Special drinks always give a party a little extra festivity, whether your guests are adults or children. Here are some delicious non-alcoholic drinks that would be tasty additions to either kind of summer party.
The ginger-orange juice is not only colorful and peppy, it’s the best thing to drink if you have a summer cold. (Ginger is such an efficacious food; you can almost feel it sliding down the gullet and immediately putting things right.)
A mango lassi is more like a milk shake, and could also substitute as a grab-and-go breakfast drink. And what could be healthier than fresh mango and yogurt?
The strawberry passion fruit smoothie is elegant and beautiful. Its base is apple juice, and the addition of coconut makes for an all-around gorgeous tropical drink. And the passion fruit, whether you use juice, the fruit itself, or passion fruit sorbet, has to be one of the most ambrosial foods on earth.
Any of these drinks can easily become cocktails with the addition of a light or white alcohol, such as gin, vodka or white rum.
Ginger Orange Juice
Serves: 2
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 quart fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- ice
Directions
- Grate ginger and pour into orange juice.
- Mix well.
- Pour over glasses of ice and garnish with fresh orange slices and straws.
Mango Lassi
Serves: 1
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 large mango, peeled and roughly chopped
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup ice
- chunks of mango for garnish
Directions
- Put ingredients into a blender and puree.
- Serve immediately.
- These can be made ahead in quantity and stored for several days; just stir well before serving.
Strawberry Passion Fruit Smoothie
Serves: 2
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups strawberries
- 1 tablespoon sweetened shredded coconut
- 8 ounces apple juice
- passion fruit – either the seeds of two passion fruits, ½ cup of passion fruit sorbet, or ½ cup passion fruit juice
- 1 cup ice
Directions
- In a blender, mix strawberries, coconut, ice and apple juice.
- If you’re using passion fruit sorbet or juice, add it to the mix and blend well.
- If you’re using passion fruit seeds, stir them into the mixture after you’ve blended the other ingredients.
Pour into tall glasses and garnish with a strawberry per glass.
