Signature Cocktails Wedding Guests Will Love – Tons of Ideas in this Post!

Ideas for Signature Cocktails Wedding Guests Will Love

One of the more personalized ways to put your own stamp on your wedding reception is to serve signature cocktails that reflect your wedding theme or mood, or makes a statement about your style as a couple. This is one of the hottest style trends for wedding receptions. Its a another way to make your wedding more memorable and really help to make it your own. Your wedding guests will be so impressed!

Have some fun with the various flavors and colors of the drink. One option is to customize your signature cocktails to match your wedding colors.

Signature Cocktails for wedding receptions began as a high-end wedding trend, all in the name of style. Couples offer guests a signature cocktail, in addition to having a full open bar. However…

Here’s an insider’s tip used by the savviest of pro wedding planners: Signature cocktails can actually be used to reduce your bar bill and help you save money on your wedding reception.

Here’s how:

Instead of offering a full open bar, serve your own signature cocktails along with a selection of non-alcoholic beverages. If you want, you could even offer your guests a choice from two different signature cocktails for a little variety. Experience shows that bar consumption actually goes way down with this approach, and that means a much lower bar bill.

You get to hold your head high as a proper and gracious host, your reception has class and style, and you save money in the process. This is a MUCH better option that going the cash bar route. Unlike the cash bar alternative, this is considered perfectly proper, a show of good manners towards your guests (guests should never have to pay for anything at a wedding), and is very much in keeping with the rules of wedding etiquette.

Another idea: If you are having a DIY Wedding, or need to be creative with your budget, you can forgo the expense of a bartender and have a serve-yourself bar with premixed signature cocktails that guests pour for themselves from pitchers on a drink table ( new spin on the old punch-bowl).

Need signature cocktail ideas for your wedding?

One way to come up with ideas is to build a signature cocktail around your favorite spirit (what do you like to drink – vodka, rum, gin….).

Or look for cocktails that complement your wedding colors.

Be sure to also offer an nonalcoholic, or “mocktail” version for those who prefer not to imbibe.

In this post we’ve got some specific suggestions and ideas for signature cocktails that are perfect for weddings. Browse these ideas for signature cocktails to find one that’s perfect for your reception.

Signature Cocktail: Wedding Cupcake Martini

How to Make a “Cupcake Martini” Signature Cocktail

Start with two dessert plates and spread a thin layer of frosting onto one plate and colorful pastel candy sprinkles onto another. We colored the frosting pink to match the color of our drinks.

Dip your martini glass rim into the frosting and slightly twist covering the rim with the frosting. Then roll the rim into the sprinkles and set aside.
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine 1 oz. cake vodka, 1 oz. white chocolate liqueur and 2 ounces of half and half. For a lighter version of the drink you can use coconut milk or 2% milk.
If you want to have a colorful pastel drink, add a few drops of food coloring of your choice. Be sure and test the color into a small cup before pouring it all into your glass. Shake and strain into your prepared martini glass.

Signature Cocktail: Jazz Soirée

The Jazz Soiree is a perfect choice as a signature cocktail at a wedding with a jazz theme, or where jazz music is featured. This could also be a great signature cocktail wedding drink at a reception with a pink or peach color scheme – or for the couple who is known to love their peach vodka!

Recipe:

– 2 parts Fruitland Augusta GA Peach Vodka

– 2 parts cranberry juice

– 1/4 – 1/2 part lime juice

– 1 part simple syrup

Mix all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain into either a chilled martini glass or over ice into a rocks glass.

Wedding Signature Cocktail – Sparkling White Cranberry Sangria

Photo & Recipe Credit

Recipe

Serves 6 to 8

1/4 cup sugar
1 cup rum, like Selvarey or another high-quality white rum
1 cup diced red apple
1 cup diced green apple
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 bottle Chardonnay, un-oaked or lightly oaked, chilled
1 cup white cranberry juice, chilled
2 cups club soda, chilled
Lemon twist for garnish

In a large pitcher, combine the sugar and rum and stir to dissolve. Add the apples, cranberries, Chardonnay, and white cranberry juice. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, add the club soda and stir to combine. Pour into ice-filled glasses and scoop in some of the fruit. Top each glass with a lemon twist.

Recipe Notes

Frozen cranberries were used, but you can also use fresh. If you use fresh, your sangria will be more pink-tinted, as the berries bleed their color into the juice.
Using an oak-aged Chardonnay will give the sangria more buttery flavors. Un-oaked for a cleaner, lighter, more refreshing sangria.
You can also serve this sangria immediately, but the flavors won’t have as much time to mingle and mellow.

Summer Wedding Cocktails

Credit: lifeasastrawberry.com

Blackberry Whiskey Lemonade

Serves 4-5

For the Blackberry Simple Syrup:

12 oz. fresh blackberries
½ cup sugar
Put the blackberries and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until blackberries have softened and you have a thick syrup.
Strain syrup through a mesh sieve to separate any seeds or lumps from the syrup. You can discard the leftover pulp, although I like to freeze it in ice cube trays and pop a cube or two in smoothies.
Let syrup cool on the counter for 20 minutes or so before you make the drinks.

For the Blackberry Whiskey Lemonade:

7.5 oz. whiskey
7.5 oz. lemon juice
1 large rosemary sprig
6 oz. blackberry simple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a large shaker and add a handful or two of ice cubes. Depending on the size of your shaker, you may have to shake the drinks in two batches. 2.Shake to combine and chill drinks. 3. Pour over ice into glasses and serve.

NOTES:

Lighten the drinks up a bit (and stretch them to serve more people!) by topping each drink off with a splash of tonic water or sparkling wine.

Fresh, in-season blackberries are generally so juicy that you don’t really need water as an added liquid for this simple syrup – you just have to give them enough time to do their thing and release all their juices! If you’d like to speed the cooking process or if your berries are on the drier side, add ½ cup water to the syrup and cook normally.

Use basil instead of rosemary for a fun twist!

For a stronger herb flavor, add a sprig or two of rosemary to the syrup while it cooks.

You can substitute other liquors for the whiskey in this recipe if you like – personally, though, I love the depth of flavor that whiskey or bourbon bring to this cocktail!

Signature Cocktail for a Summer Wedding: Red Sangria

Recipe and Photo Credit: chefsavvy.com

¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water
1 bottle red dry table wine
½ cup brandy
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 whole apple, sliced
1 whole orange, sliced
1 cup strawberries, sliced

Add sugar and water to a small saucepan. Over medium high heat bring the mixture to a boil. Cook until sugar is fully dissolved. Allow to cool.
Add red wine, brandy, pomegranate juice, apples, oranges, and strawberries to a large pitcher.
Add in cooled simple syrup and stir. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for best results overnight.

Pineapple Sunset Summer Wedding Cocktail

Recipe and Photo Credit: chefsavvy.com

Ice
1 cup pineapple juice
3 ounces vodka
1 ounce grenadine
Maraschino cherries
Splash of sparkling water

Begin by filling each glass with ice.
Top with pineapple juice and vodka. Stir to combine
Add grenadine and top with a splash of sparkling water
Garnish with maraschino cherries.

Signature drinks for summer weddings: Summer Wedding Cocktails

Watermelon-Champagne Cocktail. …
Muddled Lemonberryade. …
Green Tea and Orange Cooler. …
Cucumber-Jalapeno Margarita. …
Tequila Sangria. …
Mojitos for a Crowd. …
Homemade Peach Iced Tea.

Fall Wedding Signature Drinks

Photo Credit: paleomg.com

Fall Wedding Signature Drink: Spiked Apple Cider

1/4 gallon apple cider
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup cinnamon schnapps
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cut into large chunks
1/2 lemon, juiced

Directions:
Mix together the cider, rum, and schnapps in a large pitcher.
Add the apples to a small bowl and toss them with the lemon juice.
Thread the diced apples onto skewers.
Pour the spiked cider into glasses filled with ice, then garnish with an apple skewer and serve.

Fall Wedding Signature Drink: Cranberry Margaritas

Photo and Recipe via gimmesomeoven

How to Make Festive Cranberry Margaritas for a Fall Wedding (or a Holiday Season Wedding)

1 1/2 cups cranberry juice (I recommend using a brand that is 100% juice)
3/4 cup fresh lime juice
3/4 cup tequila
1/2 cup orange-flavored liqueur, such as Cointreau or Triple Sec
ice cubes

Stir all ingredients together until blended. Serve over ice in sugar- or salt-rimmed glasses, garnished with fresh cranberries and lime wedges if desired.

Pumpkin Margarita: Fall Wedding Signature Drink

Photo Credit: sandandsisal

Recipe Created by SuperWeddings.com

3 oz chilled whipped cream

2 oz vodka

1 ½ tsp half and half

2 Tbsp maple syrup

¾ tsp pumpkin spice

¼ tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp pumpkin puree

2 Tbsp sugar
Garnish:

Whipped Cream
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Brown Sugar
Maple Syrup

Combine sugar and ½ tsp of the pumpkin pie spice on a flat plate. Rim two martini glasses with the spice sugar. On a separate small plate pour a few tablespoons of maple syrup. Dip each martini glass rim into maple syrup then immediately into the brown sugar/spice mixture. Pour 1.5 oz of chilled Whipped Cream vodka into the 4 oz martini glass. Combine vodka, half and half, maple syrup, ¼ tsp pumpkin spice, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree in a shaker filled with ice. Shake thoroughly and strain into rimmed martini glasses. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and serve.

How to Make Rose Garnishes for Signature Cocktails at a Wedding

A gorgeous idea from Martha Stewart for signature cocktails. Wedding guests will be greeted at the reception with Champagne served up in long-stemmed elegant champagne flutes with a real, miniature pink rose positioned at the rim of the glass for garnish. Incredibly elegant!

To make these tiny rose garnishes, insert a toothpick into the base of each rose, at an angle of not quite 45 degrees. Cut the stems about 1 inch shorter than the length of the toothpick; you may need to adjust length depending on the weight of the rose. Place each toothpick just inside the rim of the champagne glass, letting the roses balance delicately on top edge of the glass.

Your guessed will be beyond impressed! A great idea for serving champagne at a bridal shower or engagement party too.

A fun and fabulous signature cocktail for wedding receptions, simply top champagne with cotton candy! It looks amazing, yet is so easy to do, and WOW, what wow factor! Who doesn’t love unique wedding ideas like this? Imagine how your guests wedding react when you plunk one of these in their hands at the reception! For this wedding, the cotton candy was blue, but you can use any color of cotton candy you can get your hands on (pink, purple, green, yellow…). Or, stick with blue regardless of your wedding colors, and let your signature cocktail be your “something blue”! This ranks as one of the coolest reception ideas we’ve seen in a while. Photo: Kate Headley, Southern Living Magazine.