Because the ain't no party like a wedding party.... especially in 2021.
For the past year, weddings haven't been the same. They've still been full of love and sentiment, family and friends (albeit a lot fewer of them that you may have hoped for), but safety, concern, limitations and restrictions were the new order of the day instead of fun, freedom and dance floors full of happy, tipsy people. Thankfully, there is light at the end of the tunnel -- and by that we mean wedding parties as we remember them.
Why are we excited by this? Easy. Because as lovely, beautiful, chic, stylish, white and wonderful as your big day may look, weddings are also a chance for you to celebrate your totally unique love story and the fact you found your soul mate. Translation: your wedding is the day you get to dance with your best friends, hug your favourite family members and party with your fiancé as you can drink middle-of-the-range wine, gorge on delicious food and then take to our dance floor to pull out all your cheesiest moves as the DJ plays the most infectious wedding songs from your late teenage-years. That’s what a wedding should feel like.
Of course, if you really want to impress your guests, loosen them up after the ceremony, have them giggling like school kids at the back of the classroom and then get them dancing like no one is watching, the best thing you can do is serve them a signature cocktail. This is your chance to add some fun to your wedding planning, get creative with your details and add a touch of personality to your big day.
And to help you out, we asked some of our favourite suppliers and local bartenders for some wedding cocktail inspiration. We’ve even thrown in a few fun name suggestions for good measure. Enjoy.
1. Drunk in Love
If you’ve planned to walk down the aisle in the height of summer, then you need a cocktail that’s going to burst to life with seasonal fruits, the kind that will refresh your guests while making their taste buds dance; fruits like strawberry and watermelon, which is where drunk in love comes in.
Start off by blending some strawberries and watermelon together.
Then throw in an unhealthy dash of vodka.
Once this is all done, spice it up with a few hints of basil, lime and ginger. Mmmm.
2. Berry Happy Ever After
When it comes to summery drinks, only one thing beats the classic sangria and that’s a Berry Happy Ever After Sangria. This is a tipple that oozes sophistication, sexiness and fun in equal measures, and that’s what every good marriage is built on.
Get yourself a nice bottle of dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc is best), some elderflower liqueur and pour into a pitcher.
Stir in some fresh peaches, strawberries, raspberries and white grapes.
Let that fruit soak in for at least 15-minutes.
Serve with lots of ice and top it off with some micro-marigolds for an extra pinch of wow.
3. Kindred Spirits
If you want to throw the wedding fiesta of all wedding fiestas, you’re going to need a cocktail that will make your guests get up and dance, and there is no one better at this than Mr. Margarita. There is something about a tequila-infused sipper that fills people with confidence, especially when that tequila is mixed with the fruits from a faraway paradise. Trust us: no guest is going to complain about this margarita arriving in their hand.
First things first, you need to get your hands on some delicious Blanco Mezcal.
Once you’ve found the one, throw in some passion fruit puree, fresh lime, pressed pineapple, agave syrup and a pinch of sea salt.
Shake these magical ingredients in a shaker and then strain into a glass over ice.
4. White Wedding
When it comes to getting hitched in an uptown city - stars twinkling above as the street lights below glimmer like an inverted night sky - it only makes sense for you to serve a cocktail inspired by Sex and the City; the Cosmopolitan. It’s fun, fruity and impossibly daring. If, however, you want to make the cosmo a little more chic and stylish, we urge you to try this White Wedding Cosmopolitan.
For the perfect blend, mix two parts vodka with one part St. Germain.
Once you’ve done this, add a healthy dose of lime juice and a splash of - wait for it - white cranberry juice.
Shake these ingredients well and then serve in martini glasses with a small orchid blossom. After all, romance is in the details.
5. Blue Me Away
“Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue” - that’s how the wedding tradition goes. But unless you’re into showstopping blooms, daring shoes or out there jewellery, finding something blue can be a tricky task. Unless you make it about your signature cocktail, that is. And not just any cocktail, but a modern twist on the classic mojito. Fresh, fruity and perfect for the dance floor.
Get your hands on a bottle of delicious white rum and add enough lime juice to make your eyes fizz.
Pour in some cane syrup and then add your mint.
To top it off, throw in some fresh blueberries, shave some ice and add a colourful paper straw. Delicious.
6. The Blushing Bride
Sometimes - just sometimes - there is only one drink worth raising in the air to toast your big day with and that’s the bubbly-stuff. It’s what champagne was made for. As Perignon himself is alleged to have said, “Come quick, I am tasting the stars.” Yeah, if you are looking to impress your guests it has to be champagne; the drink that makes anything possible. But don’t just serve it as is; put your own little mark on this almost perfect tipple by turning it into a Blushing Bride.
Pour some chilled passion-fruit nectar into a flute and then carefully add your favourite champagne, along with a tiny splash of grenadine.
Once you’ve done this, refrain from stirring. Instead, just leave it. Let it blend on its own accord.
Once it’s turned a delicate shade of pink, top it off with a few huckleberries and serve it to your thirsty loved ones.
7. About Thyme My Sweet
Nothing makes a wedding more special than teeny-tiny details that celebrate the gorgeous couple and the idiosyncrasies that make their love-story unique, and that’s exactly what a cheekily named cocktail does. For those that have had a rocky journey, it might be a Devotion Potion, while those that have had a whirlwind romance could prefer an Orange Crush. For the childhood sweethearts that waited year after year after year before deciding to get married though, what could be more delicious than a vodka lemonade twist called About Thyme My Sweet?
All you need is some fresh (sliced) strawberries, sugar, posh lemonade and the all-important Strawberry Shortcake Vodka.
Once you’ve blended it all together, pour over ice and decorate with a chopped strawberry and tiny pinch of thyme.
8. Mint-to-be Mojito
If you're looking to give your guests a bit va va voom while making them feel refreshed, you really can't beat this classic Cuban cocktail. They're so full of flavour that they've become world-famous, and they so revitalising they'll be a welcome tipple for your guests for those hot sunny summer weddings. And the best part: there are so many different combinations you can play around with, all celebrating fresh mint, white rum, sugar, zesty lime and cooling soda water.
Muddle the lime juice, sugar and mint leaves in a small jug, crushing the mint as you go – you can use the end of a rolling pin for this. Pour into a tall glass and add a handful of ice.
Pour over the rum, stirring with a long-handled spoon. Top up with soda water, garnish with mint and serve.
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