✍️ Best Baby Shower Games Editorial Team · Updated May 2026

Mocktail Mixology Contest

Set up a real mocktail bar — juices, sparkling water, fresh herbs, frozen fruit. Each guest invents a pregnancy-safe drink, names it, and serves it to the mom-to-be. She tastes every one and crowns a winner. Best part: she actually gets to drink at her own baby shower.

✅ Crowd-pleaser
🍷 Coed-friendly
🤝 Low-pressure
📹 Works on Zoom

⏱ Prep: 30 min+
👥 Best for: 8–18 guests
🍷 Coed: Yes
📹 Virtual: Works on Zoom

What you'll need

Two large bottles of plain LaCroix or Trader Joe's sparkling water plus one bottle of Spindrift
Four juices from Target's refrigerated aisle — Simply Cranberry, pineapple, orange, and pomegranate (about $4 each)
Garnish tray: fresh mint, basil, lime wedges, lemon wheels, frozen raspberries, and frozen mango chunks from Trader Joe's
Twelve clear plastic cocktail glasses from Hobby Lobby or Walmart and a small stack of mini paper umbrellas
A pack of blank kraft recipe cards from Michaels ($5) and a few fine-tip Sharpies
One ice bucket with tongs and a small bottle of grenadine or simple syrup for color

Before the shower (setup)

The mocktail mixology contest baby shower game lives or dies on the bar setup. The morning of the shower, run to Target for the juices and sparkling water and Trader Joe's for the frozen fruit and fresh herbs. Skip anything labeled "kombucha" or "hard seltzer" — even trace alcohol is off the table for the mom-to-be. Pomegranate, cranberry, pineapple, and orange juice cover almost every flavor combination guests will try.
Set up a long table along one wall. Front row: the four juices in identical glass pitchers, labeled with little chalkboard signs. Second row: two ice buckets, the sparkling water bottles, and the grenadine or simple syrup. Third row: the garnish tray with mint, basil, lime, lemon, frozen raspberries, frozen mango. End of the table: stacked glasses, mini umbrellas, the recipe card pile, and a Sharpie holder. Print a small "Pregnancy-Safe Ingredients" card and tape it where everyone can see it.
Brief the mom-to-be while she's getting ready. She's the judge — she'll taste every mocktail, and her favorite wins. Tell her to pace herself. Twelve mocktails sound fun on paper, but small sips work better than full glasses. Have a glass of plain water nearby for palate cleansing between rounds.

Front-door setup for Mocktail Mixology Contest — basket of clothespins and a chalkboard rule sign by the entryway — Set up at the front door so the game starts the second guests walk in.

How to play

About an hour into the shower, gather everyone near the bar and explain the mocktail mixology contest baby shower game in three lines: pick 2 or 3 ingredients, build a small drink, name it something silly, fill out a recipe card, and present it to the mom-to-be. Give guests 10 minutes of mingling at the bar — they'll experiment more if there's no pressure of a stopwatch.

As guests build their mocktails, they jot the recipe ("3 oz cranberry, 1 oz pineapple, lime wheel, mint sprig, top with sparkling water") and the name ("Baby's First Sunset," "Stork Sour," "Diaper Genie") on a card. They walk it over to the mom-to-be on a small tray. She takes a sip, makes a face or smiles big — that face is the photo op every shower group ends up sharing afterward.

After everyone has presented (plan for 20–30 minutes), the mom-to-be picks her winner. Announce the winner with a little fanfare, hand over the prize, and stack the recipe cards in order of how much she liked them. Slip the cards into a kraft envelope labeled "First Trimester Sips" and gift them to her — she'll thank you in month two when she's tired of plain water.

A hand lifting a clothespin off another guest's shirt — the steal moment in Mocktail Mixology Contest — The moment of the steal — someone slipped, someone caught it, pin changes hands.

Variations to try

Mommy and Baby pairs. Every guest invents two drinks — one for the mom-to-be this trimester, one for baby's 5th birthday party. The second one can have juice boxes, sprinkles, and gummy worms on the rim. Adds a sweet long-game element.
Mocktail and appetizer pairing. Each guest brings one small appetizer that pairs with their mocktail. Doubles as the shower's food spread. Works best with 10 or fewer guests — more than that and the kitchen gets crowded.
Three-judge panel. If the mom-to-be has food aversions in the first trimester, swap her for a three-person panel — her, the dad-to-be, and her closest friend. They each score 1–10 on taste, name, and presentation. More objective and saves her stomach.
Bake-off combo. Pair with [[lactation-cookie-bake-off]] for a 60-minute food and drinks block. Guests rotate between stations. Great for coed showers where the dads will dig into the cookies and the moms will dig into the mocktails.
Zoom version. Mail every remote guest a small kit — one mini bottle each of cranberry and pomegranate juice, a sparkling water, a lemon, a mint sprig. They build on camera and DM their recipe card. The mom-to-be picks the winner during the Zoom call. Surprisingly fun and easy to mail.

Pro tips from hosts who've actually run this

Buy juice in glass pitchers, not bottles. Pouring directly from a juice bottle into a wine glass looks like a kid's birthday party — pitchers turn the table into an actual bar.
Pre-fill ice in the bucket 30 minutes before guests arrive. Ice from the freezer holds shape longer than ice scooped at the start of the party.
Skip extracts and bitters. Most bitters and vanilla extracts contain trace alcohol — pregnancy-safe means a hard no, even at low concentrations.
Print the recipe cards in a kraft-paper aesthetic — guests treat them like a real keepsake instead of a sticky note. Michaels has 50 packs for $5.
Hand the mom-to-be a small palate-cleanser plate (saltines and ice water) so she can power through 12 tastings without flavor fatigue.
Take a photo of each finished mocktail before it's served. By round 8, nobody remembers what "Stork Sour" looked like.
Have one guest play barback — refilling juices, restocking glasses, wiping spills. That role keeps the bar from spiraling into chaos.

Common mistakes to avoid

Putting kombucha or hard seltzer on the bar. Even "alcohol-free" versions can have trace alcohol — they don't belong at a baby shower.
Skipping the recipe cards. Without cards, the mom-to-be can't recreate her favorite at home, and the postpartum gift falls apart.
Stocking only one sparkling water. Twelve guests building drinks burn through one bottle in fifteen minutes. Buy two, open one at a time.
Letting guests pour full 8-oz mocktails. The mom-to-be tastes every one — small 2-oz pours keep her from getting sick of the table.
Forgetting the prize. "Mom-to-be picks her favorite" without a real prize makes the contest feel like a participation activity, not a game.

Best prize for this game

An on-theme prize lands every time. A $25 Williams Sonoma mocktail kit, a Seedlip non-alcoholic spirits sampler, or a fancy bottle of Ghia or Recess sparkling drinks all hit the right note. A $20 Trader Joe's gift card works for budget-conscious hosts. Wrap it in a clear gift bag so guests see what they're competing for from the start.

→ More baby shower prize ideas, by budget

Our verdict

A mocktail mixology contest baby shower game that finally lets the mom-to-be drink at her own party. Easy to run, very photogenic, and the recipes turn into a postpartum gift she'll actually open in month three.

Mocktail Mixology Contest — FAQ

How do I run a mocktail mixology contest baby shower game?

Set up a small bar with sparkling water, 3–4 juices, fresh herbs and frozen fruit, and recipe cards. Every guest builds a custom pregnancy-safe mocktail, names it, fills out a recipe card, and serves it to the mom-to-be. She tastes each one and crowns a winner. The whole game runs 30–45 minutes.

Is mocktail mixology a good baby shower game for a coed crowd?

Yes — it's one of the easiest coed-friendly baby shower games. The dads-to-be lean into the bartending side, and the rest of the guests treat it as a tasting party. Skip alcohol entirely so the mom-to-be can drink everything served to her.

Can pregnant women drink kombucha or fermented mocktails?

Most OBs advise against kombucha during pregnancy because unpasteurized fermentation can carry trace alcohol and bacteria like listeria. Stick to plain sparkling water, juices, and fresh garnishes as the base. When in doubt, check with the mom-to-be's doctor before adding anything fermented.

How many ingredients should I put on the mocktail bar?

Eight to ten total. Four juices, two sparkling waters, four to six garnishes (mint, basil, lime, lemon, frozen raspberries, frozen mango), and one syrup for color. Beyond twelve ingredients and guests start over-mixing — the drinks taste like a smoothie blender accident.

What's the best prize for the Mocktail Mixology Contest?

A $25 mocktail kit from Williams Sonoma, a Seedlip non-alcoholic spirits sampler, or a bottle of Ghia or Recess. A Trader Joe's gift card works if the budget is tight. Whatever you pick, name it specifically on the recipe card — "win the Seedlip kit" gets more effort than "win a prize."

Can I run the Mocktail Mixology Contest on Zoom?

Yes — mail a small kit ahead of the shower with mini juice bottles, a sparkling water, and one or two garnishes. Guests build on camera, message their recipe to the host, and the mom-to-be picks her favorite live on the call. It works surprisingly well for a virtual shower.

Similar baby shower games

Browse by category

About the author

Best Baby Shower Games Editorial Team — Party planners, parents & writers. We’re a small team of party planners and parents who’ve hosted — and been guests at — dozens of baby showers. Every game here is sorted by what actually lands in a real room, not by what just looks cute on a Pinterest board.