Raise your glass gladly - even without alcohol - with tasty faux spirits

November 26, 2000 SPIRITLESS HOLIDAY:

Story by CATHY THOMAS

The Orange County Register

PARTY BEVERAGE TIPS

If you're planning a holiday party, you'd be wise to plan alternative, nonalcoholic beverage choices. There's a pretty good chance that some of your guests may not want to consume alcohol.

 Have plenty of nonalcoholic drinks available, especially for designated drivers.

 If preparing an alcoholic punch, use a noncarbonated base such as fruit juice. Alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream faster when it has a carbonated base.

 Close your bar 90 minutes before your party's over ... and serve a great dessert treat and coffee, tea or soft drinks.

 Be honest. When inviting guests who are known to drink to excess, tell them that drinking and driving is unacceptable at your party. Get their agreement to find alternative modes of transportation.

 If some of your guests have had too much to drink, drive them home or arrange a ride with another guest who is sober or call a taxi ... or invite them to stay.

~~~~~ Cheers. Bottoms up. Down that old ho\-ho\-ho hatch! Nonalcoholic libations don't need to be a taste\-bud yawn. Designated drivers and folks who don't drink alcohol deserve more than a boring soda water on the rocks or a cola out of a can. So colorful, alcohol\-free concoctions are part of the game plan, as is de\-alcoholized wine and beer. Zanotti, a fine wine aficionado, describes the taste of de\-alcoholized wines as so\-so. If you agree with him, you can use this type of wine to good advantage in wine\-based mocktails or hot mulled wine. Add a splash of cassis (black currant syrup \- not crème de cassis, which contains alcohol) to de\-alcoholized chardonnay to make kir. Or add a drop or two of cassis to sparkling wine to make a kir royale, or to cabernet to make a cardinal. To make mulled wine, heat 8 ounces de\-alcoholized cabernet sauvignon or merlot with two whole cloves, a small piece of cinnamon stick, a twist of lemon peel, 1 teaspoon sugar and a pinch of allspice (do not boil); strain into a mug. Nonalcoholic sparkling cider, either domestic or imported, is a festive choice. Duché de Longueville, a sparkling wine from the Normandy region of France, is a mouthwatering refresher. It's priced in the $4 range. Made with apple juice (no preservatives or added sugar), it's served ice cold. It's delicately delicious on its own, but if you like, you can add a drizzle of cassis, or garnish a cider\-filled champagne glass with a sliver of tart green apple. Fruit juices combined with bubbly soft drinks or seltzers make glamorous, cold mocktails. Or you can combine those fruit juices with spices, heat and serve piping hot. Here are some of my favorite combinations. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-...