to the experts at Hpnotiq vodka for help.

Just like champagne, their brand of vodka is bottle in France, but it's not the type of vodka you would use to make a traditional martini.

First of all it's special because - well, it's blue. And secondly, they've blended their premium vodka with natural fruit juices and a splash of cognac.

So if you've ever wondered what those cool blue drinks were that people are drinking in all the hottest clubs, that it's. It's Hynotiq vodka!

Here's a couple of easy recipes that they gave me to try out. They swear they are so foolproof that even a novice bartender like me wouldn't be able to screw them up.

Tinsel Bellini

• 2 oz. HPNOTIQ
• 1 oz. Limoncello
• 1 oz. Champagne
• Splash of lime juice

Rim the Champagne Flute with a light coat of sugar. Pour chilled HPNOTIQ, Limoncello and Champagne into the champagne flute. Add a splash of lime juice.

Jack Frost Martini

• 2 oz. HPNOTIQ
• 2 oz. super premium vodka
• Splash of Cointreau
• Splash of lime juice

Shake with ice just like in a James Bond movie and strain into a martini glass.