Our families love a festive drink for any kind of celebration. Tonight we’re sharing three simple drinks that can be enjoyed by the whole family. With only a few ingredients, that can be found at most any grocery store, these drinks are a perfect last-minute addition to your Valentine’s Day menu. Their bright red color will brighten any day but are especially fun for this LOVEly holiday.
Cran-Raspberry Spritzer
Can you make a festive drink any simpler than this? Unlikely. Just two ingredients are all it takes to make this bubbly beverage. Simply mix equal parts of a cold juice of your choice, cran-raspberry is our favorite, and chilled lemon-lime soda, like Sprite or 7-Up. But your family doesn’t need to know you’re not a master mixologist. Mix the juice and soda in a fun goblet and garnish with a few fresh berries and everyone will want to make a toast in your honor!
Italian Cream Soda
Dori was introduced to Italian Cream Sodas while she was in high-school (can it be that was more than 25 years ago?!) and has been hooked on them ever since. They seemed to be pretty common on the west coast, but don’t seem to be as popular farther east.
The fun thing about Italian Sodas is their versatility. The base recipe is simple. Layer 8 ounces of cold club soda, 4 TBSP flavored syrup, and 2 TBSP half & half in a glass filled with ice. Your cream may separate a bit on occasion, but it doesn’t affect the taste of the drink.
Fruit-based syrups are ideal for Italian Sodas: strawberry, raspberry, lime, etc. Caramel, coconut, and vanilla are delightful also. We used vanilla-flavored syrup because it’s the easiest to find at the grocery store. We’ve topped it with 2 TBS grenadine to give it a lovely pink-y red hue. If you’re feeling decadent, top it with some whipped cream and sprinkles. You can leave out the cream if you want and it’s still delicious.
Italian Sodas are wonderful year-round and kids love coming up with different combos and mixing them by themselves. For a fancy, at-home brunch, try making an orange cream soda using pulp-free orange juice and vanilla syrup. (You’re welcome!)
Shirley Temple Upgraded
Sometimes we forget about the old stand-bys, but Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to bring back this classic sipper. We’re making it feel a little fancier by riming our champagne glass with whipped topping and a generous sprinkling of sugar sprinkles.
This one doesn’t really require measuring, just fill your glass 3/4 of the way with chilled lemon-lime soda or ginger ale and then add in a healthy splash of grenadine. Adjust the flavor to your preference, but whatever you do, don’t skimp on the maraschino cherries; scooping them out and munching down is the best part!
You don’t have to spend a lot of money, take a lot of time, or have a ton of ingredients to mix up a festive drink to delight the whole family. You can even keep most of these in your pantry and then whip them out any time something or someone needs a littel celebrating.
What do you think; will your family loves these drinks as much as ours do? We think so! Give them a try this Valentine’s Day weekend and let us know which is your favorite.
XOXO
Shan and Doe