NEW YEAR’S EVE MOCKTAIL RECIPES

Everybody wants a glass full of something bubbly in their hand when the New Year’s clock strikes 12, but what if you aren’t the drinking type?  If you are your group’s DD, pregnant, underage, or just don’t feel like drinking, you shouldn’t be left out of the New Year’s festivities.  These delicious mocktail recipes are full of good cheer, even though they are free of alcohol.

The fizz in this drink comes from some tasty Perrier sparkling mineral water.  Mix up equal parts of Perrier and cranberry pomegranate and finish the drink with a squeeze of juice from an orange.  Pour into a chilled martini glass, and garnish with a twist of orange rind.  If you are making up a pitcher of the mocktail, you could float orange slices and pomegranate seeds in the pitcher.  Watch how the bubbles make them dance around!

This sweet drink can be served individually or mixed and served in a punch bowl.  Mix together two parts of sparkling cran-apple juice with one part cranberry apple cocktail.  Sweeten with maraschino cherry juice to taste. 

If the punch will be sitting out at a party, make a punch ice ring to keep the punch cool.  The morning of the party, pour some of the punch into a Bundt pan until the punch is one inch deep.  Freeze for an hour.  Slice apples widthwise into discs and fan the slices in the pan on top of the frozen punch. Add another inch of punch into the pan and freeze for 3-4 hours or until solid.  Before the party, allow the Bundt pan to sit at room temperature for half an hour before unmolding into the punch bowl.

If you are throwing a New Year Eve bash this year, consider having a mocktail option for your non-drinking friends.  It is a thoughtful gesture that shows that you want all of your guests to be able to drink a cup of kindness for auld lange syne!

_{This post was originally created for ForRent.com}