No holiday party is truly complete without a selection of delicious drinks. Holiday libations can and should be fun and festive, but they don't HAVE to contain wine, champagne or spirits. The great thing about choosing to be conscious with your holiday drinking means that no one has to worry about who will be driving home from the party!
Holiday Fruit Punch
(from Raw For The Holidays - pg 59 )
8 oranges
6 apples
1 lemon
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup - 1 cup coconut nectar (or other sweetener of choice), to taste
1/4+ teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon 5 spice powder
1 large bottle of chilled sparkling mineral water
additional slices of citrus, fresh mint & frozen cranberries for garnish
Either juice or blend & strain the apples, oranges, lemon & cranberries. Pour the juice into the blender, adding the spices and whirl until well combined. Pour the punch into a large pitcher or small punch bowl and add sparkling water. You are looking for a ratio of about 2/3 punch to 1/3 sparkling water. Finish by adding sliced fruit, fresh mint & a few cranberries to serve.
Raspberry Pomegranate Spritzer
2 cups kombucha, coconut kefir or sparkling water
2/3 cup frozen raspberries
2 sprigs fresh mint
3 ounces fresh or bottled pomegranate juice
ice
Combine all ingredients in a small pitcher and pour over ice filled glasses to serve.
Holiday Nog
(raw & eggless)
1 cup soaked almonds (4 - 8 hrs)
1 young coconut (substitute 2 ripe bananas if you don't have a coconut)
5 soft, pitted medjool dates
2 tablespoons coconut nectar (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 -2 heaping tablespoon cashew butter (optional - will make it creamier & add richness of flavor)
1 scant teaspoon rum extract (optional)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
additional water to blend (2 cups if you are using the coconut, 3 cups w/ bananas)
Blend all ingredients and strain. Serve chilled or warm and top with freshly grated nutmeg & a cinnamon stick for a beautiful presentation.
Christmas Cran-tini
3 ounces of fresh pressed or organic bottled cranberry juice
3 ounces fresh orange juice
a few drops of Stevia hazelnut extract
a final splash of kombucha (or organic vodka if you're really on the edge)
Combine the first three ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. strain into a glass and top with kombucha, garnishing with an orange slice & a couple of frozen cranberries.
In addition to these fun drinks, be sure to check out all of the festive goodness in our holiday themed ebook, Raw For The Holidays! In it you'll find drink recipes for:
2 more delicious raw nog variations
Minty Chocolate Cocoa
Chocolatini
Poinsetta
Holi-tini
Toot You Horn Smart Cocktail
and so much more....
If you're looking for party appetizers, both Raw For The Holidays & Falling Into Raw have ou covered! Just a few suggestions:
Cheddar Stuffed Celery w/ Cranberries
Truffle Caper Tapenade
Pecan or Pumpkin Seed Cheese Stuffed Dates
Cucumber Cashew Canapés
Stuffed Mushrooms
BBQ "Meat"balls
Party Kabobs w/ Persimmon Habanero Dipping Sauce
