At what age is it appropriate to serve mocktails at a party?

Obsession

You know what I am talking about?   Like a cosmo

Without booze or a virgin pi?a colada all in fancy booze glasses but no booze. 

allibally

I have no idea. I was getting virgin strawberry margaritas at around 9 when we would go to restaurants. I didn't become an alcoholic. lol. Couldn't of been too bad.

 

ukyankee

I'm not sure I'd ever call them mocktails, because it glamourises drinking for the underage.  But I would serve fun drinks and just call them special juice drinks or smoothies at any age.

allibally

ukyankee:

I'm not sure I'd ever call them mocktails, because it glamourises drinking for the underage.  But I would serve fun drinks and just call them special juice drinks or smoothies at any age.

Yeah I would just be calling them special kiddie drinks or smoothies.

frlcb

Getting a Shirley Temple was a HUGE treat for me when I was little, I loved it. 

dorothyinAus

I think calling them mocktails, or ordering drinks by names like Shirley Temples should be an age-related thing.  When the child is old enough to understand and wants to feel sophisticated, it's fine.

As for serving them, if you call them fruit punch or birthday party punch, I don't think it's a problem. 

allibally

frlcb:

Getting a Shirley Temple was a HUGE treat for me when I was little, I loved it. 

Me too. And not going to lie I still order them and keep the syrup at home even. I'm not a big alcohol drinker so when we go out it's nice to have something a little different the a diet coke or water.

Obsession

OK I must be a horrible lush then because my friend had a club party theme for her 7 year old's birthday party.  It was adorable. The little Madtini's (the kid's name is Madeline) were adorable and the Madaritas had sugared rims.

There was a disco ball the kids danced under and lines of fun dip to snort (Ok the snorting part I made up that would be a little out of line).

It looked like fun but someone mentioned it was a little inappropriate for 7 year olds.

dorothyinAus

Obsession:

OK I must be a horrible lush then because my friend had a club party theme for her 7 year old's birthday party.  It was adorable. The little Madtini's (the kid's name is Madeline) were adorable and the Madaritas had sugared rims.

There was a disco ball the kids danced under and lines of fun dip to snort (Ok the snorting part I made up that would be a little out of line).

It looked like fun but someone mentioned it was a little inappropriate for 7 year olds.

Ohh, I think it's totally appropriate for a 7-year old's party.  It sounds cute.  I think it would be wasted on 3- or 4-year olds.  But for a fancy party for a 7-year old I think it's adorable, especially if the drinks were served in festive colored plastic martini glasses, with cherries and orange wedges on toothpicks. 

allibally

dorothyinAus:

Obsession:

OK I must be a horrible lush then because my friend had a club party theme for her 7 year old's birthday party.  It was adorable. The little Madtini's (the kid's name is Madeline) were adorable and the Madaritas had sugared rims.

There was a disco ball the kids danced under and lines of fun dip to snort (Ok the snorting part I made up that would be a little out of line).

It looked like fun but someone mentioned it was a little inappropriate for 7 year olds.

Ohh, I think it's totally appropriate for a 7-year old's party.  It sounds cute.  I think it would be wasted on 3- or 4-year olds.  But for a fancy party for a 7-year old I think it's adorable, especially if the drinks were served in festive colored plastic martini glasses, with cherries and orange wedges on toothpicks. 

I think it sounds adorable.

 Personally I feel like when you make alcohol and special drinks a restrictive thing. Your just causing your children to grow up wanting it and hiding that they are drinking them.

Maybe I will feel differently when we have kids. But my parents didn't make alcohol a big deal. They always focused on that it was for adults but it was never something that was hidden or controlled necessarily.  Personally, I don't have a taste for it at all.

Avion22

Disclaimer:  I'm not a parent.

I think 7 sounds a little young for "mocktails" and a party focused around a disco-theme with fake drinking.   But I'm not sure if I can put my finger on exactly what bothers me about it.  I think it's the fact that the drinking was such a central part of the theme (you have to drink fun things in order to have a good time), and that the names of the drinks were essentially "martini" and "margarita."     

However, I don't think the concept of fun non-alcoholic drinks for kids should have an age-restriction.    It would be completely different if it was a pirate-themed party and the kids were drinking "pirate punch" or something.      There are all kinds of fun non-alcoholic drinks you can make for kids -- some have cute names already (like Shirley Temple), and some can be named whatever you want.  No reason to call something a "martini" or "margarita" when it isn't.  Or to glamorize drinking to seven-year-olds.

VABeach08

Yeah, I agree-- I don't necessarily think a "mocktail" in and of itself is a huge deal; however, I don't know that I make my 7yr old's bday theme cocktail party/at the club.  A sidelight? Ok.  A focal point?  No.

That said, will admit that I did allow my BFF to host an inaugural mocktail party for my nephew who was visiting DC for the inauguration ---  he was 11yrs old at the time and I was far too young to over-think it.  He's now almost 23yrs old and perfectly functional . So so much for my older and wiser mores.