It seems unfair that just because you may be too young to consume alcohol, you have to miss out on all the cute little umbrella drinks. Well, now you can have your umbrella and can drink it too. While some drink replacement recipes are simpler than others, all are equally delicious and should satiate your appetite for a fruity and unique cocktail (minus the alcohol).
1.The Classic Smoothie
Throw some berries (strawberries, blueberries, etc.), yogurt, orange juice (or any kind of fruit juice) and maybe a banana into a smoothie and you get the perfect berry blend. If you happen to have sherbet in your freezer, a scoop or two will add a nice sweet flavor to your smoothie. The proportion of ingredients depends on how you like your smoothies. For example, add more fruit juice to sweeten your smoothie or make it less icy.
2. A Clean Mimosa
If you’re yearning for the taste of a sweet mimosa, the solution is easy - make your mimosa as usual, but replace the champagne with white grape juice. Voila!
3. Arnold Palmer
How easy is this? Just mix 3 parts iced tea with 1 part lemonade and you have a wonderfully sweet treat. If you’re feeling creative, substitute out different kinds of iced tea (lemon, mango, or raspberry iced tea) for a little extra flavor.
4. Shirley Temple
To make this drink non-alcoholic, fill a cocktail shaker with ginger ale and a splash of grenadine (approximately 8 parts ginger ale, 1 part grenadine) over ice and finish off with a thin lemon or orange slice.
5. Non-alcoholic ‘Ritas
When the adults were enjoying their margaritas by the pool, my mom would mix up virgin margaritas and stick a little colorful umbrella in them to make us kids feel included. To create this sweet and sour blended beverage, she would fill a blender a little less than three-fourths of the way with crushed ice, a can of frozen limeade and about 8 to 16 ounces of water. Garnish with a little salt on the rim of your cup and you’re set.
6. Bubbly Cranberry Punch
For those who enjoy entertainment with a drink in their hand, watching this punch bubble over is a fun spectacle. To throw this together, mix up a 64-ounce bottle of cranberry juice with a two-liter bottle of 7-Up or other lemon-lime soda. Adding a couple scoops of raspberry sherbet to the punch bowl makes the drink build a mountain of bubbles and fizz. The perfect punch!
7. Amaretto Stone Sweet
For something you may not have tried before, look to Drinks Mixer (drinksmixer.com.) Blend 2 1/2 ounces of Blanks amaretto, 2 ounces of cherry syrup, 4 ounces of orange juice, 4 ounces of 7-Up and ice. Sip and enjoy this unique beverage.
8. Virgin Pina Colada
Are you looking for
the same sweet coconut and pineapple combination of a pina colada, minus the alcohol? The Drinks Mixer website suggests you blend 7 ounces pineapple juice with 2 ounces of coconut cream and 1 cup of crushed ice for a tasty alternative.
9. Mulled Apple Juice
For something warm to satisfy a sweet craving, BBC Good Food (bbcgoodfood.com) offers a delicious drink for you to enjoy. Simmer 1 liter of apple juice with strips of orange peel, 1 cinnamon stick and 3 cloves for 5-10 minutes. Sweeten with sugar or honey and add extra cinnamon to taste.
10. Red Apple Sangria
Martha Stewart offers an equally fruity but non-alcoholic sangria on her website (marthastewart.com). Mix up 2 quarts of apple juice, 1 thinly sliced apple, 1 cup of lemon juice, 1 thinly sliced lemon, 1 quart of orange juice, 1 thinly sliced orange and chill. Before serving, add 1 bottle of sparkling grape juice.
Reach the writer at Ashley.Durham@asu.edu or via Twitter @txashleyaz.
