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Non-Alcoholic Holiday Drink Options

Dear Penelope,

I’m having a holiday party, and I want to use a pear nectar and cranberry drink for holiday cheer. The one I found calls for champagne, but my friends don’t drink alcoholic beverages. What can I use as a substitute for champagne? Thank you for your help.

Kathy

Via e-mail

Dear Kathy-

Pear nectar and cranberry sounds delicious, and it would definitely be a shame to skip the holiday drink recipe just because you can’t serve alcohol at your holiday party. In order to stick with the recipe and serve something that’s appropriate for your guests’ tastes, I have two suggestions.

The first thing you might consider is non-alcoholic champagne or regular old sparkling mineral water as something to mix in to the pear nectar and cranberry mixture. This way, the bubbly feel will stay present in your holiday cheer-oriented drink, and you won’t risk upsetting your guests.

The other option available to you is something simple: regular old white grape juice. The flavor will work perfectly with your other two mixers, and won’t jeopardize what I’m sure is a beautiful holiday drink color. I hope that helped, and Happy Holidays!

Penelope