Non Alcoholic Picnic Drinks

With Grandma's old fashioned non alcoholic picnic drinks recipes, and a trusty Thermos®, you can enjoy welcome hot or cold drinks anytime, anywhere, in the summer or winter.

Choose from refreshing hot or cold coffee or tea beverages for the adults, and delicious hot or cold chocolate or fruit punches for the younger crowd.

Old Fashioned Non Alcoholic Picnic Drinks Recipes

One Hundred Picnic Suggestions (1915)

Cold Chocolate Refresher

Melt 2 squares of grated chocolate in 1/3 cup of water, add 1/3 cup of sugar, and 3 cups of water and boil until clear and smooth, and strain.

When cold add 1 teaspoon of vanilla or rum flavoring, or flavor while cooking with a small stick of cinnamon.

Put on ice until very cold, add 1/2 cup of cream and pour into the thermos bottle, or carry the cream in a separate bottle.

More sugar should be taken separately for those who would prefer a sweeter non alcoholic picnic drink.

Hot Chocolate Supreme

Melt 3 squares of grated chocolate in 1/2 cup of hot water, add 1/4 cup of sugar, and 3 cups of milk, simmer 5 minutes, beating as soon as hot with an egg beater.

Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 of sherry and a small piece of orange peel. Remove peel and when boiling again pour into the hot thermos bottle.

Serve with a spoonful of cream in each cup. The cream may be carried in a separate bottle for picnics, and also more sugar.

Refreshing Cold Brew Coffee

For this refreshing cold coffee beverage, put 8 tablespoons of powdered coffee in the percolator, pour over 3 cups of cold water and cook until the liquid is quite brown.

Add 1 tablespoon of the powdered coffee to the top of the percolator and cook again about a minute.

Take from the fire, and when nearly cold pour into a pitcher containing a large piece of ice. When very cold pour into the chilled thermos bottle.

Take a bottle of cream wrapped in a napkin wet in ice water, and wrapped again in thick paper. Carry cream and powdered sugar separately.

Hot Picnic Coffee

To make this hot picnic coffee, put 6 tablespoons of powdered coffee into the percolator, pour over 3 cups of cold water and cook 15 minutes, remove from the fire and add 1 tablespoon of the powdered coffee and place on the fire again for a moment.

Or...

Use the same proportions of ground coffee, add the crushed shell and white of 1 egg to the coffee, stir in 1/2 cup of cold water, turn into a very clean pot and add 3 cups of cold water and heat slowly until boiling.

Boil this 3 minutes, pour in 3 tablespoons of cold water, strain into a hot pitcher containing sugar and cream, stir a moment, and pour into the hot thermos bottle, or carry the cream and sugar in separate receptacles.

Refreshing Egg Nog

For this non alcoholic picnic drinks recipe, mix 2 cups of cream with 1 cup of milk that has been beaten with 4 egg yolks, a scant 1/4 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons each of sherry and brandy, and a generous grating of nutmeg.

Beat well and add the egg whites beaten, not too stiff. Chill on the ice and pour into the chilled thermos bottle.

Ginger Ale Punch

Crush one-half bunch of well-washed mint leaves with 1/2 cup of sugar, add 3 small lemons and 1 orange cut in slices, 1/4 cup of crushed pineapple, if at hand, and place for a few hours on ice.

Strain through a wet cloth into a pitcher of ice, when very cold add 1 pint of ginger ale, also well chilled, and pour immediately into the ice-cold thermos bottle.

Grape Juice Punch

For this easy non alcoholic picnic drinks recipe, mix grape juice with ginger ale and White Rock soda water, using about half the amount of soda water.

Pour into a pitcher containing cracked ice. When very cold add small pieces of cantaloupe, grape fruit, or pineapple, and pour into the well-chilled thermos bottle.

Hot Grape Juice

Heat to boiling point in a double boiler 1 quart of grape juice, with a few cassia buds, or a 2-inch stick of cinnamon, strain and return to fire until nearly boiling, and pour into the hot thermos bottle. This is a most delicious non alcoholic picnic drink for a cold day outing in fall weather.

Cold Brew Tea

Pour 3 cups of freshly boiling water onto 6 teaspoons of tea, let stand on the fire a moment, stir the contents of the pot with a spoon, remove from the fire, and let stand 3 minutes.

Crush 6 slices of lemon and a few leaves of mint with 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar in a pitcher, add cracked ice, and pour in the hot tea. When cold strain into the chilled thermos bottle.

Cold Yerba Mate Tea

To make this refreshing tea beverage, add to 3 cups of cold water 6 teaspoons of Yerba Mate, stir well and place on the fire until the water boils. Stir again and remove from the fire.

Let stand 3 minutes and strain into a pitcher containing 6 slices of lemon, crushed with a few sprigs of mint and 4 tablespoons powdered sugar, and plenty of cracked ice.

When cold strain into the chilled thermos bottle.