Host A Mocktail Showdown With Your Siblings – And Mix It Like You Mean It!
If you have siblings and cousins who are mixology enthusiasts, an interesting event to host for them is a mocktail mix-off! This showdown could become a place where all their mixology practice and technique reveals itself to the family. Gather your siblings around for the ultimate competition that will settle who is the better mixologist amongst you all – and include cousins too, if you want to cast a wider net!
The contest can be a mocktail mix-off, complete with ingredients required to blend some creative non-alcoholic drinks. Ask an expert mixologist – if you are reaching deep into your pockets – to be the judge. Make the competition even more interesting by handing out vote cards to all those present at the party so they can pick the mocktail and the sibling mixologist they find best.
Read on below for some handy hacks to organise a mocktail mix-off and crown the ultimate sibling mixologist:
Have Clear Rules
The first step in planning a party of this kind would be to have a clear set of rules. Sibling banter can rain down on the mix-off at the hint of the slightest loophole. Make the rules simple enough to follow: 3 minutes to collect ingredients and 10 minutes to blend them into non-alcoholic mocktails. Give another minute or two extra for the presentation because the look of the mocktail matters so much! Ensure that your siblings each have their own little spot on the bar or in the drawing room to mix their drinks comfortably. Lots of interaction, discussion and friendly spats are inevitable – and here is where these clear rules will anchor the mix-off.
Create A Mocktail Pantry
This is where things will get interesting. A versatile mocktail pantry complete with different ingredients like coconut water, tonic water, carbonated fizzes, plenty of syrups like rose, lavender and spiced syrups as well as other flavours like mango pulp, thandai mix, jaljeera. Fresh fruit juices will also provide different options for the participants to collect the elements required to blend really creative mixes. And ones like chia seeds, rock salt, honey, jaggery and flavoured ices can also be part of the pantry staples that your contestants can use for blending.
Also Read: The Sibling Spirit Gifting Kit: 5 Tips To Put Together A Cocktail Hamper
Make Room For Mixology Flexes
Mixology flexes will be possible when your participants have enough room to experiment and get creative with their blends. Instead of focusing on one theme or ingredient in particular, make the contest a free-flowing space where mocktails can be blended using elements of your siblings’ choice. Extra points for presentation will also carve space for them to showcase their aesthetic skills as they serve drinks in little jam jars, mason jars or even kulhads. Ask your mixology siblings to name their cocktails to make the competition even more quirky.
Keep Snacks On Hand
What’s a gathering of this sort without any munchies on hand? Guests who are attending simply to watch the showdown will get snacky so keep at hand sev, peanuts, masala papad, pakoras and samosas as simple yet tasty small bites. If you are planning a long-ish contest with multiple rounds, the participants can also grab a bite to munch on before the next mixology segment begins. A light main course after the competition like dosas or pav bhaji can also be planned for – to celebrate the winner.
Score Like A Sibling Would – Or Not!
Full of biases and personal opinion – not even a little bit! Score fairly and quite unlike siblings who love to take each others’ case. When votes are being cast after tasting is complete, inform those gathered that they ought to score on points like taste, originality, presentation. Keep one category aside exclusively for sibling swag – this is where you can pour all your ‘sibling-ness’ into the scoring card that is influenced by the blending style of your partner-in-crime.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
