Leslie's Mock Libation

Leslie Melchert, Age 20, Des Plaines, IL (First Prize Winner)

1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (3-4 oranges)
2-3 orange segments
1 Tbsp. vanilla yogurt
1/2 tsp. orange-flavored gelatin (dry)
Orange and/or grapefruit segments
Fresh mint

Prepare glass.*
In blender, combine all ingredients except garnish; blend until smooth. Pour into prepared glass; garnish with 3 citrus segments threaded on long wooden skewer. Top drink with mint. Makes one 9 oz serving.

*Chill tall (10-12 oz) glass in freezer. Turn frosted glass upside-down on small amount of additional orange-flavored gelatin to coat rim; return to freezer.

Whizzy Sour Mocktail

Whizzy Sour (Janna Jarvis, Age 17, Little Rock, AR)

2 cups fresh squeezed OJ (6-8 oranges)
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice
1 bottle (1 liter) lemon-lime soda or club soda
Orange cartwheel slices
Maraschino cherries

Combine fruit juices. Pour into 2 ice cube trays; freeze.
To serve, place 3-4 frozen cubes in each 8oz glass.
Fill with soda; stirr well.
Garnish with orange slices and cherries.
(Makes 24 cubes for 6-8 7 oz. servings)

Note: Unused "orange cubes" can be stored in plastic bag in freezer. Make a couple of trays ahead and keep in freezer to have on hand.

Mocktails (Mock Cocktails)

Years ago I received a Sunkist pamphlet on Mock Cocktails. It included "Twenty-two award winning party time beverage recipes from the 1989 "Sunkist/S.A.D.D. )Students Against Driving Drunk) Mock-Cocktail Recipe Contest. Each recipe contains refreshing, flavorful citrus juices and a colorful citrus garnish for extra eye appeal." So credit goes to "Sunkist Growers, Inc., Consumer Affairs Dept., Box 7888, Van Nuys, CA 91409" just in case you want to write them for these recipes (by now they are probably on a website somewhere). So, not having tried any, I thought I'd like to write them down to try sometime!

Phantom of the Prom Punch (Elizabeth H. Brown, Age 14, Rex, GA)
2 quarts fresh squeezed orange juice, chilled (24-32 oranges)*
1 bottle (48 oz) guava fruit drink, chilled
1 can (12 oz) frozen concentrated cranberry juice cocktail, thawed
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 bottles (1 liter each) club soda, chilled
Orange Peel Rose Ice Ring**

In large punch bowl, combine fruit juices and almond extract; stir well. Float Ice ring in punch. Makes 22 cups

*Make orange peel roses before cutting oranges in half and juicing.
**To unmold Ice Ring, place metal mold briefly in warm water; remove Ice Ring and float in punch.

Orange Peel Rose Ice Ring: With vegetable parer or knife, peel 4-6 oranges in thin continuous spirals (about 3/4 to 1 inch wide), removing outer colored layer of peel only. (If necessary, palce peel in near-boiling water for 1-2 minutes to make more pliable; cool in cold water for easy handling.) Cut peel into 6-8 inch length strips. To make roses, wind each strip of peel in revers, with colored side in. Roll peel to form a rose shape with the bottom of the roll tighter than the top so the rose will flare open a bit. Secure with toothpick. Make 8-12 roses; freeze for one hour. Pour about 1/2 inch of water into a 1 1/2 quart metal ring mold. Cut off excess toothpick from each rose. Arrange roses, upside-down, in mold; freeze until firm. Add enough water to cover roses, freeze again. Fill mold with water to within 1/2 inch of top; freeze until firm.