SAFE Holiday Drinks

It's the Holiday Season, and the SAFE Coalition continues to focus on the importance of planning for a sober ride home. The coalition is encouraging you to plan ahead and offer non-alcoholic drinks at your parties.

 

There are a lot of parties that go on during the holidays, and so the coalition wants people to know it wants you to have fun, but plan ahead. And one of the easiest ways that you can do that is to have a person that is appointed to stay sober. It's just one person, and if you don't want to be that person — no one wants to be that person — guess what? You can have someone that's not actually at the party with you come and pick you up.

 

Everybody always associates the Designated Driver with that person that's sitting in a bar drinking a soda. The coalition wanted to take care of the designated driver by offering them special holiday drinks that they can also have and enjoy the time out with their friends. These drinks were crafted by a bar owner in Austin. Everyone can have fun; they can enjoy the holidays, and Sprite, cherries and lime juice make for a special holiday drink as well.

 

The time to plan for a safe Christmas and New Year's Eve is ahead of the party, not at the party; because by that time, your judgment has been impaired. After one or two drinks you're not thinking clearly. It's very important to plan ahead. Certainly, don't wait until you're at the party to start thinking about how you're going to get home.

 

Here are some non-alcoholic recipes to try and remember the Van Buren County SAFE Coalition wishes you a very merry, fun and happy holiday season!

 

Holly Cranberry Punch

1 bottle of Cranberry Juice

2 (2 Liter) bottles of Ginger Ale

½ gallon of Vanilla Ice Cream

In a punch bowl, mix cranberry juice and ginger ale. Add vanilla ice cream to center of punch bowl. Allow ice cream to melt slightly. Serve and enjoy.  For variety, substitute other Cranberry Juices, such as Cran-Raspberry or Cran-Grape for the Cranberry Juice.

 

Traditional Holiday Punch

1 can of frozen Orange Juice

1 can of frozen Pink Lemonade

1 can of frozen Limeade

1 can of Pineapple Slices (in Juice)

2 (2 Liter) bottles of Ginger Ale

Completely thaw frozen juices. In a punch bowl, mix frozen juices. Add Pineapple Slices and juice, mix lightly. Add Ginger Ale. Serve and enjoy.

 

Sunshine Holiday Punch

6 cups of Orange Juice

1 (2 Liter) bottle of Sparkling Water

¼ cup of Lemon Juice

½ cup of Maraschino Cherry Juice

½ cup of Maraschino Cherries

2 Oranges (sliced)

In a punch bowl, mix orange, lemon, and maraschino cherry juices. Add sparkling water. Add orange slices and cherries. Serve and enjoy.

 

Poinsettia Pomegranate Punch

1 (16 oz) bottle of Pomegranate Juice

1 cup of Triple Sec

2 bottles (750 ml each) of Non-Alcoholic Champagne, Sparkling Cider, or Sparkling Water

1 tbsp. of Lemon Juice

In a punch bowl, mix pomegranate juice, lemon juice, and triple sec. Add non-alcoholic champagne, sparkling cider, or sparkling water. Serve and enjoy.

 

Berry Holiday Surprise

1 can of frozen Raspberry-Lemonade

1 can of frozen Strawberry-Lemonade

½ quart of Raspberry or Strawberry Sherbet

2 (2 liter) bottles of Ginger Ale

Completely thaw frozen juices. In a punch bowl, mix frozen juices. Add Ginger Ale. Add frozen sherbet to center of punch bowl. Serve and enjoy.  Allow sherbet to begin melting before serving.