Holiday Yum: Mocktail Mania

Hubby and I toast to each of you! Thank you for another amazing year of blogging fun, friendship and family! We wish each of you health, happiness and uber success in 2013!

Today I am pulling up the rear of our wonderful Holiday Yum blog series. Please extend a bazillion thanks to our uberlicious hostess, the ever-fabulous Kathy Owen who initiated, organized and ran a splendidly fun blog series. I hope you’ve all enjoyed it.

New Year’s Eve is around the corner and I thought what better time to do a post on some responsible holiday “hostess with the mostess” practices followed by some uberlicious mocktail suggestions.

Being a Responsible Host

Being a good host means protecting your guests, yourself and others, as well as having a good time. You wouldn’t want to wake up the next morning to find out one of your guest’s got nailed for impaired driving or worse, injured or killed someone.

If you are going to host a party and serve alcohol (or have people bring their own booze), it’s smart to think about how you can help ensure your guests don’t drive impaired.

• Make sure you have food available.
• Have non-alcohol and low-alcohol beverage options available (see ideas below).
• If you are providing the alcohol, serve the drinks rather than offering a self-service bar. Self-service may encourage heavy consumption and make it more difficult for you to keep track of your guests’ drinking.
• Don’t serve alcohol to anyone who is or may be intoxicated.
• Don’t encourage intoxication by serving extra-strong drinks, double shots or high alcohol content beer.
• Have numbers available for taxi companies and be prepared to have intoxicated guests spend the night.
• Stop serving alcohol long before you expect the party to break up. It’s not smart to serve people alcohol immediately before they drive or otherwise try to get home.
• Watch your own consumption. The more you drink, the more difficult it will be for you to anticipate problems, supervise the event and intervene to avoid potential problems.
• Have a couple of volunteer designated drivers who are willing to chauffeur people home.

What do you do if your drunk friend/family member insists on driving?

Insist they don’t drive. Obviously you don’t want to physically tackle them but if you can calmly and reasonably take the keys from them, do so. Then call them a cab or have someone insist on driving them home.

In a worse case situation, if someone leaves your house and you know they are driving impaired, you can call 911. I can imagine that this would be a tough decision to make but remember you need to put that person’s own personal safety and the safety of those on the road first.

Mocktails

As a responsible host, one of the best things you can do for your guests is to provide some non-alcoholic beverage options. In August, I wrote about how I was a douchebag host for years offering my guests pop and water as a non-alcoholic option and…I mean…it’s better than nothing but good lord people…we can do better for our DDs!

Today there are so many amazing options out there to have FUN with. Options that will give you a hostess with the mostess reputation. Everyone will want to come to your parties and be the DD. You’ll be the talk of the town. Even the biggest boozers will want to convert just to enjoy some of your mocktail madness.

MADD Virgin Drinks

First…there’s my ultimate favorite: MADD Virgin Drinks! OMG can you say delicious?! Hubby and I had the opportunity to try a few of their mocktail options at MADD Canada’s Leadership Conference in September (and they sent us home with samples…squeee) and I can’t say enough about them. The champagne, brut, mojitos and margaritas are to DIE FOR. A.MAZ.ING! And they are 100% alcohol free.

Our MADD Virgin Drink Samples…long gone…must order more!

Not to mention, 10% of net sales goes to MADD Canada.

Let’s see…serve your guests amazing mocktail drinks…support MADD Canada…win hostess of the year! WIN WIN WIN!

Check out their Canadian Store Locator (most Shoppers Drug Mart carry them) or their US Store Locator to find a retailer near you. You can also order online at their Canadian online store and USA online store. They offer trade and volume discounts. Love that!

Here are some other ideas of fun mocktails you can make at home yourself…

Mock Champagne

Recipe makes 24 servings

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 cups cranberry juice
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 4 cups 7UP or Sprite

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Serve in champagne flutes.
3. Add strawberries or raspberries in each glass to give it a little extra pizazz.

Tornado Twists

Recipe makes 2 servings

• 12 fluid ounces cranberry-raspberry juice
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage

1. In a pitcher, mix cranberry-raspberry juice with lemon-lime soda.
2. Pour over ice and serve.

Alcohol-Free Pina Colada

Recipe makes 2 servings

• 1 cup ice
• 1 1/4 cups pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons white sugar

1. In an electric blender, blend ice, pineapple juice, milk, cream, and sugar.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Serve in glass garnished with pineapple wedge or little umbrella.

Sparkling Punch

 Recipe makes 20 servings

• 2 lemons
• 3 large oranges
• 1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate
• 1 liter club soda
• 2 (750 millilitre) bottles sparkling apple cider
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 trays ice cubes

1. Thinly slice the lemons and the oranges and place in a large punch bowl.
2. Pour in the thawed lemonade.
3. Gently stir in the club soda and the sparkling apple cider.
4. Add sugar to taste.
5. Add ice.
6. Serve in margaritas glasses.

For other fabulous mocktail ideas, check out HGTV’s suggestions. Or Google mocktails for oodles of options.

What are some of your favorite mocktails to serve and enjoy? Be sure to include recipes for all the readers to enjoy. 

On August 1, 2009, my beautiful mother-in-law’s life was cut tragically short by an impaired driver and my stepson’s life changed forever. In honor of Donna and Jordan Kennie, please don’t drink and drive. Impaired driving is 100% preventable. Think about it.

Support MADD Canada and follow them on Facebook, Twitter (@maddcanada), YouTube, and on the Web.

Text MADD to 45678 to donate $5 today. Report impaired drivers – CALL 911.

More blog deliciousness here:

For the month of November and December, I have been proud to be taking part in the Holiday Yum Blog Hop where a group of uber bloggers will regale you with recipes and funny cooking stories.

This week’s highlights:

• December 23: Jess Witkins enticed us with Pumpkin-Curry Chicken and Blue Cheese Bread
• December 26: Kathy Owen came through with Roast Beef with Gravy
• December 28: Today is all about fabulous Mocktail options

Already Posted:

• November 17: Jenny Hansen’s Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Meal – talk about an extravaganza!
• November 19: Kathy Owen’s Spiced Pecans – OMG I so want to try these.
• November 26: Ellen M. Gregg’s Chocolatiest Chocolate Cake Evah (and lemonade) – how will I EVER follow a diet now?
• November 28: Jenny Hansen’s Almond Roca…I hear it’s to DIE for!
• December 2: Estee Lavitt’s Latke L’Latke L’Hop in the Pan – Holiday Yum Chanukah Baked Latke Recipe!
• December 5: Yours truly with French Lace Cookies
• December 10: Kathy Owen’s Butter Spritz Cookies (OMG I want some…especially those Hershey filled ones)
• December 14: Ellen M. Gregg’s Old-fashioned Buttermilk Sugar Cookies (with Christmas punch)
• December 17: Cheesecake travesties with yours truly
• December 19: Jenny Hansen’s Holly Candy (OMG looks soooo good!)

Be sure to check out our ever uberlicious host, Kathy Owen’s Holiday Yum page and leave her some blog hop luv!