New Year’s Eve is not just for adults! In fact, children love to ring in the new year too. I always like to make a special drink for my kids to sip while we wait for the ball to drop.
These fun, non-alcoholic New Year’s drinks, are perfect whether you are having a party or not. While you’re enjoying your favorite cocktail, mix up a mocktail for your kids!
This post was originally published on December 26, 2018, and has now been updated with new opt-ins and updated formatting.
Non Alcoholic New Year’s Drinks Are Awesome
Hosting a kid-friendly New Year’s Eve party is an adventure too, to say the least. Kids running amuck, over-tired whining, and sugar-crazy children are common occurrences.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way!
I love spending New Year’s Eve with my kids. Whether I’m hosting an easy New Year’s Eve party or just hanging out with my family, I like to make the night special for them.
One of the easiest ways to do that is to serve them fun non-alcoholic drinks for New Year’s Eve. Mocktails are so fun for the kids!
How to Serve New Year’s Drinks for Kids
Kids New Year drinks are usually brightly colored and have tons of flavor. But a big part of what makes New Year’s drinks without alcohol exciting is the type of glass you serve it in. While some kids may be younger and not ready for an actual glass, drinking out of proper stemware instantly ups the cool factor.
Glassware
I can’t tell you how excited my kids are when I put their milk in a champagne flute! I don’t suggest using vintage or heirloom pieces but a fancy glass is half the fun! They also make fun plastic drinkware that are great for parties with lots of kids which means fewer dishes to do and less chance for broken glass.
Broken glass is never good at family parties.
Garnish
Don’t even think about skipping the garnish! You can even skip the fancy New Years’ kids drinks and serve plain old punch if you throw in a slice of citrus fruit or something extra fancy like a hibiscus flower!
If you think about it, the most garnish a kid ever gets is a cherry in their Shirley Temple. So adding a slice of lime or a wedge of lemon to their glass will blow minds! Do you see the drink in the photo with pomegranate seeds? That’s just sparkling cider with some seeds added! AND IT LOOKS SO FESTIVE!
Accessories
While plastic straws are outlawed, you can still find some fun drink accessories to use in your non-alcoholic New Years’ drinks. They make paper straws in all kinds of fun patterns and colors. These metallic gold straws add such glamour to their drink without costing much at all.
Adding plastic animals to their cups will make them smile from ear to ear. Or have them make their own decorative stir sticks (of course, theirs don’t have to be leather, but at least it gives you an idea) as an activity.
15 Non-Alcoholic Drinks for New Years
New Year’s drinks for kids make your tiny guests feel fancy and included in the celebrations. And, of course, these are great for any party guests that don’t want to drink a cocktail but still want to feel festive.
Fruit Infused Hibiscus Iced Tea – Melanie Cooks – My kids love tea, so this fruit-infused recipe sounds like it would be right up their alley!
Magical Cotton Candy Drink – The Tip Toe Fairy – A cotton candy treat AND a drink? My kids would be ALL over this.
Cucumber Basil Soda – Cupcakes and Cutlery – My youngest son doesn’t like sweet drinks, so this cucumber soda mocktail idea is a great idea for him!
Sparkling Strawberry Party Punch – Food Meanderings – Punch always makes a great party drink and you can’t go wrong with a favorite flavor like strawberry!
Virgin Strawberry Lime Mojito – Salt and Baker – My oldest son likes his mocktails to look like the drinks I get at restaurants so this fun virgin mojito would be his choice.
Blueberry Mint Lemonade – The Work Top – Dress up a kid favorite by adding some blueberry and mint to their lemonade.
Cranberry Pineapple Mocktail – Finding Zest – This year my kids realized that they love cranberry juice so this mocktail with pineapple would totally appeal to them.
Pina Colada Slush – Cupcakes and Cutlery – We usually make this Pina Colada Slush recipe in summer, but a blender mocktail always makes the kids smile!
Frozen Raspberry Cheesecake Mocktail – Joy Filled Eats – This creamy non-alcoholic drink idea would be totally unusual and interesting for the kids to enjoy.
Non-alcoholic Mojito – Fab Food 4 All – Mojitos used to be my favorite so serving a non-alcoholic version would be great for any adults that don’t want to drink something that’s pink but feel included in the celebrating.
Orange Watermelon Mocktail – Happy Family Blog – Kids love fruity drinks so this Orange Watermelon cocktail is a great choice!
Pomegranate Orange Cranberry Sparkling Mocktail – Crazy Adventures in Parenting – Anytime the name has “sparkling” in it you know it would be a good choice for kids!
Meyer Lemon Moijtos – The Little Kitchen – I’m obsessed with Meyer lemons so I think this mojito recipe would be a great mash-up of lemon and mint goodness!
Non-alcoholic Sangria – Cupcakes and Cutlery – My kids were so excited when I made them this non-alcoholic sangria recipe! They’ve seen my girlfriends and I enjoy sangria for years so they were pumped when they got their own version!
These New Year’s Eve drinks for kids are easy to make and perfect for a night of celebrating. Make a few, or pick just one – either way the kids will love it! Just remember, if you are offering cocktails with alcohol in them, make sure you let the kids know what is off limits! Now I just have to figure out what non-alcoholic New Year’s drinks I’m going to serve this year!
Camilla Hawkins says
What a great selection of non-alcoholic drinks! Thank you for including mine!