For brides on a budget, a signature wedding cocktail can be a great way to go. At your wedding reception, rather than having an open bar, serve your guests beer and wine, champagne for the toast, and then one special cocktail. Make sure it has a fun and flirty name, and consider making a festive sign announcing it for the bar.
Here are a few suggestions for that signature wedding cocktail:
Love is in the Air
2 oz. sloe gin
2 dashes raspberry syrup
2 dashes lemon juice
1 egg white
Put all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake well, strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Drop a raspberry in the glass for a special touch.
Wedding Belle Cocktail
3/4 oz Dubonnet
3/4 oz Gin
1 Dash of Cherry Brandy
1 Dash of Orange Juice
Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.
Sealed with a Kiss
2 oz chocolate liqueur such as Godiva or Crème de Cacao
1.5 oz vodka
Hershey's Kiss
Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice,shake well, and pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Put a Hershey's Kiss in the bottom for the added love touch.
Hot Romance
1 1/2 oz rum
2 oz cranberry juice
2 oz orange juice
Pour all ingredients into a cocktail glass over ice. Stir and serve with an orange slice.
And, if you already have a favorite cocktail, feel free to rename it with a cute wedding-appropriate name.
If cocktails are not your thing, try a wedding punch. Almost any punch can be a wedding punch, but here are two examples. The first is the luxurious version, the second is more budget-minded. Make sure you have more chilled ingredients standing by in case your guests are thirsty!
Elegant Wedding Punch
Makes 16 cups
1/2 cup Chambord raspberry
1 cup Triple Sec
1 cup Brandy
2 cups pineapple juice
1 liter of ginger ale
2 bottles dry champagne
The night before the wedding, chill the ginger ale and the dry champagne. Combine the Chambord, Triple Sec, brandy and pineapple juice in a bowl, cover, and chill overnight. When ready to serve, combine all ingredients and serve in a pretty bowl with ice cubes.
Traditional Wedding Punch
Makes 20 cups
2 cups vodka
4 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
4 cups unsweetened cranberry juice
64 oz ginger ale
2 cups sugar
Mix all ingredients together and serve in a large punch bowl with plenty of ice. Adjust vodka and sugar to your taste. If you are using sweetened juices, you may choose to forgo the sugar altogether.
