Wedding Reception Signature Cocktails
Bridal Sips, Grooves and Moves!
For your special day you might be tempted to serve your guests a signature customized cocktail that will spread happiness and good vibes. You don’t want them to end up overly drunk and exhausted; instead, you want them confident enough to hit the dance floor and shake it for hours! And beyond that, you need a wider selection of drinks that will keep the cheery vibes alive throughout the reception. We selected for you drinks, trends and ideas for a fun party that will perfectly match flavors with tunes!
THE BASICS
Your drinks menu should include champagne, great wines and one or more cocktails. Your bartender should suggest either a signature cocktail of universal approval or a greater selection comprised of typical ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ drinks. Place all of them on a decorative table or a specially designed bar. Servers can offer your signature cocktail at the entrance as welcome drink. Go for some fizzy cocktails; they are the ultimate mood-lifters! Don’t forget to match your drinks to the season and the theme of the wedding.
THE TRENDS
People love to serve drinks with a rustic feel right now. They put them into mason jars and milk bottles with personalized labels, and they decorate them with rosemary sprigs, citrus peels, or cinnamon sticks. Cocktails mixing alcohol (usually gin) with homemade jam are quite on trend and in the same spirit. Usually you need 1-2 spoonfuls per glass and no additional sweetener. Jams, as well as fresh fruits, are quite popular because they give color and aromas to the mix. Accordingly, the punch which is based on a customized combo of fruits and alcohol has a momentum. It’s playful, easy-to-serve and guests’ opportunity to socialize around it!
THE SPARKLING PUNCH
It’s either based on pink lemonade or champagne or sparkling wine. Fill your container with one bottle of this and 4 cups of cranberry juice, and then stir together. Let them chill for 24 hours and add ¼ club soda before being served. If you are using champagne as your base, then swap soda with ¼ cup orange liqueur.
BELLINIS AND MIMOSAS
They are totally refreshing and good starters for a groovy night! Plus they are easy-to-prepare and a nice familiar flavor for everyone to resort to. Bellini is 2 parts Prosecco and 1 part fresh peach purée while Mimosa is 1 part sparkling wine and 1 part carefully chilled citrus fruit juice. You can place them in a champagne flute and decorate them in endless ways, to customize.
CHAMPAGNE COCKTAILS
There is a whole array of champagne-based cocktails ideal for a fun wedding. You can crush fresh strawberries, put them at the bottom of the flute and top them with champagne. You can also mix homemade or fine quality ready-made Limoncello with champagne and other aromatic ingredients. Mix in your blender 1/8 cup mint leaves with 1/8 cup Limoncello, 1 tablespoon raw sugar and lemon strips from ½ lemon for 10-15 seconds, strain into a cup, transfer into a flute and top it with champagne. You can even jazz up and sweeten your regular glass of champagne with beautifully colored cotton candy. It’s additional sugar and energy for your guests, plus so eye-catching!
SANGRIAS
They are punch-like and for that matter very coveted lately! You can go for the traditional mix of fresh fruits with sweetened red wine or you can maximize the festive spirit, topping it with champagne. One of its most popular versions is the White Sangria made of white wine and some non-red fruit juices such as melons, peaches, apples, and oranges. Just before serving add some chilled soda.
CRANBERRY KISS
It’s a sexy rum-based cocktail and a conversation starter. Shake well 2 parts cranberry juice, 1 part rum and ½ part citrus-based liqueur. You can also swap rum for vodka and your liqueur with Amaretto.
CHOCOLATE MARTINI
There many recipes about wedding-cake-flavored cocktails but we would suggest one with a notch less calories and still a euphoria-generating fame. It’s quite certain that the majority of guests are chocolate-junkies and in that sense that’s the perfect cocktail. Mix 1 1/2 shots chocolate liqueur, 1 1/2 shots crème de cacao, and 1/2 shot vodka. Decoration can be equally seductive!
FOR HIM, FOR HER, FOR BOTH
Let’s think of par excellence girly cocktails such as Carrie Bradshaw’s Cosmopolitan, various Frozen Margaritas, Daiquiris, Mojitos, Pina Coladas and exotic Blue Curacao-based drinks. Ask your bartender to create one of those with a special twist. Then think of what guys want, and you’ll end up with lots of whiskey! Make for them a whiskey-based lemonade, since lemonades are quite popular wedding drinks! Mix 1 part sugar with 4 parts water, some fresh lemon juice, top it with whiskey, and serve with ice. A pomegranate Martini can, finally, be a drink for both; the intersection of sweet and feminine pomegranate with a men’s favorite spirit (vodka or white tequila) and a dash of tonic. Everybody loves it, and most reportedly Oprah!
