A Simple Guide for a Non-Alcoholic New Year's Eve

Nothing goes down on New Year's Eve like champagne. When the glass ball drops in Times Sq., New York, corks pop and the bubbly flows. Testing out the new year's end in the new has long been the privilege of champagne and sparkling wine. The festivities of New Year's Eve are time to spend with friends and family, enjoying oneself with a glass of bubbly.

But, let's face it -- maybe you or one of your guests at your New Year's Eve party can't or doesn't want to consume alcohol on New Years Eve. Perhaps he or she is a designated driver or chooses not to drink alcohol or camps for personal or health reasons. How then, as a host or a guest, can you make sure that you and everyone else enjoys the festivities of that night?

Here is an easy guide to enjoy a nonalcoholic New Year's party:

1. Stock up. If you are the host of a New Year's Eve party, when you go to stock up on champagne sparkling wine and other alcoholic beverages, pick up non alcoholic beverages as well. That way, your guests who do not drink alcohol will have the option waiting for them at your party. If you are attending a New Year's Eve party this simple rule still applies: BYO(NA)B: "Bring Your Own Non-alcoholic Beverages." That way, when you arrive at the party you won't be faced with a difficult choice of compromising your healthy New Year's resolution and drinking your host's carrot or wheat grass juice.

2. Set-up. Many hosts and hostesses of New Year's Eve parties will set up a bar in their home or apartment. If you're one of these hosts make sure that your nonalcoholic beverages are right there to serve your guests who are not drinking alcohol. The good host or hostess never make a guest feel awkward or unwelcome; by keeping your non-alcoholic beverages on the bar with the other ones you be sending a subtle but appreciated message to the guests who choose not to drink at your party.

3. Mixology. Mixing drinks is something that more and more people can do. At a New Year's Eve party amateur and pro mixologists alike will be showing off their skills. Be sure to familiarize yourself with nonalcoholic mixed drink recipes. Gone are the days of the "virgin cocktail." Today, nonalcoholic mixed drinks are as complex and sophisticated as their alcoholic counterparts. If you are a host of a New Year's Eve party, pick up a bartender's guide that includes the latest nonalcoholic mixed drink recipes. Besides, nothing says exclusion like sipping a dry martini, Cosmo, or highball while other guests nurse a Diet Coke, mineral water, or sparkling apple juice.

4. Be cool. If you are the host or hostess at a New Year's Eve party, understand that some of your guests might be choosing to have a nonalcoholic New Year's Eve to make a healthy start in the new year. Not everyone who chooses not to drink does so because they have an alcohol abuse problem. More and more people are recognizing that alcohol consumption interferes with their health and workout regime. Likewise, some of your guests might be diabetic or have other health complications that doesn't allow them to consume alcohol with its high sugar content. Dean cool with someone's choice not to consume alcohol means letting the issue slide by, by understanding it, and not making a big deal out of it. Likewise, if you're a guest at a party, don't make a big deal out of the fact that you're not drinking alcohol or are having a nonalcoholic New Year's Eve. Other people are, so let them enjoy themselves.

5. Cheers! When the moment arrives, and the ball drops in the old year is long out with a new, corks will pop the champagne will flow. As a host or guest this is the moments when glasses will be raised and hosts made. Whether your glass is filled with champagne at Orono on the alcoholic beverage. Whether your glasses filled with champagne or a non-alcoholic beverage, raise your glass and toast your friends, family, and the new year. Starting a healthy practice, a known alcoholic New Year's, is something that anyone can do, and do easily and with style. Toasting in the new year with your friends colleagues, and family members with your nonalcoholic drink allows you to participate in the ritual of the New Year's Eve party in a healthy way.