Mocktail parties: how to have fun without alcohol

Mocktail parties: how to have fun without alcohol

Parties can be great: having fun with friends, and making unforgettable memories. But if you wake up the morning after, dreading checking Facebook and being reminded of your embarrassing behaviour, you might want to think about having an alcohol-free event instead. 

Parties without alcohol don't have to be boring, they can actually be more fun sometimes, as no one will offend anyone with their beer-addled antics. Or perhaps you're having friends over who don't drink alcohol. Whatever your reason, hosting a mocktail party can be a great change, where everyone wakes up feeling refreshed the next morning.

Just because you're not serving alcohol doesn't mean you should have a limited range of drinks though. You need to have at least four mocktail options for a variety of tastes, so cater for those who like something fruity, something sweet, something creamy, and something spicy. A good tip for spicing up non-alcoholic drinks is to add ginger - it'll bring a delicious twist.

If you want to give your party a theme, it could be a fun idea to set it in the prohibition style era, as this will bring a touch of class. If you have one, set up a record player with some twenties' style music, to get everybody on the dancefloor.

Set a relaxed lighting atmosphere - dim the lights and everyone won't feel quite so self-conscious. And finally, provide some great finger food. You want your food to be classy, but also enjoyable: you can get this blend with some posh pizza or spinach rolls.

The success of your party depends on how good a host or hostess you are: show people that they don't need to be off their faces to have a good time!

Simple mocktail recipes:

  • Virgin Pina Colada - blend two cups of pineapple juice, one cup of coconut milk and four cups of ice until smooth. 
  • Shirley Temple - half-fill glasses with ice, squeeze in juice of half an orange, top up with ginger ale and add a splash of grenadine). 
  • Mock Champagne - combine equal parts ginger ale, pineapple juice and white grape juice and add ginger ale ice-cubes. 
  • Chocolate Pudding Mocktail - put half a cup of chocolate sauce, one cup of milk and lots of ice in a cocktail shaker, shake hard, and pour into two martini glasses, with rims coated with spicy cocoa powder, for an extra twist of heat.

Emily Bancroft

Tagged in