Great Drinks for Kids' Parties

Long refreshing smoothies, creamy cool milkshakes, fizzy fruit juices – the taste for any season, not just summer. Tip-top full of vitamins, these drinks are quickly and easily made, and are just the thing to quench the thirst, or brighten the day when the sun’s gone behind a cloud, bringing summer into the home.

Fruit Cocktails

A blender is helpful in the making of these drinks but if you don’t have one you can use a hand mixer, or a flask or an old, clean, lidded water bottle as a shaker.

Pink Lemonade

What you need:

• 2 cups lemonade
• 1 cup raspberries
• 2 cups ice
• Lemon slices

How to Make:

Crush the ice and lemonade in the blender. Add the raspberries and blend until smoothPour into glasses and decorate with a slice of lemon.

Tropical Island Kids' Cocktail

What you need:

• 10 fl oz pineapple juice
• 5 fl oz coconut cream
• 5 fl oz pink grapefruit juice
• Ice

What you do:
Put a scoop of ice in the blender with the other ingredients and whiz until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve with a straw.

Pink Passion Power Kids' Cocktail

What you need:

• 5 fl oz passion-fruit juice
• 5 fl oz pineapple juice
• 5 fl oz cranberry juice
• 5 fl oz pink grapefruit juice
• Lemonade
• Ice

What you do:
Fill a tall glass with ice cubes. Pour the fruit juices over. Top up with lemonade. Decorate with a slice of lemon. Serve with a straw.

Kids' Milkshakes

Milkshakes are traditionally made with ice cream and milk, flavoured to taste. Again, try mixing your own favourites and see what you can create. Who knows: you could end up with a milkshake named after you!

Chocolate Milkshake

What you need:

• 10 fl oz milk
• 2 large scoops chocolate ice cream
• 4 tablespoons drinking chocolate
• 1 chocolate flake

What you do:

Blend the milk, ice cream and drinking chocolate for about 30 seconds. Divide the mixture between 2 glasses and sprinkle crushed flake on top of each.

Latte Milkshake

What you need:

• 10 fl oz milk
• 2 scoops coffee ice cream
• 3 fl oz caramel sauce

What you do:
Blend all the ingredients together until thick and creamy.

Smoothies

These thick fruity drinks have become very popular and are a great way of getting a good helping of your ‘5 a day’ fruit and vegetables.

Make them at home and you can combine your favourite fruits or experiment with whatever soft fruits you have to hand. Bananas are always a good addition as they thicken the mixture but try different berries to see what works well together.

Frozen or tinned fruits can be used in the place of fresh; they’re just as rich in goodness. If you use fruit canned in juice, include the juice in the smoothie, but if it’s in syrup, it’s best to drain that off.

Orange Smoothie

What you need:

• 10 fl oz orange juice
• 1 carton orange yoghurt
• Ice cubes

What you do:
Blend the juice, yoghurt and a few ice cubes together until smooth for a wide-awake breakfast drink.

Fruity Delight Smoothie

What you need:

• 8 strawberries, washed and hulled
• 1 banana, broken into chunks
• 2 peaches, peeled and cut into chunks
• 10 fl oz apple juice
• Ice

What you do:
Blend strawberries, banana and peaches until pureed. Add the juice and blend well. Add as much ice as you need to give the smoothie a good consistency. Pour into glasses and start the day at any time!

Honey Chunk Smoothie

What you need:

• 2 fl oz milk
• 2 fl oz strawberry yoghurt
• 2 fl oz crushed ice
• 1 banana, chopped
• 8 fl oz pineapple chunks
• ½ teaspoon honey

What you do:
Blend all the ingredients except the honey for 20 seconds. Add the honey and blend for a few seconds longer. Pour into glasses.