Kid-Friendly Valentine Mocktails
Last week, Sam attended a Valentine’s Mocktail Class. Yes, you read that correctly, a kid-friendly Mocktail Class via Zoom. As a reminder, about three weeks ago, I posted here about attending a virtual cocktail class. During that class, some children were very excited about assisting their parents and some other moms, far more creative and on-the-ball than I, reached out to Virtual Cocktail Class to see if they would pull together a virtual mocktail class for kids. And, thus became the Valentine Mocktail Class that Sam absolutely adored. The bartender did a fantastic job with the kids! Highly recommend for children who love helping out in the kitchen. Here is one of the cocktails that Sam made – the Valentine’s Smash.
Valentine’s Smash
- ten (10) small slices of strawberry or 5-7 raspberries
- 3/4 shot simple syrup
- 2 shots herbal mint tea
- 1 shot fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ice cubes
- plain seltzer water
Brew 1 cup of herbal mint tea and chill in refrigerator for at least one hour before making your mocktails. In a pint or Collins glass, add about ten (10) small slices of strawberries or 5-7 raspberries. Muddle the berries in the bottom of the glass with a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon. To the muddled berries, add 2 herbal mint tea, 3/4 shot simple syrup, and 1 shot fresh squeezed lemon juice. Add a handful of ice and then top off the glass with seltzer water carefully pouring the seltzer on top of an ice cube. Check out your pretty ombre cocktail, then stir and enjoy!
Looking for an even simpler kid-friendly, Valentine mocktail for your kids? Try making Shirley Temples at home. With only three ingredients and their red hue, Shirley Temples are the ideal mocktail for Valentine’s Day!
About a year ago, Ryan, I and the kids went to a friends’ house for dinner. While the adults were having a cocktail, the host offered all the kids Shirley Temples. I am embarrassed to admit, my mind was kind of blown. Shirley Temples at home?!?! I was so impressed! How cool were these parents?!?! In hindsight, my internal dialogue was pretty ridiculous given that the kid-friendly mocktail requires three ingredients at most (7-up, grenadine and maybe a maraschino cherry if you are feeling fancy). However, growing up Shirley Temples were very much a special occasion-only drink. Being one of four kids, our parents didn’t take us to restaurants all that often. And, who can blame them, I am not a fan of taking my two kids to a restaurant. And when we did go as a family, ordering four kids Shirley Temples was not an added expense my parents took lightly. But, if you really want to impress your kids with red mocktail just for them this Valentine’s Day, grab some grenadine, 7-up and a jar of maraschino cherries at the store!
Shirley Temple
At our house, we have found that approximately 1 tablespoon of grenadine with about 8 ounces of 7-up served over ice is just about the perfect ratio (cherry for Emma and no cherry for Sam), but feel free to adjust as you see fit. And once you buy a bottle of grenadine, you can be the cool parent on the block too that makes Shirley Temples at home too!
