Amid all the planning for your child’s birthday party or other special event, party drinks may be an afterthought. But a festive beverage for the kiddos can add an extra element of fun to the celebration—and helps jazz up the decor, too.
Try one of these seven kid-friendly party drinks at your child’s next party or as a special treat for the kids at an all-ages family get-together.
1. “Champagne” Mocktails
Perfect for preteen party with a “grown-up” feel or for serving while kids get their pedicures at a spa party, kiddie mocktails can be whipped up in no time with juice and sparkling water. (Or just buy sparkling juice—though these usually contain added sugar.)
Steph from Modern Parents, Messy Kids used plastic Champagne flutes for her New Year’s Eve Mocktails and garnished the drinks with rock-candy sticks and gummy bears. The results are gorgeous and are sure to make wannabe teens squeal with delight.
2. S’mores Hot Chocolate
Hot chocolate bar isn’t only for winter! (Though a hot chocolate bar is a great idea for a winter party.) S’mores Hot Chocolate, in particular, can work for a camp-themed party or sleepover party, too! Love this recipe from Sara at Our Best Bites. Bonus: you can have kids make their own “s’more” for a fun activity.
You could always opt for frozen hot chocolate in warm weather!
3. Frozen Smoothies
Smoothies walk the line between food and drink, and the real plus is that kids devour several servings of fruits and/or veggies right along with them! These Triple Berry Smoothies from Katrina at In Katrina’s Kitchen are especially festive-looking and are all fruit and yogurt with berries on top. And you can make them well in advance. Win, win, win! Go with a no-sugar-added juice and plain yogurt to avoid over-sweetening.
4. Root Beer Float
This foamy, fizzy, creamy dessert disguised as a drink would be a hit for kids on its own. But what if you took the advice of Dorothy from Crazy for Crust and make this amazing Chocolate Root Beer Float Milkshake?
Bring these out on a tray and watch kids go bananas. (Bananas…hm….another great addition…)
5. Multi-Layered Drinks
These colourful drinks look pretty impressive, but don’t be afraid: the secret is in layering drinks with varying sugar contents. Find step-by-step instructions at Instructables. And Mindy from The Sister’s Cafe has created a layered-drink video tutorial to show us exactly how to do it!
Layered drinks are perfect for superhero-themed parties, circus- and carnival-themed parties, rainbow-themed parties… You can customize the colours for almost any occasion.
6. Flavoured Milk with Sprinkles
Milk gets a makeover with fresh strawberries (yes, fresh!) and glasses rimmed with sprinkles—plus a polka-dot straw—in this simple and all-natural Fresh Strawberry Milk recipe from Sues at We Are Not Martha.
You can do the same with any type of berry or opt for chocolate milk with chocolate sprinkles. Or get crazy and make cereal milk inspired by Momofuku Milk Bar, mint-chocolate milk, or—for a beach party—coconut milk with a pineapple wedge!
7. Shirley Temple
We’d be missing the boat if we didn’t mention the tried-and-true Shirley Temple, named for the famous 1930s’ child star. The drink usually gets its red inflection from grenadine—and most commercial grenadines are a blend of high-fructose corn syrup and synthetic dye Allura Red AC (known as Red 40 in the US).
Once upon a time, though, grenadine was made with pomegranate juice. A natural and less-sugary Shirley Temple recipe from Laura at Family Spice takes the drink back to its roots, with no-sugar-added pomegranate concentrate, ginger ale, and ice.
If you’re adding cherries, note that those maraschino cherries in a jar also contain synthetic dyes. Opt for real cherries or other fresh fruit instead. And for party appeal, a striped straw goes a long way!
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