Signature Wedding Cocktails

Keg beer and wine bottles may be classic drinks for wedding receptions, but why stop there? Signature cocktails are fun and delicious, not to mention a great way for your guests to loosen up and get to the dance floor!

Your signature wedding drinks could be practically anything, so we put together some of our favorite cocktail recipes and serving ideas to help you decide.

First, decide if you want to do single-serve drinks or batches made ahead of time ready to pour at the celebration. Single serve cocktails will require a wedding bartender to craft them upon request, so if you need self-serve beverages then batches are the way to go. Batches of drinks made ahead of time can be served in a cute carafe or pitcher that fits perfectly with your decor. If you’d prefer to have them poured ahead of time, you can display the glasses on a table or, if you’re feeling really ambitious, you can create or buy a champagne glass wall display.

Let’s start with our favorite batch drinks:

Berry Sweet on You

Sangria is already a crowd favorite, and the cheesy name only makes it better! Fruity, tangy and sweet flavors are perfect for all the guests who have a tough time figuring out how to choose wine, and that means you can scale back on the more expensive wine (mid range and cheap wine are perfect for mixing with these flavors).

Recipe – Makes 32 8oz servings

8 Bottles Dry Red Wine
24oz Brandy
32oz Soda Water
Sliced Fruit (2 Oranges, Raspberries, Blueberries, 1 Red Apple & 1 Green Apple)
Ice

Marriage Mimosas

Mimosas are a brunch classic, but they definitely have their place at any meal. They are especially appropriate if you’re having breakfast for dinner as your reception meal, or if you just love them so much you couldn’t bear to leave them out (this is an event all about love, after all). Best of all, they’re very simple and affordable to make. They’re delicious with any prosecco or champagne in the $7-$13 range, which is perfect for a bride sticking to the wedding budget.

Recipe – Makes 28 8oz Servings

4 Bottles Prosecco or Champagne
1 gallon Orange Juice

We Got Bloody Married!

Makes 30 8oz Servings

56oz Vodka
112oz Tomato Juice
14 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
3½ tsp Tabasco Sauce
3½ tsp Celery Salt
7oz Lemon Juice
Ice
Celery, Pickles, Green Olives & Jalapenos for Garnish (Seperate from mix)

Mint to Be

Mojitos are another classic drink, and a great way to add a different flavor profile to your drink lineup. We know preferences berry… whoops, vary, so you can do this one with or without the berries.

Recipe – Makes 30 8oz Servings

45oz Light Rum
30oz Lime Juice
30oz Simple Syrup
135oz Soda Water
1 pint Blueberries
2 pints Blackberries
2 pints Raspberries
3oz Mint Leaves (Muddled with the berries & simple syrup)
Lime Slices for Garnish
Ice

Now, onto our favorite single-serve custom cocktails:

Love You Through Prickly & Thin

Good flavored vodka can really make a drink stand out without adding as many ingredients, and we’ve found one of the best flavored vodkas to use for this drink. If you’re in the Cedar Rapids area, you can find this brand of vodka at most Hy-Vee grocery stores nearby.

Recipe – Makes One 8oz Serving

2oz Western Son Prickly Pear Vodka
1Tbsp Lemon Juice
6oz Sprite
Lemon Slice for Garnish
Ice

My Other Half

Half tea, half lemonade – a perfect pair, just like the two of you! Of course, this one has a little extra thrown in, so don’t let it be confused with its non-alcoholic counterpart. It also goes down smooth (unlike that one uncle’s dance moves), which is why we haven’t included it in our list of big batch drinks.

Recipe – Makes One 8oz Serving

1.5oz Deep Eddy Lemon Vodka
3oz Lemonade
3.5oz Unsweetened Ice Tea
Lemon Slice for Garnish
Ice

Spritz to the Dance Floor

Classy and delicious – Spritz with Aperol has a balanced flavor with plenty of fizz. The orange flavor perfectly complements the earthiness of the Aperol with just a hint of sweetness from the prosecco to bring it all together. This could be a great substitute for the champagne toast, if some guests aren’t a fan of the more bitter champagne.

Recipe – Makes One 8oz Serving

6oz Prosecco
1oz Aperol
1oz Soda Water
Orange Slice for Garnish
Ice