OPEN BARS AT WEDDINGS ARE ALWAYS A DO :: SIGNATURE DRINKS I

Let us explore signature drinks. Siggys, as they are called, really came on the scene in the past few years. I love them because they are a wonderful way to satisfy many when building your bar. And for you gentlemen, do not feel left out. Siggys do not have to be frilly, girl things. I encourage my grooms to jump in and create a drink for themselves as well. In my opinion, there are a few simple rules to easy siggys.

1. Use a liquor with a long pour. A long pour means you get more cocktails from one bottle of liquor such as vodka or rum or whiskey.

2. Use a limited number of ingredients (three being best)

3. Remember to create for the masses and not only for your particular tastes

4. Come up with a great name for it

Incorporating signature drinks into your wedding reception can help cut your budget by limiting the amount of liquor you need to purchase. This goes for liquor purchased on your own and brought into your venue or liquor purchased through your venue/hotel. If you are allowed to bring liquor into a hotel-type venue, be prepared to pay corkage fees. A corkage fee is the cost these venues charge to handle your product and generally runs from $4-$8 per bottle in the MidSouth market. Work with your wedding planner and in-house catering manager to settle on a per person cost for signature drinks. That way, you know ahead of time what is expected of you financially and you do not have to fret over getting a liquor bill at the end of the night. You can also negotiate your signature drink timeframe. Have the hotel open your bar just after the meal is served and leave it open for two hours.

To further keep your budget in check, I suggest serving signature drinks with the meal only and not during cocktail hour and with the meal. Since most meals have some type of beverage (lemonade, tea) included in the meal price, your guests now have a wider array of beverage options, something they will be appreciative of and remember you for. I suggest creating a siggy that includes one type of liquor and no more than two mixers.

There are far too many ways to keep your liquor budget in check to ask your guests to pay for part of your party.

Now for the fun part! Let's make cocktails!

Brandon's Bomber

1.5 oz Whiskey

1 oz Cola

Combine ingredients one at a time into glass and serve over ice.

Okay, that was an easy one. But, like I said, it doesn't take sleepless nights to create Siggys, just a little humor.

The Simpson Simmer

1 oz. Orange Flavored Vodka

1 oz. Blue Curacao

2 oz. Orange Juice

1 oz. Pineapple Juice

Fill glass with ice, mix ingredients and stir. Garnish with orange peel.

Sparkling Sally

1 oz. Blood Orange Mixer

4 oz. Sparkling Wine

Pour in mixer, add sparkling wine and serve.

 Stay tuned for the remainder of today's post on creating mocktails. Be sure to leave us a comment letting us know your fave recipes for easy cocktails.