New Year's Eve Champagne Alternatives

At this time of year everyone is busy making delicious hot toddy's, and numerous other alcohol-rich drinks - but what about our friends/family that need or want to remain sober, but still be able to toast to everyone's health & prosperity with a drink in their hand worth getting excited about?

Well, here's just a few choices to help you get started. These options will make it easy to take care of everyone's beverage requests that may be on your party list. The first is 'Martinelli's' sparkling grape juice. This is very flavorful, and I am happy to drink this in place of wine if I happen to be driving. 'Martinelli's' also has sparkling grape juice blends such as grape/apple, and you can find this easily at a local grocery store. You can also make your own sparkling grape juice by mixing grape juice with 7-up, tonic water, club soda, or seltzer water depending on your preference.

The 'Knudsen' brand of juices has a sparkling, kosher grape juice. For $3.49 you can purchase a 750ml bottle online by clicking here

Another non-alcoholic option is from La Provencale Cellars, which offers 'Le Mousseux' sparkling apple cider. This is a fancier version of regular apple cider, and you can purchase this by clicking here
You will receive two 750ml bottles for $14.00. Here's a detailed blurb from the site:

'Enjoy Le Mousseux, the sophisticated flavor of a blend of several Virginia apple varieties combined to produce a distinctive gourmet Virginia Sparkling Apple Cider - a non-alcoholic bubbly, perfect for weddings, parties, family celebrations, festivities of any type.

Le Mousseux, a gourmet Virginia effervescent Apple Cider from La Provençale Cellars, is the natural, unfermented juice of a hand-selected blend of apples. The apples grow in the northwest part of the Commonwealth-Virginia's apple country.

The secret cuvee, a blend of several apple varieties chosen for flavor, acidity and aroma, includes Macintosh for sweet fruit flavor, Jonathan for aromatic intensity, and Granny Smith for high acidity. Le Mousseux, a Gourmet Virginia Sparkling Apple Cider, roughly translates as
The Bubbles.'

For those that wish to drink non-alcoholic wine, 'Sutter Home' sells a line known as 'fre' which includes merlot, white zinfindel, chardonnay, brut, and spumante. To visit their website click here

An option for beer drinkers is a beer called 'O'Doul's', which is available in 'amber' or 'premium', and is sold in most grocery stores.

So, have a merry holiday season, & be sure to remain sober if you need to be, with the help of some of these creative ideas, designed to include everyone in all the inevitable festivities. Happy new year!