I find teenager birthday parties much tougher for me to organize than kiddy parties. All the ideas I find online for girl teenagers involve things that my girls really don't care for. So in case someone else out there is looking for ideas that don't involve pink fluffy unicorns, make up and such, this is for you.
We had a karaoke party! My daughter was very worried. "What if my friends don't want to sing?" I was pretty sure it was not going to be an issue and I was right!
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| Blueberry Mocktail - see below for details |
We rented a machine from Kinder Geburtstag Events. They deliver to anywhere in Germany, but I'm sure that you can find such services everywhere in the world. And if not, all you need is YouTube, an amplifier, speakers and microphones. The Karaoke machine came with everything we needed and a "disco ball". The kids were a bit peeved that it was not one that could be hung from the ceiling, but I was very glad because I was dreading installing a mirror ball on our concrete ceiling! Its made up of LED's and you just plonk it down on a table (phew!).
We set the Living room up like a club. We put out tealights and a few cushions on the couch. As snacks we had pretzel sticks, peanuts, crisps and Gummi sticks (well we are in Germany). Of course none of this photographs well in the dark (you know this if you've ever tried to take pictures at a night club!) so I snapped a few clicks in day light.
To make things interesting I came up with a few mocktails (see below for recipes) and made a menu. It was made in A5 format and you can find it here. However, it is in German. To make it a bit fancy I printed it out (I don't have A5 paper so I had to print it out on A4 and then cut it to size - just in case: A5 is exactly half of A4), took some blank cards I had lying around and secured the paper with a rubber band. If I had had more time I would have tried using ribbon and maybe decorating the front of the card.
I bought some cocktail glasses and set up our kitchen counter as my bar. I had a lot of fun with this.
For dinner we had veggie burgers with fries (burgers are all the rave in Germany right now) and coleslaw and they made ice cream sundaes for dessert.
For dinner we had veggie burgers with fries (burgers are all the rave in Germany right now) and coleslaw and they made ice cream sundaes for dessert.
All of this is doable even if you have a busy schedule.
If you have a bit of time you could always make a birthday cake
Here are the mocktail recipes:
NOTE: It is advisable to always use organic citrus fruit and to wash them very well. The rind of many non-organic varieties are not suitable for consumption.
L.I.M.E
2 tbsp. Lime syrup, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1/2 cup crushed ice, sparkling water (or soda), 3-5 leaves fresh mint, lime wedge
In a glass that holds 300 ml (preferably a cocktail glass) put the lime syrup in the glass making sure it does not run down the sides. Add the lemon juice and then the crushed ice on top. Add sparkling water to make up the 300 ml. Bruise (muddle) the mint leaves and put on top and garnish the side of the glass with a wedge of lime.
I put in a straw (we only use re-usable straws Kikkerland has some ) so that they could stir it themselves.
Schlumpf (Smurf)
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| Slumpf is on the right! |
In a 250 ml martini glass first put the curacao syrup in the bottom followed by the lime syrup. Add the crushed ice on top (you can use more ice if you like!). Make up with sparkling water and gently add in a Smurf on a stick and a cherry (unfortunately I could not find a cherries on a stem).
Mix after serving.
Kaptain Blaubär (Captain Bluebear)
1 tbsp. Blueberry syrup, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1/4 cup crushed ice, sparkling water (or soda), 4-6 leaves fresh mint, 4-6 blueberries, lemon wedge
In a 250 ml martini glass carefully add the blueberry syrup and then the lemon juice. Add the crushed ice on top and fill up with sparkling water. Bruise (muddle) the mint leaves and the blueberries and put on top. Garnish with a wedge of lemon.
Mix after serving.
KiBa
1 cup banana juice, 1/4 cup cherry juice, 1/2 cup crushed ice, cherry, banana slices
In a cocktail glass that holds 300 ml glass add the crushed ice and then gently pour in 1 cup banana juice onto the ice through a funnel. Carefully pour in the cherry juice into the middle of the banana juice using the funnel. Add a cherry and garnish the sides with a few slices of banana.
In a cocktail glass that holds 300 ml glass add the crushed ice and then gently pour in 1 cup banana juice onto the ice through a funnel. Carefully pour in the cherry juice into the middle of the banana juice using the funnel. Add a cherry and garnish the sides with a few slices of banana.
Sunrise
120 ml Mixed fruit juice (Multivitaminsaft if you are in Germany), 30 ml cherry juice, 150 ml Fanta, slice of orange, wedge of lemon, a cherry
in a glass that holds 300 ml add the mixed fruit juice (make sure it is deep orange and denser than the Fanta) and the cherry juice. Stir gently. Add the Fanta by gently pouring it down the back of a spoon. The aim is to float it on the top of the fruit juice. Garnish the glass with the orange and lime and carefully drop in a cherry.
