Non-Alcoholic Drinks for a Party: How to Stock for Everyone This Season
The table is full. There's a Cabernet breathing, a bottle of something bubbly chilling for the toast, and a crowd of glasses in every shape. Look closer, and you'll notice that not everyone is drinking the same thing.
This year, it’s time to switch up the options at our holiday tables because good non-alcoholic drinks for a party are no longer a niche request. NIQ found that 93% of people who buy non-alcoholic drinks also purchase alcohol—so someone drinking sparkling water one night might enjoy a glass of wine the next. Here’s how to make sure everyone at your holiday table feels included and satisfied.
Plan for three kinds of guests
Before you make your pilgrimage to the grocery store (the first of many, as any host knows), sort your guests into three groups, leaving room for last-minute decisions and changing tastes.
- Drinking: These are your guests who want wine with dinner and something bubbly (and alcoholic) for the toast.
- Drinking lightly: They'd like a lower-alcohol option they can sip all evening.
- Not drinking: They want something with real flavor, something that speaks to the occasion of the night—served with the same care as everything else, minus the alcohol.
Expect these groups to overlap and shift through the night. The guest with a glass of Cabernet at 6:00pm might switch to an elegantly flavored sparkling water by 9:00pm, so think of these as three kinds of drinks to have on hand, not three kinds of people. If you need an introduction or refresher on terms like non-alcoholic and low-alcohol drinks, our Guide to Drinking Differently covers them.
How to build the bar
Bubbly for the toast
Pour a special sparkling wine for guests choosing to drink. Our Fifth Moon Sparkling Rosé is festive and pink! Plan one bottle for every four guests, then adjust for how many people you expect to toast with something else.
Low-alcohol wine for the long evening
Some guests want a drink they can sip from appetizers to dessert. May Jade Wine Spritzer is 5% ABV, light enough to keep pace with a long dinner.
Non-alcoholic drinks with real flavor
This is the beverage for guests who aren't drinking alcohol at all, and it should be more satisfying than a can of soda. Sen Sparkling Water is zero-proof and comes in three unique flavors. Serve any of them over ice in a wine glass with a twist, and it looks and tastes like a choice, not a consolation prize.
Non-alcoholic drinks for the table
Dinner calls for a drink with more body. Lucky Press Cabernet Grape Juice is pressed from Napa Valley Cabernet grapes and holds its own on your holiday table. Not to mention, it's sweet, vibrantly colored, and appeals to all ages.
A sparkling toast everyone can raise
Sparkling grape juice is the classic non-drinker's toast, and you can build your own in a flute in a snap. Pour a few ounces of Lucky Press grape juice, then top it with chilled Sen Sparkling Water. Because it’s poured into the same flute as the sparkling wine, nobody's glass stands out.
How much to buy
Start with a simple planning estimate: figure two drinks per guest for the first hour of the party, then one per guest for each hour after that. For a three-hour party, that's about four drinks of any kind per guest. It’s a common hosting rule of thumb meant for stocking your fridge—not for how much anyone should drink.
We suggest splitting the total into three groups: wine drinkers, light drinkers, and non-drinkers. You know your crowd best, so adjust from there and get a little extra of everything to accommodate changing tastes and decisions.
Make the non-alcoholic share bigger than you think you need. Guests move between groups throughout the night, and a well-stocked non-alcoholic option gets picked up by most everyone at some point. When in doubt, stock enough non-alcoholic drinks for every guest and let the wine and spritzers fill in the rest.
Make the non-alcoholic drinks feel like an invitation
Here's what we've learned from pouring for a lot of tables: a drink feels like part of the party when you serve it alongside everything else. A few small touches go a long way:
- Same glasses, same table: A wine glass is just as happy holding sparkling water as Cabernet. When every glass matches, nobody's drink stands out, and nobody has to explain it.
- Ice and a little garnish: A citrus wedge, a sprig of rosemary or mint, and a generous pour over ice turn a simple drink into one that looks like you meant it (and you did).
-
Offer a special mocktail: Our Mekong Mule Mocktail pairs flavors like plum, ginger, and lemongrass with the depth of Lucky Press grape juice.
- Bruise a lemongrass stalk in a glass, add ice.
- Stir in 3 ounces of Lucky Press Cabernet Grape Juice, a half ounce each of fresh lime juice and ginger syrup.
- Top with 3 ounces of Sen Mekong Mule, garnish with a lime wheel, and leave the stalk in as a stirrer.
Make it easy to pick anything
The best party setups answer the question before anyone asks it. Here are our three moves to get you there:
- One cooler, everything inside: Put the chilled wine, the May Jade, the Sen, and the Lucky Press grape juice in the same bucket or cooler. No separate corner, no "sober table". Guests can reach in, grab what sounds good, and nobody's choice is on display.
- Tent cards that do the talking: A small folded card on each drink lets guests choose without asking. Keep them simple but descriptive—"Sparkling, 0% ABV," "Light and bubbly, 5% ABV," "Pressed Cabernet grape juice, no alcohol."
- The same toast for everyone: When it's time to raise a glass, set out the flutes together and let each guest pour what they like. Same glass, same moment, no explanations necessary. That's the whole trick—make it easy for anyone to pick anything, and the evening takes care of itself.
Quick host checklist
Screenshot this to save it for your next holiday stock-up:
- Sparkling for the toast
- Wine options for dinner
- One low-alcohol beverage for the long evening
- Two non-alcoholic options: one sparkling, one with some depth for the table
- Plenty of ice
- Garnishes: citrus, herbs, and lemongrass
- Matching glassware, including flutes for the toast
- Tent cards so guests can choose without asking
- One cooler for everything
FAQs
What non-alcoholic drinks should I serve at a holiday party?
Plan on at least two non-alcoholic options: one sparkling and one with some depth for the dinner table. Flavored sparkling water, a good grape juice, and one simple mocktail cover most tastes. Go beyond soda. Guests who aren’t drinking deserve a drink chosen with the same care as the wine.
What can non-drinkers toast with?
Go with anything sparkling, poured into a flute. Sparkling grape juice is the classic choice, and it’s easy to make your own: pour a few ounces of grape juice into a flute and top it with sparkling water. We like Lucky Press Cabernet Sauvignon grape juice topped with Sen Sparkling Water, so every glass looks the part when it’s time to raise it.
How many non-alcoholic drinks should I have at a party?
More than you think. Only 54% of U.S. adults say they drink at all, according to Gallup, and many who do drink switch to non-alcoholic options partway through the evening. A simple approach is to stock enough non-alcoholic drinks for every guest, not just the ones you know aren’t drinking.
What’s a good non-alcoholic drink for Thanksgiving?
Choose something that holds up to the food. A grape juice pressed from wine grapes has enough richness to sit at the table with turkey and stuffing. Lucky Press is made from Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and looks right in a wine glass. Save the lighter, sparkling drinks for before dinner and the toast.
What’s an easy mocktail for a crowd?
Grab a pitcher. Fill it with ice, sliced citrus, and a few sprigs of mint or rosemary, then top it with chilled flavored sparkling water just before guests arrive. Sen’s Mekong Mule, with its ginger and lime, works especially well here. Add the bubbles last so they stay lively.
How do I make non-drinkers feel included?
Treat every drink the same way. Serve non-alcoholic options in the same glassware, keep them in the same cooler, and garnish them with the same care. Skip the separate “sober” corner, and never ask a guest to explain what’s in their glass. The goal is a party where nobody’s drink stands out.
Can I mix and match cans at RD Winery?
Yes, in our Napa tasting room. Visitors can build mixed 4- and 6-packs across flavors, including both May Jade Wine Spritzer and Sen Sparkling Water. Online orders ship as single-flavor packs: May Jade in 4-packs and Sen in 6-packs, to every state where shipping is legal.
Ready to stock your table?
A good party has plans for every glass—and now you've got the whole table covered. Shop our party collection (order by 11/18 for Thanksgiving, 12/12 for Christmas & Kwanzaa), or stop by our tasting room in Napa to build a mixed pack before your next holiday soirée.
Here's to a table where everyone gets to raise a glass filled with something special. 🥂
