’Tis the season for engagements, which means planning the perfect wedding comes next. If you’re newly engaged, pinning down the signature drinks for wedding day can be a fun task to add to your to-do list. The best wedding cocktails personify the bride and groom but the options are endless.
Where should you begin? We’ve got some inspiration and a variety of terrific wedding cocktail recipes to help you get started.
Get signature wedding cocktail & drink inspiration delivered to your door!
Newly engaged? SipScout, The Crafty Cask’s monthly craft alcohol subscription box, is the perfect way to start your signature wedding drink journey. It’s also a fun monthly date night, complete with a virtual event, to escape the wedding planning chaos! With SipScout, you receive a craft mixology, wine, cider, spirits, or beer kit each month with enough booze and ingredients for two to share. What could be easier?
Choose a spirit you both love and create a signature cocktail just for you, or …
Go for TWO wedding signature cocktails! One featuring the bride’s favorite spirit, cocktail and personality and the other featuring the groom’s. Whether you share a love for one spirit and want ONE signature cocktail, or you prefer separate wedding signature cocktails, your favorite local mixologist can be a great resource. Our craft cocktail recipes page and YouTube Craft Cocktail Making channel also offer some great ideas.
Don’t forget – you don’t have to limit yourself to cocktails either. This is YOUR day! So you do you…signature craft beer, cider, wine, or whiskey. There’s always a way to bring it to life and make it your own.
Tie your wedding signature drinks into your theme and the season
The best wedding drinks complement not only the bride and groom but the spirit of the event itself. When mulling over cocktail or drink ideas for your wedding, look for inspiration in your theme, consider cocktails that match your color palette, and take the time of year into account.
For example, a classic martini—made your way with a signature garnish and choice of a craft vodka or gin you love—would be befitting of a more formal event. A mulled wine , a cider based cocktail, or even just a great craft cider you want to introduce everyone to would be ideal for a chilly fall day. Meanwhile your personal take on a gin or bourbon rickey can refresh guests in the heat of summer.
On a budget? The best wedding cocktails come in “batches”
Having an open bar can get spendy, so it’s best to simplify things if you’re watching your wedding budget. One way to contain costs is to restrict your hard liquor selections to two or three spirits (vodka, whisky, tequila), and also offer guests batch style versions of wedding signature cocktails. Our founder, Suzanne, actually did this at her own wedding in her 20s – she and her bridesmaids made a huge batch of her signature Sangria (representing her time in Spain and love of travel) for the bar to serve!
If you’re looking for a classic, signature wedding drink, the whiskey sour is not only popular and refreshing, it’s straightforward ingredients (whiskey, simple syrup, lemon juice, and/or orange juice) make for an ideal batched drink. Make it your own by selecting a special whiskey you both enjoy. We’re also a fan of this batched Boulevardier recipe featuring bourbon. You’ll find more insight on batched cocktails and batched recipes here.
Go traditional with bubbly signature drinks for wedding toasts
Every wedding worth its salt includes an endless number of toasts, many of which are accompanied by champagne or another bubbly tipple. Keep the bubbly tradition going with your own twist on a champagne cocktail or by subbing in Prosecco (a bubbly Italian wine), or Cava (a bubbly Spanish wine).
Day or morning wedding? Try a new twist on the mimosa (3 parts bubbly spirit, 1 part OJ). Make the mimosa your own with your favorite fruit juice (grapefruit, strawberry, cranberry, etc.) and a special garnish tied to your theme. Other bubbly drinks to explore include the Bellini (2 parts Prosecco, 1 part peach puree) and the Kir Royale (3 parts bubbly, 1 part Crème de Cassis), both of which we discuss in-depth here.
Don’t forget non-drinkers when choosing wedding signature drinks
Wedding guests who don’t imbibe often get overlooked when it comes to signature drinks for wedding celebrations. Many brides and grooms also prefer to go the non-alcoholic route, or at least offer their guests more beverage options. Forget Shirley Temples…your non-drinking guests deserve special drinks to celebrate your special day too! We take a deep dive into zero-proof cocktails here, and would also like to recommend one of our all-time favorite booze-free recipes, the zero-proof martini. Looking for something fruity? This zero-proof take on one bride’s favorite drink, the Mai Tai, is delish!
Taste-test curated craft cocktails for your wedding at home!
There’s no easier way to get signature drinks for wedding inspiration than opening a box filled with all the goodies an engaged couple needs to mix up some delicious craft cocktails and try new tipples at home. All you have to do is sign up for a subscription to SipScout, the only monthly craft alcohol subscription box in the U.S. Suzanne and Evan and the rest of the SipScout community can even help you brainstorm and come up with your signature drinks during the monthly virtual SipScout parties! What are you waiting for?
