Non- and Light Alcoholic Beverages to Serve at Your Easter Celebration

Easter Sunday is a holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. Easter hails from Judeo-Christian and Pagan traditions alike. Pagan celebrations honored the Saxon goddess Eastre, also spelled Easter and Eostra, the goddess of spring. For Pagans, the feast of Easter was a celebration of rebirth and renewal.

Goddess Eastre is symbolized by the rabbit and the egg. Therefore the traditions of the Easter bunny and Easter eggs are attributed to her. Eastre also influenced fertility and renewal, which reveres spring.

According to some text from 8^th century Bede, the feast of Easter was held during Eosturmonath, through translations the term came to be Paschal month. Since Paschal comes from the Greek word pascha, meaning Passover, links to goddess Eastre can be formulated to Jewish celebrations and Passover.

Christian traditions and the timing of the feast of Easter honed celebrations to what they are today. Missionaries taught Saxons Christianity and converted them. Christian teachings included the resurrection of Jesus, which showed that life is eternal for those who believe and follow His Word. From then on, the Pagan feast of Easter celebrations became Easter and included the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Because of varied beliefs, calendar adjustments, and a respect to have some consistency, Easter Sunday changes every year. For Western Christians, Easter Sunday falls between March 22 and April 25. Easter is the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon, which is the first Ecclesiastical Full Moon, after the vernal equinox-March 21.

In 325 AD, astronomers calculated Ecclesiastical Full Moon dates. These "full moons" are determined from tables, not astronomical occurrences, using the slowly adopted Gregorian calendar. Western Christians have used these Ecclesiastical dates since 326 AD to determine the date Easter Sunday would be each year.

For Eastern Orthodox, Easter cannot be celebrated prior to April 3 because of Passover. Easter Sunday is determined using the original Christian calendar, based on the old Julian calendar, and must fall after the Jewish Passover. The lunar calendar is also taken into consideration using the vernal equinox.

Easter is a special holiday. A day families gather to reflect on the Easter season. In honor of Easter, I have compiled a list of non and light alcoholic beverages to serve at your celebration.

Non-Alcoholic Beverages:

Easter Egg Hatch

3-½ oz Frozen Vanilla Yogurt
2 oz Orange Juice
1 tbsp Sugar Syrup

In a blender, add your ingredients to about 3 ½ ounces of crushed ice. Blend on low to medium until smooth, about 15 seconds. Pour into a goblet and serve.

Egg Cream

1-1 ½ oz chocolate syrup
Cold Milk
Seltzer

In a highball or 8-10 oz juice glass, pour in your syrup. Fill glass with cold milk until 2/3 full. Top with seltzer and stir.

Malted Chocolate

2 scoops of chocolate ice cream
1-cup milk
1 ½ - 2 oz of chocolate syrup
2 tbsp of malt powder

In a blender, add all your ingredients and blend until smooth. Since no ice is used the process is quick, about 10-15 seconds. Pour into a large glass and serve.

Orange Sparkler

3 oz Orange juice
3 oz Club Soda

Fill a highball or large juice glass with ice. Add your ingredients and stir gently.

Rainbow Sherbet Punch

8 oz Orange juice
8 oz Pineapple juice
8 oz Hawaiian Punch
1 qt Rainbow Sherbet
1 liter bottle Club Soda
1 liter bottle Ginger Ale

Make a block of ice the night before by freezing water in a storage tub or bowl that is ¼ the size of your punch bowl. Remove the ice from your container and place in your punch bowl. Add your juices and Hawaiian Punch. Just prior to serving, add the Soda and Ginger Ale and drop in scoops of the rainbow sherbet.

Light Alcoholic Beverages:

Bellini

1 fresh peach
Chilled Brut Champagne

In a blender, puree the peach. Pour the puree into a champagne glass and top with Chilled Brut Champagne. If peaches are out of season, frozen sliced peaches may be substituted.

Mimosa

3 oz Chilled Orange juice
3 oz Chilled Champagne

In a large chilled wineglass pour in your Orange Juice and top with the Champagne. Many like more or less juice or champagne, you can adjust the proportions accordingly.

White Wine Spritzer

Chilled White Wine
Club Soda

Fill a tulip, goblet, or tall Collins glass half way with ice. Fill half way with wine. Fill with Club Soda. Stir gently and garnish with a twist of lemon rind.

Wine Cooler

Chilled Burgundy or Rose Wine
7-up

Fill a tulip, goblet, or tall Collins glass half way with ice. Fill half way with wine. Fill with 7 up. Stir gently and top with a cherry.

Remember that drinking and driving do not mix, always designate a driver. Always drink in moderation.

Sources:

http://christianity.about.com/od/faqhelpdesk/qt/whyeasterchange.htm
http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/the-meaning-of-easter-faq.htm
http://www.pagannews.com/cgi-bin/gods3.pl?Eastre
Feller, Robyn M. The Complete Bartender. New York: Berkley Books, 1990.