Delicious, Exotic, Non-alcoholic Party Beverages

Chai is my favorite for fall and winter. You can get a good organic Chai concentrate in a box at my local health food co-op. I serve it half & half with Almond milk. Its usually served hot like coffee. It does have caffeen in it. Its made from tea, and spices and is a little peppery. Mmmmmm!

For summer there is nothing better than fresh-squeezed organic lemons or limes (or both) with turbinado sugar to make lemonaid. Add a sprig of fresh mint or a slice of lime to the top of the glass. Or put a tiny sprig of mint into your ice cube trays before adding the water and freezing. I like to make lemonaide all summer by boiling water, adding the sugar to dissolve it, refrigerating it, then adding the lemon/lime before serving.

For a great easy punch, half-fill a large punch bowl with cold 100% juice of any kind (cranberry blends are good,) add a bottle of seltzer or Sprite for some fizz, and float scoops of a really good sorbet or sherbert on top. Get whatever's the latest fruit juice craze, like pomegranite juice. For more decoration, slice oranges thinly and float them on top.

In the south, sweetened ice tea is a favorite. Make sun tea, 0r make large batches of tea ahead of time and cool it in the fridge, then let people decide on the sweetener themselves, and offer a bowl of fresh lemon slices to put in it.

Green tea is very popular now and very summery and light. You can even put the tea in ice cube trays, and as they freeze, empty them into large zip lock bags. Put the bags in a cooler and either add them to the regular tea or use them in other drinks.

In the winter, make hot tea and add mulling spices to it for a great flavor. Use cinnamon sticks as stirrers. If you have a pot of this on the stove as guests arrive it makes the whole house smell wonderful.

Everyone likes chocolate. At least everyone female I know. Get a really good chocolate and melt it in a double boiler, and add a variety of milks--I prefer Almond milk. Adding a spoonful of coconut milk is excellent. I prever Agave nectar right now as a sweetener (its like honey but not quite as sweet.) But turbinado sugar is good.
For more flavor, add cinnamon, vannilla, nutmeg, allspice, mint or cardamom. Don't forget to have some tiny marshmallows for a garnish.

For any sweet drink, have whipped cream ready for on top. The stuff in cans comes in three flavors now; strawberry, chocolate and vanilla. Unfortunately, these usually have dairy in them, so we have these available for those who can have dairy products.

Also, get some sprinkles. These finishing touches are what makes the drink special for a party.

V8 with some Swedish Bitters, sea salt, a celery stick and an olive is a great drink.

For a party I always buy the little paper umbrellas for the drinks, and I go to Goodwill and get as many real glass drink glasses as I can find. The real glass makes everything taste better than plastic, and even if they don't match--its easier for people to remember which drink is theirs.

If you want to get more complicated, and can afford it, buy or borrow a juicer. Ahead of time, scrub up a lot of fresh locally grown organic fruit and/or vegetables, and stick them in a huge bowl of crushed ice. Have your visitors select the vegetables as you juice them. Be sure to include things like fresh spinach leaves, cucumbers and beets.