Non-Alcoholic Cocktails for New Year's Eve Celebrations

Who says New Year's Eve is all about the Alcohol. I am going to share with you my favorite cocktail recipes to make your New Year's Eve celebration the best yet. I like to select recipes that are fun, colorful and pretty simple to prepare.

First up on our non-alcoholic cocktail road trip is Hawaii with my signature Hula Punch. Combine one 2ltr bottle of Sprite or 7-UP, one 64 oz carton of pineapple juice, one 12 oz can of coconut milk. Pour individual glasses and top with scoops of lemon or lime sherbet and sprinkle with shredded coconut for a taste of Hawaii.

Our road trip brings us to the Islands for a Cayman Colada. Combine in a blender three cups frozen pineapple chunks, half can of coconut milk, two to four oz of pineapple juice, 1 tablespoon of honey (or simple sugar syrup), and one half banana sliced and 2 tablespoons of shredded coconut. Blend all ingredients until it resembles a frozen smoothie. You can add more pineapple juice if you want the drink to be less stiff. Garnish with multicolored candy sprinkles.....a real eye catcher.

Let's see where our Mock tail car brings us next, it looks like Mexico with my version of a mocked up Mojito. For this you will need to make the mint syrup with one cup of sugar, one cup of water and plenty of mint leaves, bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. This will give the syrup a nice flavor. For a real twist, you can mix mint and basil (always use more mint than basil) leaves. Let the syrup cool. In a glass place ice cubes, three tablespoons of simple syrup and top it off with sprite. Place a mint leave on top for a simple garnish.

I do a lot of entertaining and these drinks are enjoyed every time. These recipes are great for New Year's and the kids enjoy it as well. You won't have to guard the beverage bar since everything is non-alcoholic anyone can help themselves. To make it special for children, I go to the party store and purchase little champagne glasses or shot glasses and serve the drinks in a miniature style. The great thing about these recipes maybe easily converted to serve the alcoholic population at your party.

These drinks can also be paired up with some spice nuts, sea food and any other appetizers.

Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR and always remember to DRINK RESPONSIBLY !!