Wedding Party Guide

If you are like me then you LOVE the unique and creative side weddings bring out in people. Everyone wants to do something special or just a bit different to separate their day from all the others in their life (and sometimes from the big day of everyone else ). I love this even more when it comes out in the drink selection at the reception. So without further ado, here are my choices for the top five wedding party drinks and the way I mix them:

5. Shirley Temple – This makes the list because you always need a special drink for the little ones, the designated drivers, and the recovering alcoholics. Not to mention it is pretty tasty, all things considered.

How I mix it:

Fill a highball glass with ice. Fill with ginger ale (when you fill a cocktail glass you leave about 2 fingers width from the top of the glass) and add 1/4 oz of grenadine. Garnish with a citrus slice and a cherry.

4. Bellini – This version of the Champagne cocktail with a twist of peach is a favorite of women everywhere, and quite a few men too

How I mix it:

In a Champagne flute, add the puree of 1 peach and slowly pour chilled Champagne until the flute is full. Garnish with a slice of peach, of course.

3. The Something Blue – Every bride needs something blue, right? Well, this is a something blue that can actually assist her in getting up the nerve to marry that loser. This is a newer drink from Hpnotiq, but it fits in well.

How I mix it:

In a Champagne flute, add 2 oz of Hpnotiq, then 2 oz of white wine, and last an once of ginger ale. No garnish

2. The Mojito – This traditionally Cuban summertime rum drink is a favorite of party goers and the deep south. It is a refreshing classic that works well with spring and summer weddings.

How I mix it:

You want to muddle (lightly mash) a couple of mint leaves with about 2 teaspoons of sugar and a splash of soda water. Once you start to smell the mint and the sugar is dissolved you want to add between 2 and 3 ounces of a light rum. Shake with ice and pour over an iced highball glass. Fill with soda water and garnish with a sprig of mint.

1. Colorado Bulldog – That’s right, another classic drink. When I learned to make this drink I thought it sounded awful. When my girlfriend asked me to make one I thought she was nuts. When I drank it, I was wrong! If it is mixed correctly it tastes like a well made chocolate milkshake with a hint of coffee. This is my choice for the number 1 wedding drink, at least for this season, because everyone will be drinking it at my wedding this May

How I mix it:

Fill a Collins glass with ice. Pour one ounce of vodka and one ounce of Kahlua. Add one ounce of creme, and fill with Coke. Chocolate shavings as a garnish if you like as a twist, but the classic doesn’t call for a garnish. You can roll the drink (pour it into a mixing tin and then back in your glass) if you would like a more consistent flavor.

Enjoy!