If there is a reason to celebrate or throw a party I’m here for it and as my kids get older I find it more and more enjoyable to include them in all the festivities. And while making it to midnight might be out of the question it doesn’t mean that we can’t pop bottles before bedtime and have our own New (Noon?) Year’s Eve Celebration with some fun, festive, easy, and family friendly mocktails!
Few Tips to Get Started:
- Use plastic champagne flutes. No sense in having to worry about broken glasses or hand-washing during the celebration. There are a ton of options like sparkly rose gold ones found here or this 4-pack of gold sparklers you can pickup from Target here.
- Use clear or light juices for optimal results. With these mocktails its all about presentation and having lighter colored juices / sparkling beverages will give the best results. So get a few bottles of apple juice, white grape, or any other light colored juice / drink. My kids love Zevia Fruit Punch which is perfect because its packed with bubbles, clear, and has ZERO sugar. That’s a win, win, win.
- Think Dollar Store and Party Store. We placed a pick-up order from Party City as they had a ton of candy options at great prices! Ya know so your kids think whoa look at all this stuff for our New Year’s Eve party when in reality you’re just ballin’ on a budget!
Shopping list for your Mocktail creations or if you really want a party perhaps a Mocktail Bar:
(and no you don’t need ALL these items just a few based on your kiddos taste or the amount of kids you have to party with!)
- Plastic Champagne Flutes or Glasses (see tips above)
- Straws
- Clear juices. Carbonated if possible but always good to have plain on hand for the picky drinkers!
- Rock Candy
- Gummy Bears
- Cotton Candy
- Sprinkles
- Pop Rocks
- Sour Patch Kids
- Honey (to make the “sticky” for the rimmed glasses)
- Melted Chocolate / Royal Icing (to rim glasses for milky drinks)
- Vanilla Ice Cream
- Chocolate Syrup
- Chocolate Milk
- Whip Cream
- Chocolate Chips / Peanut Butter Chips / Cookie Morsels
- Grenadine
Now comes the fun part….
Mix as you wish!
Let your kids dabble with what they love! The coloring in the candy will change the mocktail drinks made from the light juices so you can swirl in a blue rock candy for a fun surprise, pour over pink cotton candy for a colored treat. Add pop rocks to the rim for a bursting surprise, let gummy bears and sour patch kids sink to the bottom for exciting flavor.
Pro Tip: To rim glasses in sprinkles place some honey in a bowl less than a quarter of an inch deep, flip the cup dip the rim, then immediately dip the rim in another bowl filled with sprinkle also about a quarter inch deep. Let harden then wipe the glass of excess, if its super drippy let glass cool upside down on a plate in the refrigerator. You can do the same with melted chocolate to a bowl of sprinkles it is just best to let that rim harden in the freezer so its doesn’t melt down the glass.
It’s an experience not a destination and we hope you have just as much fun creating your mocktails with your kiddos as they do sipping and celebrating New Year’s Eve.
ps. don’t forget to save your mocktail items as a TON of the ingredients listed above can be used in boozy adult drinks. A personal favorite of mine is a rock candy stir in Mawby Champagne and a splash of Chambord liqueur!
