You’ve found the perfect venue, a great caterer, and the best bar choice for your wedding. All that’s left is figuring out if you want to have a signature drink for your wedding.
Do you have an idea of what you want (like a Moscow Mule, Sangria, Rum Punch, or a Whiskey Sour)? Do you even want to have a signature drink, or is it too much of a bother since you’ll have to consider ingredients, garnish, and a bartender?
Let’s discuss everything about signature drinks for a wedding and even offer a few suggestions!
Why Do You Need a Signature Drink or Cocktail?
You don’t technically need a signature drink, but they can really elevate your wedding. It has some extra benefits too.
One of the most important is that having a signature cocktail at your wedding reception can save you money. Not only does having a special drink look cool, but it helps with your budget too.
How?
It has everything to do with the kind of bar you’re offering. Weddings and alcohol tend to go hand and hand.
Some couples try to save money by offering a limited bar of beer, wine, and a few mixed drinks with tequila or vodka, for example. Doing this saves the couple money compared to having an open bar where guests can order anything for free.
It can also make it easier for guests because they don’t have a lot of options to choose from. It will mean shorter wait times because people aren’t spending five minutes deciding what they want to drink.
Can You Have More Than One Signature Drink or Cocktail?
Of course! Many people will have a drink that represents each half of the couple: a groom’s drink and a bride’s drink type of thing, and maybe a third option for both of them.
It’s also great to provide more than one because it gives your guests more options to choose from.
Of course, if you have a small number of guests at your wedding, it’s okay to do one signature drink. If you have a large number of people coming, you can do more than two.
Think about what will work best for you and your guests.
What To Think About When Picking a Signature Drink or Cocktail
Here are a few considerations to take into account when choosing your signature cocktail.
Is There a Drink That Has Special Meaning to You or Your Partner?
Is there a drink you had on your first date? Was there a drink when the proposal happened? Did you meet at a bar?
These questions are to find out if there’s an easy answer for a signature drink idea. If the answer is yes to any of the questions above, it will make a great drink idea.
People love hearing about love stories, and if your drink has one, people will be excited to taste it and learn more.
If you don’t have a special drink, don’t worry. There are plenty of other ways to decide what signature drink would be perfect for your wedding.
What Do You Like To Drink?
This may seem obvious, but it’s easy to forget about you and your partner when planning your wedding.
Ask yourself, “What do I like to drink?”
Do you and your partner have a special type of alcohol you like drinking, do you have a favorite mixed drink or cocktail, or do you not care?
While it’s important to keep your guests in mind, remember it’s your wedding, not theirs.
Do You Want To Represent Your Personalities?
Some couples choose to go with drinks that match their personalities. Maybe one of you is bubbly or colorful — Lemon Lavender is a match made in heaven. Maybe one of you is more serious — our New Fashioned is the perfect apéritif.
You can communicate these aspects of your personality through drinks.
You can have a little board at the bar explaining why you picked these drinks.
Does Your Wedding Have a Theme?
If your wedding has a theme, you can have signature drinks that match that theme. For example, if you have a color theme, you can find drinks that match those colors.
If your theme is seasonal, such as a fall wedding, there are plenty of seasonally-themed cocktails to go with your wedding.
Basically, there’s a drink that can go with almost every type of theme.
If you don’t have a theme, you can still make any drink wedding-themed by renaming it something cute and loving.
How Much Alcohol Are You Having at Your Wedding?
What kind of bar are you offering to your guests? If you’re going to offer a lot of alcohol, then maybe offer some low alcohol by volume cocktails to help minimize the chance of any embarrassing actions due to alcohol.
If your bar will have mostly beer and wine, it’s not a bad idea to offer drinks with a higher ABV, so people loosen up and talk with one another.
It’s about striking the right balance.
Do You Want an Original Cocktail?
If you or someone close to you has a background in bartending, it may be a fun idea to create an original cocktail for your wedding.
It’s not necessary, though, and don’t stress out if you can’t come up with an idea. Many people will just take a classic drink and make a new name for it that suits the wedding.
Some Signature Cocktail Suggestions
If you’re trying to come up with signature cocktails, we have a few creative ideas for you here.
The Something Blue Cocktail
“Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue” is almost like a magic spell for weddings. While this refers to what the bride is wearing, someone was clever enough to think, “What if we made a drink out of that?” Thus, this cocktail was born.
Some people might be worried that having a blue cocktail could look bad, but put it in a champagne flute, and it’s classy and fun!
It’s made of Hpnotiq Liqueur (which tastes fruity), white wine, and ginger ale. It’s 17 percent ABV, meaning it’ll be fun to drink but not too much fun if you know what we mean.
The Diamond Martini
Everybody loves a good martini! This is a twist on the classic cocktail.
It’s made of pre-chilled vodka, chilled dry vermouth, and a lemon twist. It’s 39% ABV making it a very strong drink. If you chose this for your wedding, make sure you also have other choices that are less alcoholic.
Peachy Blushing Bride
Champagne is always a good choice for weddings, and it’s good for cocktails too. The Blushing Bride is no exception.
It’s made of peach schnapps, grenadine, and Champagne. Some people will make this drink with other red fruits like cherries, pomegranate, and strawberries.
It has a low ABV of 12%.
Wedding Cake Cocktail
Have your cake and drink it too! This sweet cocktail is full of flavor that may take your guests by surprise because it’s so fruity.
It’s made of gin, amaretto liqueur, orange juice, pineapple juice, and cream. It has an ABV of eight percent, making it perfect for people who want a second glass.
Tuxedo Cocktail
It’s always about the dress at weddings, but what about the suits? This cocktail is a nod to how great a perfectly tailored tuxedo looks.
It’s made of gin, dry vermouth, maraschino liqueur, anise liquor, and bitters. It has an ABV of 24%.
Italian Spritz
While not having a wedding-themed name, an Italian Spritz is very versatile and great for weddings. Depending on the apéritif you choose as your base, this drink can be made in a variety of colors. This is great if you want to match your drinks to your wedding’s colors.
It’s easy to make and is on the lower end of alcoholic cocktails. It’s made of an apéritif of your choice, prosecco, and club soda. It’s got an ABV of around 11%, again depending on the apéritif you choose.
Other Great Cocktails Options for a Signature Cocktail
Here is a list of other great cocktails you can rename so that it’s more on theme with your wedding.
- Old Fashioned
- Cosmopolitan
- Mint Julep
- Daiquiri
- Hot Toddy
- French 75
- Mimosa
- Tom Collins
- Bloody Mary
What a Signature Cocktail Should Not Be
We’ve talked a lot about what a cocktail should be, but let’s take a moment to talk about what it shouldn’t be.
A good signature cocktail shouldn’t be too boozy. A little bit of alcohol is great for loosening people up, but too much will have guests asleep at their tables.
It also should taste good. Sometimes people drink to get drunk, and that’s fine for at home, but not at a wedding. People drink at weddings to enjoy themselves, which means the drinks should be tasty!
Cheers to You and Your Partner!
Ultimately, your wedding is to celebrate you and your partner. If you both want a signature drink, have fun picking one or two of them. Taste tasting will be a great way to relieve some stress from planning.
Sources:
10 Easy Wedding Cocktails | The Spruce Eats
