Showing posts with label Cocktail hour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cocktail hour. Show all posts

Friday, October 23, 2009

Signature Sips...


Well, seeing as it is the weekend, I have been thinking about cocktails! J

When we met with our venue, the manager informed us that it would be very feasible for us to create some signature drinks to be served during the cocktail hour/reception. Of course, we want to allow our guests to order drinks of their choice, but I think it would be very fun to concoct a few special “somethings” for them to sip on! We want to have at least two cocktail options, and perhaps name them after ourselves (if we can be creative enough)!

There is so much inspiration out there, its overwhelming! First, I hopped over to theKnot to check out some photos in the gallery…

We could be very simple and serve champagne, or spice it up by adding a fruit floater on top…

Mmm although these don’t match our color scheme, a combination of champagne, orange juice, and grenadine looks absolutely delish! Our cocktail hour will take place at sunset…perhaps these could reflect the beautiful color of the sky (assuming we have good weather!)…

Mojitos could work well with out color scheme…the mint leaves would match wonderfully! Ples, they are one of my favorite drinks…

So, clearly there are some yummy options out there…but then Justin and I started brainstorming ourselves…what if we created our own drink for the day? Or, could we copy some of our favorite drinks that we have had at restaurants…etc? I have a few ideas…

Last winter, I was obsessed with Bonefish’s Winter White Cosmo (pictured in the front):

It is a mixture of vodka, Cointreau, lime juice, white cranberry juice, and it is garnished with frozen cranberries. Perhaps the frozen cranberries could be switched for something else that would make them less “wintery” (perhaps a pretty twist of lime to play up the green?).

My favorite martini at P.F. Chang’s? The Chinese 88 Martini. It is a mixture of gin shaken with lemon juice, and topped with sparkling wine. YUM-O! I have made these myself at home, substituting sour mix for the lemon juice to make it less tart, and they turned out amazingly! We could also garnish these with limes instead of lemons to play up the green hue…

And then…we have a mutual favorite of both Justin and I…we don’t have an official name for it, but we make them on a weekly basis…

Doesn’t it look refreshing?!?!

Here’s the recipe if you would like to try it yourself…

1 ½ oz (1 shot) citrus vodka

½ can Fresca

cranberry juice

lime

I fill a tall glass halfway with ice, then add the vodka and Fresca (up to about ½ inch from the top). Add a splash of cranberry juice to taste, and squeeze a wedge of lime. Stir, and enjoy!

We definitely have some decisions to make…thankfully there is still quite a bit of time for us to determine this!



Do you have any favorite drink recipes that you would suggest?

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Venue love…for the cocktail hour

Today we’ll continue our photo tour of Carlouel! Yesterday, you saw the spot where Justin and I will be married…

And then, the celebration will begin!

Since we are having our ceremony indoors, after the ceremony is over, our guests will move outdoors by the pool for the cocktail hour! Carlouel is right on the water in Clearwater, so everyone will have a fabulous view of the ocean, boats, etc right around sunset!


Guests can stand on the lawn, or sit at a table by the pool, while hors d’ouevres and drinks are served.





Could you just see a steel drummer performing out here??? ;)

I love the idea of some photo ops with the bridal party/family on one of the boat slips…if only we had a boat to go with it!

After an hour of munching on appetizers, our wedding guests will walk back into to main room for the reception! Tune in for a peek next time!