Signature cocktails can be whatever you want. Choose your favorite spirit and consider your theme, your colors, and the season! Here are some of my favorite pairings of wedding themes and signature cocktails.
Southern Summer Time
If you have a hot, summertime wedding, consider the essential margarita or a refreshing gin fizz. Watermelon Margarita is made with fresh watermelon and is beautiful. The Black Berry Gin Fizz is just as gorgeous. You can put either in a pretty, delicate glass, but if you can, try some pressed tea glasses for a picnic feel. There are also beautiful presentations in jelly jars like the old timey ones with the wicker like pattern. The more outdoor, southern, and country you get with your wedding theme, the more it will make your presentation choice for you. And if you are doing the Berry Fizz, drop in some whole berries and a sprig of mint. There is also a Bourbon Fizz that combines our favorite bourbon with OJ, amaretto, club soda, and a splash of anise.
Another drink I’ll drop on you is the Sparkling Julep. All you need is champagne, a sugar cube dropped into the bottom, and a sprig of mint.
Winter White Wedding
At a white wedding, think of White Russians. These rich concoctions are a crowd pleaser, and you can tailor them by adding coffee liqueur or swapping out the vodka for bourbon. Make it more stylish or custom by adding a rim of sugar and espresso or a few drops of orange oil. There are dozens of tasty variations and they can come in cognac glasses to tumblers. You can go as creamy looking as you want. I have a tendency to think white Russians are more appealing towards winter time, so a White Nun variation that uses hot coffee cream sounds perfect for a cozy white wedding. There are variations you can make that have vanilla bean cream flavor if you prefer more vanilla and less coffee.
Christmas Time Wedding
Pomegranate Caipiroska with vodka, lime, seltzer, and sugar is a beautiful drink that you can add whole cranberries to for garnish. It’s a pretty red without being dark. Vodka like gin is a crowd pleaser largely because it is colorless and odorless so it goes down easy. People will largely taste the lime and pomegranate. Pomegranate is a wonderful addition, but so is cranberry juice.
Inspiration to Tailor Your Own
If you love champagne, remember fruit juices go beautifully with it, and a splash of any syrup can sweeten and alter the color from the lightest pink to a dark ruby. Also, a sprig of lavender in champagne is beautiful, complementary in smell, and can also be French. There are dozens of champagne cocktails that are super easy to produce and all look perfect in a champagne flute.
Gin and Vodka are always good starters when you don’t know if your crowd is really into spirits or not. Because they are odorless and colorless, you can just add a splash of this and that with a sprig of garnish and call it a day. Match the color, garnish, and glass all to your wedding theme.
Bourbon is wonderful, but bourbon isn’t for everybody, so unless you know your crowd, this might be a bar option only. That goes for whiskey (or whiskey) for the Northern East Coast Irish crowd. Know your bourbon or whiskey brand intimately before proceeding with a cocktail. It might be a barn burner if you fruit someone’s favorite bourbon. On the other hand, there are dozens of great mixed drinks for bourbon that are awesome.
Tequilas very greatly in all aspects, so make sure you are very specific with the brand. A tequila makes or breaks a mixed drink because nothing overpowers it if it is just raw. And with so many independent tequila makers, you can say a lot about who you are by who you choose to mix with.
Have fun.
And especially, cruise the internet of cocktails because I guarantee you will be inspired to design your own signature cocktail.
Considering cost? Peruse my previous post Cost of Signature Cocktails Versus Open Bar. It is no only about how signature cocktails can cost compared to open bars, but how much other options can cost, such as champagne towers, limited bars, and beer and wine tables.
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