Signature Drinks for Your Wedding
I was reading through an old copy of Indianapolis Monthly this morning and came across a gorgeous photo of a fabulous hibiscus flower champagne cocktail offered at one of our local restaurants, Petite Chou, and although I hadn't finished my first cup of joe, I thought... Alcohol! That's what I'll write about today!
I had a bride about a year ago who, rather than going with an open bar (a potentially disasterous, not to mention expensive) had a champagne bar with four different signature champagne cocktails. I thought not only is this a cute idea, but it is a great way to save a little money, and to continue a theme throughout the entire event. After all, if people are going to get tipsy, they might as well do it with your style and grace at the helm, right?
So first is the hibiscus flower cocktail:
Wild Hibiscus Flower Garnish
2/3 oz. Wild Hibiscus Flower Syrup
5 oz champagne
~Pour syrup, flower, and champagne into chilled champagne glass~
You can purchase wild hibiscus flowers in syrup from WildHibiscus.com a jar with enough flowers and syrup to make 50 cocktails is $35.00 (a steal for such a fabulous presentation)! Create a champagne bar by including Bellini's, Poinsettia's and Ritzy' Raspberry Revelry's... find recipes for these, and 47 other fabulous champagne cocktails here.
Although I don't partake as often as I once did, I have been known to enjoy a little vodka here and there, and Grey Goose is by far my favorite. The Grey Goose Summer Garden cocktail would be a perfect addition to a vodka bar.
Grey Goose® Summer Garden Cocktail:
1 1/4 parts GREY GOOSE® Vodka
3/4 parts Sambuca®
1/4 part Pernod®
1 oz chilled water
edible dried lavendar for garnish
~Add all liquids in a shaker filled with ice, shake, and strain into a chilled glass~
Other yummy drinks to include in your Vodka bar: Amour Rouge, Lemon Drop (a personal fav), and the Piedmont Peach. For recipes, click here
*** In addition to mixed vodka drinks at your signature vodka bar, a new trend is to create infused vodkas using fruits and herbs and spices. How about a cinnamon-apple infused vodka, or a lemon-blueberry infused vodka... I am so going to have to try this at home!
Place ingredients in a large botttle, pour over vodka, and let the concoction sit for about 2 weeks prior to using. Be sure to strain well through a cheesecloth to remove any particles.
A tequila bar doesn't have to be just shots of Patron or your everyday margarita. Try the Tequila Sunrise
2 oz Tequila
4 oz orange juice
3/4 oz grenadine
~Mix tequila and orange juice in a glass. Using a flat handled spoon, add the grenadine quickly allowing it to run down the back side of the spoon so it sinks to the bottom. It will slowly rise up creating the sunrise effect~
Other tequila pleasures to try: the Agave Kiss (a yummy chocolatey, raspberry taste of heaven), the Cantarino, and the Old Lay.
A tequila bar doesn't have to be just shots of Patron or your everyday margarita. Try the Tequila Sunrise
2 oz Tequila
4 oz orange juice
3/4 oz grenadine
~Mix tequila and orange juice in a glass. Using a flat handled spoon, add the grenadine quickly allowing it to run down the back side of the spoon so it sinks to the bottom. It will slowly rise up creating the sunrise effect~
Other tequila pleasures to try: the Agave Kiss (a yummy chocolatey, raspberry taste of heaven), the Cantarino, and the Old Lay.
Pic courtesy of Colonel Tiki's Drinks
Or rather than choosing a drink based on a theme (your color scheme, or type of alcohol), choose a signature cocktail based on something relevant to your courtship-- it can be a non-alcoholic Orange Julius because that's where you met, or maybe a margarita because your favorite restaurant is El Pollo Loco (I know they don't serve alcohol, but mexican food and margarita's naturally go together). Mine would be the 7 & 700-- a concoction my husband and I came up with early in our relationship when we ran out of 7-up and substituted Schmirnoff Ice in our Seagrams 7 & 7's. It's tasty, but hurts in the morning ;)
Not sure what kind of drink could be your signature? Check out Stirrings. The stirrings site makes choosing a drink based on your event theme a breeze. Simply choose your event type, your color scheme, and your preferred drink type (shaken, stirred, etc.) and voila! A list of drink possibilities pops up! So cool!
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2 comments:
Wow!! All these cocktails are great. Loved hibiscus flower cocktail and planning to have tasty cocktail drinks for my wedding which is arranged at San Francisco wedding venues. These drinks will be refreshing for everyone. Thanks for these lovely beverages ideas.
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