New Year's Eve Celebration Drinks--Without Alcohol

Thinking of throwing a New Year's Eve party? If you're planning one, even if you plan to serve alcoholic beverages, it's always a good idea at any party to also have non-alcoholic beverages available for guests. These "mocktail" ideas would work for a teen party or one exclusively for adults. Perhaps after the toast for ringing in the New Year, you might consider putting away the alcohol and inviting your guests to enjoy a "mocktail" or two before they leave for the evening.

No matter how you work it out, you want to be able to send your guests home knowing they will be safe on the road.

Tips for serving "mocktails": The presentation says it all. Be sure to offer the beverages in nice glassware; stemware, ice-frosted, fancy ice cubes, and/or garnish all go a long way to making even a glass of water attractive and fun.

Here's a list of "mocktail" recipes to get you started, but once you peruse the list, you'll likely have ideas of your own:

The Shirley Temple

To an iced glass, add a few drops of grenadine, then top off with ginger ale or lemon-lime soda. Garnish with a maraschino cherry, lemon or orange slice.

Safe Sex on the Beach

2 ounces of peach juice, 2-3 ounces each of pineapple and orange juice, and juice of half a lime in a cocktail shaker half full of ice. Shake and strain into an ice-filled glass. Garnish with strawberry, lime wedge and orange twist. (http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/pubsandbars/non-alcoholic-cocktails-feature-2024.html).

Apple Pie in a Glass

4 oz. Frozen apple juice concentrate, 1 cup vanilla ice cream, ¼ tsp. Ground cinnamon and 1 cup milk.

Put in blender. Garnish with powered cinnamon or a cinnamon stick. (http://www.drinksmixer.com/drinkrq16126.html)

Wassail (a family favorite in our household)

1 gallon apple juice or cider

2 oranges

2 lemons

1 lime

1 tblsp cloves

1 tblsp allspice

2 cinnamon sticks

1 qt. Water

1 cup sugar

Heat the water to boiling. While waiting for the water to boil, cut the lemons, oranges and lime in half. Squeeze the juices from the fruits into a separate bowl and place the squeezed fruit halves into the boiling water. Add the spices and turn down to heat to simmer together for an hour.

Remove the fruit remains from the water. Leave spices and cinnamon sticks in the water and add apple juice or cider. When this mixture begins to boil, remove from heat and add citrus juices and sugar. Simmer for about 10 minutes, then serve in mugs or steins.

This recipe can also be easily adapted for the crockpot/slow cooker, doubling or tripling ingredients as the size of your cooking vessel will allow.

(http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink4945.html)

Mock Champagne Punch

2 liters of ginger ale or lemon-lime soda

1 quart apple juice

Color with grenadine syrup

Mix together in a punch bowl. Be sure to have fluted glasses to complete the affect; serve punch over ice

A.J.'s Surprise (This is sure to please teens, adults, and in-betweens)

8 ounces milk

2 tblsp chocolate syrup

1 tsp maraschino cherry juice

Combine milk, chocolate syrup, and maraschino cherry juice in a fluted glass; stir to mix. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with a maraschino cherry. (http://quamut.com/quamut/nonalcoholic_cocktails)

This could easily be pre-mixed in a fancy pitcher, so guests could pour their own. Put whipped cream on the side along with maraschino cherries, raspberries, strawberries, chocolate sprinkles-guests can create their own masterpiece.

Frosty Night

12 ounces lemon-lime soda

¼ tsp peppermint syrup

Splash lemon juice

Pour soda into medium-tall glass over ice. Stir in syrup and lemon juice.( http://quamut.com/quamut/nonalcoholic_cocktails/page/frosty_night.html)

Garnish with lemon and/or lime slices.

Virgin Colada

4 ounces pineapple juice

1 ½ ounces cream of coconut

1 tsp lime juice

½ cup crushed ice

Combine and mix in blender until smooth. Pour into tulip glass and garnish with spear of pineapple and/or maraschino cherry. (http://quamut.com/quamut/nonalcoholic_cocktails/page/virgin_colada.html)

Hot Cocoa (a traditional drink for a good reason-everyone lives it!)

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup hot water

¼ unsweetened cocoa powder

4 cups milk

Dash of salt

¾ tsp vanilla extract

Mix cocoa powder, sugar, water and salt in small saucepan. Over medium heat, stir constantly until mixture boils, then for one additional minute. Stir in the milk and heat-but do NOT boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Serves 4 Garnish with marshmallows, sliver of dark chocolate, chocolate kisses-be creative!