NEWPORT BEACH : Contestants Whip Up Alcohol-Free Drinks

It was the “battle of the blenders” Friday at the Newport Dunes Resort as eight enthusiastic bartenders tested out their most creative nonalcoholic drinks in preparation for the Fourth of July.

To bumping soul music, presentation category winners Ryan Gee and Ed Nankervis of the Roxbury South club tossed berries, ice cream and whipped cream into two blenders, over themselves, onto spectators and, finally, into 10 carefully stacked glasses.

The “mocktail” competition was sponsored by COASTER, a new county coalition that is urging bars and restaurants to have a variety of nonalcoholic, yet tasty, drinks available for their customers over the holiday weekend.

“Sometimes people feel uncomfortable in a group if they’re not drinking alcohol,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Angel Johnson, one of the judges at the lighthearted contest. “Being able to hold a fun drink relieves some of the pressure of people coming by and saying, ‘Oh, a Coke? It won’t hurt to just drink one (alcoholic drink).’ ”

Friday’s event was the debut of COASTER, which stands for Coalition on Alcohol Services, Training and Educational Resources. COASTER, which is funded by a grant from the Orange County Health Care Agency, aims to reduce the county’s alcohol-related incidents, such as drunk driving, by helping bars and restaurants be more responsible in how they serve alcohol.

The coalition is made up of county law enforcement agencies, public health organizations and hospitality industry representatives.

“We’re trying to teach the hospitality industry that they don’t have to do quarter pitchers of beer to draw in customers,” COASTER publicist Frank Groff said. “There are alternatives.”

Fighting a stiff bay breeze Friday, bartender Mona Kort of the Disneyland Hotel blended guava juice, 7-Up and sweet-and-sour drink mix into a zingy, alcohol-free “Simba Summer Sipper.”

Kort said the Disneyland Hotel serves lots of virgin drinks to the kiddies.

The hands-down favorites? The “Mickey” and “Minnie,” code names for every child’s drink delight--the “Roy Rogers” and the “Shirley Temple.”