The beginning of the year brings hope, sunshine, and for many, resolutions. Before the hard work begins to make your goals happen, start by ringing in the new year with friends, family, and loved ones. We’ve got some wonderful ideas to help snack and sip your way into party mode for New Year’s Eve.

Mixers and Mocktails

Whether you’re mixing up a cocktail or mocktail, delightful mixers are a great starting point. Step away from the pop and opt for bubble waters, kombuchas, and switchels, also known as sipping vinegars.

Rishi Sparkling Botanicals

These botanical bubblies only contain trace sugars (>2g) but are packed with flavor—all naturally flavored using extracts derived from plants. Try a variety of unconventional flavors such as dandelion root, quince, schisandra berry, and more.

Gist

Advertised as “Soda by Herbalists,” these sparkling botanical beverages are delicious on their own or mixed with muddled fruit for a sophisticated mocktail containing prebiotics and antioxidants.

Jinx Tea

Made right here in Minneapolis, Jinx partners with family farms and tea cooperatives to craft their premium tea beverages. We love their Cherry Blossom flavor, which is lightly sweetened and contains caffeine.

Siren Shrub Co.

Prefer some tang in your mocktail? Add some fruity shrubs (sipping vinegars) by Siren Shrub Co. They are women-owned, Wisconsin-based, and locally source many of their ingredients.

HopTea and Hop WTR

If you’re missing the bitter hops that flavor IPAs, consider adding a splash of HOP WTR or HopTea to your mocktail. HopTea’s caffeine free chamomile flavor is a staff-favorite, as well as HOP WTR’s blood orange bubbly.

To take your mocktails to another level, add a newly legalized relaxing medicinal boost from beverages found in wellness.

DIY Simple Syrups for a Splash of Flavor

Make your own flavored simple syrups, add them to kombucha, and top off with bubble water for a refreshing and gut-healthy mocktail.

Basic simple syrups are one part sugar dissolved slowly on the stove into an equal part of water. Spice them up with herbs from Produce or dried ingredients from the Bulk aisle. Try one cup of sugar, one cup of water, a ¼ cup of rosemary and Meyer lemon peels made into a syrup. Strain and pour one ounce into a citrus kombucha like Health Ade’s Organic Tangerine or Lemon Ginger kombucha. For a different, floral flavor, toast a six whole cardamom pods in a pan then add a cup of sugar and water along with a cinnamon stick to make a cardamom syrup. Serve over ice with one ounce of the syrup and Health Ade Bubbly Rose kombucha.

Beautiful Butter Boards

Butter boards are a fun and wonderful way to showcase delicious local dairy at your New Year’s Eve party. Use high-quality butter like Community Foods producer Rochdale Farms Cooperative, or any salted or unsalted butter of your choice. Soften it, gently spread and swirl the butter onto a decorative serving platter, and have fun decorating it. Go sweet by drizzling it with organic maple syrup or local honey like Beez Kneez and flaky sea salt. Add a seasonal flair like pomegranate arils for color and a burst of flavor.  Go savory by decorating the butter with thinly sliced radishes, flaky salt, cracked black pepper, and fresh herbs from Produce. Don’t forget the bread! Seward Co-op has countless options for delicious locally-baked bread like Community Foods producer Baker’s Field loaves (why not enjoy a little toast while you toast the New Year), crackers, and more. Try a butter board this season in tandem with traditional charcuterie boards and add extra flavor to your festive spread.