cheers, baby

Reader Eniola asks, "I am throwing a co-ed baby shower for a friend. Is it appropriate to serve alcohol? If so, what are the best cocktails that come in pink?"

Good question, Eniola! I have attended dry baby showers where guests have pouted into their teacups about the lack of liquor, but I also know some moms-to-be who would feel left out if guests were there for the booze rather than the booties.

In other words, there's not one answer that works for every situation. Your best bet is to ask the mom of honor and other key guests (close family and friends) in advance how they feel about having alcohol at the party. If their response is, "Bring it on!" then pop a baby bonnet on your keg and start slinging those drinks. If it's more like, "Well...I don't know," then respect their wishes and skip the hard stuff.

If opinion is more mixed, make alcohol an option for guests without having it take center stage at the party. Like, instead of a bar where guests help themselves, pour drinks in the kitchen and make non-alcoholic options as festive as the alcoholic ones. Offering a spiked and non-spiked punch, for example. Just make sure they're both clearly marked.

On to the pink drinks!

There are many ways to drink pink. To get the right color, you could use red, pink or purple liquor (such as campari, chambord or grenadine) or fruit (raspberries, strawberries or pink grapefruit). Go all mad scientist and mix up your own signature cocktail, or choose one of these more traditional drinks.

Prefer a dry or bitter martini-style drink? Try a negroni, made with gin, campari and sweet vermouth. If you like a fruity cocktail, whip up pink daiquiris (rum, lime juice, grenadine and sugar) or strawberry daiquiris (rum, lemon juice, strawberries and sugar).

For a more tart flavor, go grapefruit, like a pink greyhound (pink grapefruit juice, vodka and grenadine) or a pink slipper (pink grapefruit juice, rum, cream of coconut and grenadine). And for a dessert and drink in one, there's nothing like a strawberry milkshake spiked with vanilla vodka.

With all this pink girlieness, the male guests at your co-ed shower might feel a little out of place. If so, play the baby shower game guys love: Fill baby bottles with your cocktail (or beer), and tell the men to put their hands behind their backs and, at the count of three, pick up the bottle with their mouth and chug. The first man to finish his bottle wins a prize. And a ride home, if necessary.

Anybody else have any baby shower ideas for Eniola?

Comments

Love the spiked milkshake--brilliant!

Whether it is a baby shower or not, there always needs to be a non-alcholic option for guests.
But, I do agree that having a fun drink can make the party. Is there any favorite drink of the mother-to-be that would have a good non-alcoholic version? If not you can google a lot of great drink sites, and many times they will give a suggestion for a non-alcoholic version. I would lean towards a Sangria. It would be nice (for YOU!!) to chose a drink that you can make ahead of time so you aren't stuck slaving over a blender. Any sangria would look pretty in a glass, taste good at time in the day, and people always love to eat the fruit.

Pink lemonade, ruby-red grapefruit juice, shirley temples, and raspberry ginger ale are great non-alcoholic drink options. Ginger ale in glasses rimmed with pink sugar is super-cute too.

For pink cocktails, check out:

http://www.pinkdrinkbook.com/recipes.htm

BTW, I LOVE the picture for this entry.

Co-ed party or not, showers are for the girls. In todays society Martinis are the rage. This is the perfect concoction to pre-mix and shake over ice before serving:
1 cup Rasberry Vodka or Rum
3 cups Crystal Light Rasberry Lemonade-prepared
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup Chambord or Razzmatazz liquor.
Rim glasses with Pink sugar ahead of time.
Not enough martini glasses. Clear plastic 8oz glasses work fine.
If you can get fresh Rasberries, skewer 3 or 4 on a large tooth pick (can also be done ahead of time) and place in each glass when serving.
Bonus variation: If designing for a BOY:
Replace Chambord with Blue Curacao and Rasberry lemonade with plain lemonade. Double or triple according to head count.
Can add more Liquor if your guests require more power!!!!!

for a co-ed or not, jello shots are the best get a variety of jello flavors and make sure that you boil 1 cup of water to each pack and 1 cup of any kind of rum or vodka that you like and set for 3-4 hrs and enjoy

I think all these suggestions are great!
I personally like a little something special. Keep it simple , colorful and enjoy your friends and family. My favorite are margaritas, but I wouldn't mind a pink one!

OOOOOOO just this weekend, I hosted Baby Shower Happy Hour! It was a blast! We had feather boa's and martini glasses and all sorts of cute bar parifinalia turned goo-goo ga-ga - maternitini's and baby woo-woo shots, and of course buttery nipple shots. It was all ladies - everyone wore cocktail dresses and fabulous pink shoes! Even grandma to be got in the "spirit" we've now nick named the baby (Scarlett) Scarlett-ini... pics will be posted on my blog soon! www.graciefabulous.com