Let’s face it. We all love Pinterest – it’s great for all sorts of wedding inspiration and fun ideas to incorporate. We also love trends and the growing craft cocktail scene, both around bars and online for the at-home bartender.
However, when it comes to choosing a signature cocktail for your wedding, choosing wisely can create a seamless bar service that pumps out delicious cocktails, quickly. While not considering the weather, the duration, the time it takes to make each cocktail, and the strength of each can create a traffic jam and an unpleasant experience for you, your guests, and even the venue.
We’ve put together a list of our top 5 cocktails to avoid choosing. Don’t worry, if you love these cocktails, we’ve included alternatives that will still scratch that itch of the cocktail you love, but still be a great option for a large party.
At the end of the day, it’s your wedding, so do what you want and what makes you happy – but this is just our advice as mobile bartenders who have been serving weddings for 11+ years with over 1000 weddings under our belt – and countless 5-star reviews.Â
A few things to consider when choosing the perfect signature cocktail:
- Weather. Will it be a hot summer day or a mid-winter wedding? If it’s a summer wedding, choose something served on ice that is refreshing and will cool your guests off while outside in the sun or hot reception hall. If it’s a mid-winter wedding, something that’ll warm them up, or uses seasonal ingredients.
- Time to Make. Find a cocktail that doesn’t require a lot of shaking, requires a complicated build with 5+ ingredients, or can’t be pre-batched in bulk – even if that means just combining all the juices or “mixer” part of the drink together ahead of time so it can be made as quickly as a 2-ingredient cocktail.
- Cost + Availability of Ingredients. Try not to choose a cocktail that requires overly-expensive or hard-to-find ingredients. That is the biggest budget killer when it comes to shopping for your menu.
- Length of Event. Spirit heavy cocktails may be a great choice for a nice dinner, but maybe not the best for 100 guests drinking for 6-hours straight. Choose something that is more “sessionable” – meaning where you can drink throughout the event, without passing out half-way through.
- Dietary Restrictions. Consider offering a cocktail that can be adjusted for dietary restrictions – especially if you have guests that can’t have a lot of sugar, or are watching calories. Or if you have close friends who are vegan or have allergies. Consider choosing something where it has everything that you want, but the sugary lemon-lime soda can be swapped for club soda, or leave out the honey, pineapple, and lavender for those allergic, or cream if they are vegan.
- Balance. Find something that is refreshing, that adds a nice mix acidity, sweetness, seasonal flavors, and isn’t too strong for all day events. Something that features all the ingredients you love, but not too many where it slows down the line or wipes out your budget.
1. THE ESPRESSO MARTINI
While the espresso martini is a favorite for cocktail enthusiasts, it’s not always the best choice for a wedding. This coffee-infused cocktail, made with vodka, coffee liqueur, and espresso, is notoriously time-consuming to make. It requires a “wet shake” then a “dry shake” in order to get that signature foamy top, so even if it is batched, it can only be made individually which all is a recipe for long lines.
On top of the longer builds for the cocktail, it may not always be the most refreshing cocktail if it is an outdoor wedding on a summer day. Also, without any ice, it will warm up quickly if guests will be outside – which isn’t always the worst for coffee drinks, but may be a miss to keep guests cool, or not over-amped all night.
ALTERNATIVE: If you want a coffee drink, but also something that won’t require long builds, special equipment, and can be served on ice – that is perfect for any season, try a Brown Sugar Bourbon (bourbon, cold brew, brown sugar syrup, and coconut milk) or a Carajillo (Licor 43, cold brew, and optional tequila, rum, or vodka).
2. CLASSIC OLD-FASHIONED
This is probably one of the most common selections for signature cocktails out there, and quite honestly, it’s one of the worst for many reasons. It’s even a popular suggestion offered by many mobile bartending services and mobile bars. Don’t click away or boycott us, we’ll explain why and you’ll probably agree once you read why.
An old-fashioned, as you probably know, is typically your favorite bourbon or rye whiskey, with a dash of bitters, and a small amount of a sugar simple syrup, and garnished with an orange twist. Aside from the little sugar, it is 100% alcohol with no mixer. That may be a perfect beverage for any whiskey-lover with dinner or as a night cap, but not necessarily a refreshing option for 200 guests outside in the sun, in a suit or formal dress, for 6-hours straight.
ALTERNATIVE: We created a great alternative for this one, called an Old-Fashioned Paloma. It is a twist on the classic paloma, but calls for bourbon, along with simple syrup, grapefruit juice, a dash of bitters, and topped with club soda. That way, if you or a guest want an old-fashioned, we have all the ingredients, but it has a mixer, so it’s something that can be enjoyed on a hot day, over several hours, that isn’t just a glass of slightly sweetened whiskey on ice.
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3. LONG ISLAND, AMF, TOKYO TEA
This one, hopefully, is a little more obvious than the others. To piggyback off the point made about the old-fashioned, but multiply it by a thousand.
Whether it is a long island, amf, tokyo tea, or something similar, choosing a cocktail that has the words “Adios, Mother F***er” in it probably is something we should keep in mind for your wedding. A large crowd drinking these all day is essentially just saying you want half your guests to be cut off, lose your venue deposit, get the bar shut down early, and can you say “clean up on grandma’s table because she just puked on herself”…
Not only that, but it requires a lot of ingredients (around 5 or 6 liquors alone), so you’ll need to spend a lot more on supplies.
ALTERNATIVE: Aside from the booze, a predominant flavor is citrus, so something like a John Daly (spiked Arnold Palmer), a Blue Lagoon (vodka, blue curaçao, and lemonade), or Japanese G+T (gin, midori, tonic water, and lemon juice). These will all have a similar flavor without being a recipe for disaster.
4. Blended Drinks; Piña Colada, Mudslide, Lava Flow, Frozen Daiquiri
Admittedly, I crave a good blended piña colada or miami vice – especially on a hot summer day (bonus if it’s on a beach). However, there are two big reasons to avoid blended drinks as your signature cocktail selection.
- They’re extremely loud to make. Set the scene, you’ve spent months (or years) planning the perfect day. The music, the mingling, practicing the first dances, and your dad makes his way up to give a heartfelt speech. He opens the paper he wrote his thoughts on, raises the mic up to begin, and WHIRRRRRRRR-CRUNNNNNCCCCCH-WHRRR*#&$@#(*! the soothing sound of someone ordering a piña colada.
- They take a long time time to make. They have to be made 1 or 2 at a time (or at least very small batches) and the blending takes a few minutes for each drink. So if you have 100 people all at once, you might as well tell numbers 40-100 in line to bring a chair because they’ll be there a while, instead of enjoying the party.
ALTERNATIVE: Most of these drinks can be served “on the rocks” so opt for serving them on ice instead of blended, if you love the flavor, but want something that won’t be overly loud, create long lines, and also won’t melt much quicker in the sun and turn into a watered-down mess. If you want something a little different that is meant to be served on ice, but still offers that beachy getaway vibe, try a High Functioning.
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5. Martinis; Classic Martini, Lemon Drop, Manhattan, Cosmo, Gimlet, etc.
*or any other martini-style cocktail served “up”
When it comes to martini-style cocktails, they are almost always very spirit heavy – which isn’t always a bad thing, but again, not necessarily something you’d want for an all-day event or for many guests who don’t want (or shouldn’t have) a very stiff, spirit forward-beverage. Even if there is juice in the mix, it typically is a lot less than a standard high-ball cocktail.
On top of that, martinis can warm up really quick on hot days since they are served in a shallow glass and no ice.
ALTERNATIVE: If it is a citrus-style martini, like a lemon drop or gimlet, consider “lengthening” it by turning it into a highball cocktail served on ice, topped with some bubbles or lemonade instead of lemon juice. If you want something a little savory, like a dirty martini, try a Sherry Spritz for a more sessionable option but still offers that savory/earthy element with the fino sherry, tonic, and peppers (optionally add some gin or vodka if you don’t want it so low-abv). Another great alternative for a manhattan is a Manhattan Highball, where you top it with tonic and ice – so it is a more approachable option for most guests, but still includes all the standard ingredients of a classic if one chooses.
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Bonus: Non-Alcoholic Mocktails
This is one you SHOULD include. Even if you don’t designate specific non-alcoholic cocktail on the menu, offering a booze-free beverage helps non-drinking guests, designated drivers, or those who want something between cocktails will help make sure all of your guests feel included in the party, instead of being regulated to the kids juice pouches or only have a can of soda for an option.
Many traditional cocktails, especially the ones we do suggest, can easily be turned into a mocktail version without the need to buy any extra (or minimal) ingredients.
Final Thoughts
When selecting drinks for your wedding, balance is key. The best wedding cocktails should be easy to make, universally enjoyable, are appropriate for the weather, and complement the festive atmosphere. Of course, include personal touches and your favorites, but avoiding overly-complicated or polarizing cocktails will help ensure your guests enjoy their drinks without hassle, safety issues, or wasted drinks and ingredients.
Instead, consider a well-crafted menu with a few classic options that keep the celebration going smoothly and will keep your guests hydrated. Cheers to a memorable and joyous wedding!
If you want a few cocktails we do suggest, check out our Blog Post about 7 of our favorites HERE, follow us on Instagram for weekly recipes, OR download our 25 Signature Cocktail Suggestions PDF.
*all other photos provided by Shutterstock, stock images.
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