The Residence Hall Association (RHA) hosted its annual Mocktail event in the CUB MPR Wednesday night. This event provides an opportunity for student groups to go head-to-head and use their creativity to make their own mocktail for the chance to win up to $300 from ABC Lettering Company. 

This year’s theme was ‘Battle of the Bands,’ and student groups were challenged with creating a mocktail inspired by a band or artist of their choosing. 

The Slate represented the Swedish group ABBA with a tropical drink called “Sipping through my spritzers,” a play on ABBA’s song “Slipping Through my Fingers.” The Slate used orange juice, lemon juice, pineapple juice, grenadine, ginger ale, and gold edible glitter for their beverage.

Orange was a common theme in many of the groups’ drinks, one of which being the Activities Programming Board’s Orange Creamsicle drink that was inspired by the Frank Ocean album “Channel Orange.” 

QR codes were placed at each table for students to scan to vote on their favorite drink. RHA President Adam Beam announced the winners at the end of the event, which were decided by judges Kyle Miller, Jen Milburn and Tammy Garrett. Winners were given gift certificates to ABC Lettering Company.

The third-place $50 prize went to campus radio station WSYC 88.7 FM, with their KISS-themed “Rock n’ Roll All Night (Refresher).” The drink tasted like a minty delight, with grenadine added to get a bright red color. It was garnished with mint leaves and gold edible glitter. 

“We wanted to take their most popular song and create a really refreshing drink,” WSYC General Manager Jenna Cornell said. Four members of the group’s executive board wore all-black KISS costumes with edgy rock ‘n’ roll face paint that made them stand out. 

The second-place $100 prize went to Harley Hall, which selected Katy Perry as their artist. Their drink themed to represent “California Gurls.” The drink was cleverly garnished with gummy bears and consisted of a variety of flavors. 

The grand prize winner of $200 was given to Student Ambassadors, who chose Marshmello as their artist. Marshmello was not only represented as their theme but in their drink as well. They had a DJ stand setup and played music, with a member wearing a helmet like the famous DJ.

Chocolate chips and marshmallows were offered buffet-style for taste testers to put on top of the chocolatey drink with whipped cream. 

“It’s kind of like an espresso martini, but we made it like a slushie,” Student Ambassador Kacie Wood said.

Naugle Hall, much like the title of their drinks, got the “Best of Both Worlds” as they won the title of fan-favorite drink and were awarded a karaoke machine. They had two drinks instead of one: one to represent Hannah Montana and one for Miley Cyrus. 

Jack Myers, an RA in Naugle Hall said, “We wanted to make this drink as glitzy and glittery as possible to match Hannah Montana’s hair color, and we made the Miley Cyrus one darker to match her natural hair color and keep it southern.” 

This happy hour began at 8 p.m. and was attended by nearly 150 students. To stay informed on upcoming events hosted by RHA, visit their Instagram at @rha_raiders.

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