Blue & pink beverage ideas for a baby shower

Usually thought of as an American celebration, the popularity of the baby shower appears to be crossing the Atlantic. Themed gifts and games can make the occasion a fun get-together for friends and family of the mum-to-be, but food and drink are also part of the celebration. When planning party drinks, don’t forget that the NHS advises pregnant women against consuming alcohol due to the risk of harming their unborn baby, so you should ensure that non-alcoholic options are available for those who would prefer them.

Pink drinks tend to be easier to create than blue beverages, due to the wider variety of colouring options. Made from pomegranates, the deep red of grenadine dilutes to a pinkish colour and is a key ingredient in many cocktails. If any guests will be drinking alcohol, add a dash to any clear spirit for a stylish cocktail, or mix it with a combination of apple juice and lemonade to create a delicious mocktail for those going tee-total. Alternatively, blending red or purple soft fruits, such as raspberries, strawberries or blackberries, and mixing them with spirits or fruit juice is another option for creating a pink drink.

The obvious addition to an alcoholic blue cocktail is blue curacao which, despite its lurid blue colour, is actually flavoured with oranges. Add a dash to a clear spirit like vodka for a pale blue concoction, or combine it with rum, coconut cream, pineapple juice and a dash of lime juice to create a Blue Hawaiian cocktail. However, if you’re looking for a non-alcoholic alternative, try blending blueberries and adding the resultant purée to some fruit juice, lemonade or carbonated water.

If cocktails and "mocktails" don’t appeal, you could just present other drinks in appropriately-coloured containers. For example, serving soft drinks in pink or blue glasses, or iced from a pink or blue serving jug, features the colour prominently without guests having to drink colourful beverages. If the baby shower is taking place during the winter months, serve warming tea, coffee or hot chocolate in blue or pink mugs.

Continue the theme with pink or blue-coloured food. Bowls of fresh berries supply healthy pink and blue options, but cupcakes or larger cakes provide a naughty treat for guests to share! Add a dash of food colouring to icing for a simple way of turning cupcakes pink or blue, or buy a full-size, professionally-made cake to form a centrepiece for the table. Some parents-to-be even reveal their baby’s gender through their baby shower cake, with the sponge dyed pink or blue depending on whether they’re expecting a girl or a boy.