Having non-alcoholic options at your next holiday gathering will impress your guests and create a more welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. With many people today choosing to drink less, these options will impress your guests and keep everyone suitably refreshed.
Mock Pink Champagne
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 6-oz can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 6-oz can frozen grapefruit concentrate
1 28-oz bottle cold ginger ale
1/2 cup grenadine syrup
Early in the day mix sugar and water in pan and boil for five minutes. Cool. Add frozen concentrates. Refrigerate. At serving time, add ginger ale and grenadine syrup and stir. May garnish with fresh fruit slices.
Yield: 10 servings
Peppermint Eggnog
Ingredients
4 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 c. granulated sugar, divided
2 c. whole milk
2 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. pure peppermint extract
Finely crushed peppermints
Peppermint sticks, for garnish
Directions
Step 1
Whisk together egg yolks, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl. Whisk together milk and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Slowly whisk hot milk mixture into egg yolk mixture. Return everything to the pot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 175°F on an instant-read thermometer (mixture should be foamy and slightly thickened but will not fully coat the back of a spoon), three to five minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Cool to room temperature; cover and chill until cold, at least three hours and up to overnight.
Step 2
When ready to serve, whisk cream with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form, about one minute.
Whisk vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and 1/4 of whipped cream into egg yolk mixture. Fold in remaining whipped cream in two additions.
Step 3
Dip cup rims in crushed peppermint. Pour eggnog into glasses. Serve with peppermint sticks.
Cranberry Lemon Punch
2 bottles white grape juice
6 cups cranberry juice cocktail
2 cans frozen pink lemonade, thawed
3 cups ginger ale
ice
Combine grape juice, cranberry juice cocktail and lemonade (not reconstituted) and refrigerate until needed. Put ice in punch bowl and add juices and cold club soda.
Garnish with lemon slices.
Yield 35 servings.
Double Lime Punch
1/2 pint lime sherbert, softened
1 6-oz can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
1 large bottle chilled ginger ale
2 cups water
In punch bowl, stir together all ingredients.
Yield about 10 servings
Rumdazzle Tropical Punch
1 large bottle tropical punch base
3 bottles club soda, chilled
1 small can frozen lime juice
2-3 tablespoons rum extract
Juice from one can pineapple tidbits
Juice from 2 cans mandarin oranges
4 cups of water
Make an ice ring with pineapple tidbits, mandarin oranges and maraschino cherries (optional) one day before serving punch. Before serving, pour all ingredients into punch bowl, adding chilled club soda last. Float ice ring in middle of punch bowl.
Yield 30 to 40 servings
Angel’s Delight
1 1/4 cup whipping cream, whipped
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 medium ripe banana
1/4 cup chocolate syrup
6 scoops of vanilla ice cream
Blend all ingredients. Top with whipped cream swirls. Garnish with speared cherry and 1/4 inch slice of banana rolled in chocolate syrup and nuts. Add chocolate sprinkles on top.
La Brusa Nada
4 1/2 oz orange juice
4 1/4 oz pina colada mix
6 1/4 oz ice
Garnishes: orange wedge, pineapple wedge, cherry
Place orange juice and pina colada mix in blender.
Add ice.
Blend to a slush Garnish and serve.
Yield one serving
Ray of Sunshine
6 oz Orange Dry Soda
.5 oz vanilla simple syrup
Mint leaves
Muddle mint leaves and simple syrup in a shaker tin. Add ice and Orange Dry Soda.
Swirl for 10-15 seconds so drink has a chance to chill and combine flavours.
Strain over ice or into a martini glass with orange zest as garnish.
Winter Sangria
32 oz white
cranberry juice
12 oz lime juice
24 oz ginger ale
Frozen cranberries
Rosemary sprigs
In a pitcher, add white cranberry juice, ginger ale, lime juice, rosemary sprigs, and frozen cranberries.
Top this drink with ice and serve in a rocks glass. Garnish with a rosemary sprig and cranberry.