How to Throw a Summer Mocktail Party on a Budget

The Rise of the Mocktail might sound like a straight-to-video B-movie horror flick, but the trend is very much on the rise. Bars and brands are striving to popularize non-alcoholic cocktails and drink mixes. 

You can hop on this trend this summer by creating, and enjoying, your very own custom-made beverages. Think of the fantastic opportunities to entertain guests with low-cost summer drinks. Quite refreshing in the outdoors, too, as the weather gets warmer. Here are a few basic (and economical) infusion recipes to make your own drinks at home:

You can’t go wrong with the old stand-by of chilled seltzer with sliced lemons, limes and oranges. Kick it up a notch by including other in-season fruits: Toss in a pureed kiwi, near-ripe pear for tartness, or pureed cantaloupe for the wow factor. 

Iced tea can be versatile, too. Add some ice cubes and drop fresh blueberries or strawberry slices on top as a garnish. (This might seem obvious, but many forget that added touch.) For extra panache, include mint leaves, chopped banana or a cinnamon stick. 

Get a little fancier by making iced green tea and some PC® Organics Pure Honey (opens in a new window) . There is a huge variety of flavour clover, manuka, sourwood, buckwheat, rosemary, dandelion, sage, eucalyptus or acacia —the list goes on, and each has a unique flavouring. There’s a honey for every budget and many can be found at your local grocery store. You can regale guests with how you’ve decided to try a new kind of honey, and elicit their thoughts on the taste. 

You can also concoct a fab mock-Caesar without spending much money on ingredients. Just grab some tomato juice, a couple of drops of spicy sauce (or dry spice) that you might already have in the fridge, a few pinches of black pepper and garnish with a lime wedge and celery stalk. Easy-peasy. 

If you have a food processor or similar kitchen appliance, try blending seedless watermelon in with lemonade, adding some crushed ice to chill. Or grab any variety of PC®brand frozen juice (opens in a new window), blend in pureed mango or papaya, and you have all kinds of happiness in a jug.

Smoothies aren’t just for breakfast—your guests will love strawberries blended with frozen yogurt, topped with fresh fruit and milk.

The fun is found in inventing your own unique twists on these drinks. When guests ask what’s in them, you can not only dazzle them with your creativity, but impress them with the catchy name you’ve come up with for your hip new beverage. 

Sit on the porch and sip these refreshing cocktails or offer them to your party guests—it’s all about adding a new flair to summer fun and not spending too much money while doing it!