Mocktails & Meringues: A Sweet Sixteen Party

Turning sixteen is a magical thing.

It's a strange, almost enchanting time when you straddle the threshold of the fairy tales that belonged to your childhood and the enormous, exciting, utterly terrifying possibilities that lay ahead in your future.

One of our friends has a daughter who just celebrated her sweet sixteen, and I was delighted to be able to help with the party planning. I went for pretty. Lots of florals and pastels, sweet and blooming with botanicals.

Under a patio strung with hanging globes of light and long swathes of white and black tulle,

we danced and drank and ate dainty little finger foods. However, since this was a sweet sixteen, all the libations that I concocted for the minors were of the mocktail variety. That didn't make them any less pretty. Or delicious.

The first mocktail I mixed up was a Blackberry French 75 by Heather Cristo. This beautiful lavender drink features blackberry syrup and lemon juice. Simply drop the gin and add sparkling apple juice instead of champagne. Be prepared to pucker up and sip quite a few of these.

Next up? This gorgeous blush of a drink featuring rosewater and lemon juice. A splash of sparkling pomegranate provides the rosy hue with plenty of pretty garnish. I adapted this recipe from a Rose Lemon Spritzer on of my favorite foodie blogs, Half Baked Harvest. Simply omit the vodka and you're good to go. If you have a palate that enjoys florals, this will be a cup full of fantastic.

In addition to the mocktails, I wanted a few pretty, petite bites of something sweet. I went with rose meringues from Baking A Moment. Instead of just pink, I divided the batter into thirds and did a palette of pastels, then clustered them together on a white lace platter until they formed a lovely floral bouquet of sweetness.