In rural Iowa, cocktails look a lot like a can of Busch Light, Truly and a Captain with Coke. If you’re planning your wedding, that might be the perfect time to step up the game and offer fun spirits to celebrate. Whether you’re planning the bar for the event or looking to include signature his and hers drink menu there’s a lot to consider.

Do you have to choose a cocktail for your event?

If you’re looking to host a sober party or not serving alcohol, that’s perfect and you should never feel pressured to serve anything you don’t want. Even choosing only to serve wine and beer with no liquor – whatever makes you happy and fits into your perfect plan. If you are choosing to incorporate alcohol, which do you choose? How do you come up with a clever name? It’s a great way to add a personal touch, but you don’t have to overthink it.

How do you name the cocktails?

Keep it simple and just call them his and hers. Or be more elaborate by incorporating your names or your fur-baby’s names.

The Lilly
The Winston
The Roscoe

When naming, consider adding in something that makes it personal, even if that’s not a name. What about where you met? Where you live? Your hometowns?

Texas Mule
Iowa Slammer
The Cape Cod

Add something relevant to your love story! Do you have a favorite team? A favorite movie? Jobs that align?

Drunk in Love
Tar Heel Tea
The Goblet of Fire & Ice
The Penicillin

Still drawing a blank? What really is your favorite drink? Go with the name of it and leave it at that. You really don’t need to make it “signature cocktail” that’s made up.

Morgan’s Malibu & Pineapple
Cole’s Rum & Coke
Brides Brew
Grooms Potion

But what are in these delightfully named signature wedding cocktails?

Okay, okay.. we’ve brainstormed all the names, but what are we even naming! In Iowa, my suggestion is to keep to the basics. If you do something outside of the box, people may try one or two. If you have a signature drink the point is that your guests are enjoying them.

Choose a classic cocktail and put a personal spin on it. Here’s a few classics to start with:

Bloody Mary
Long Island
Mai Tai
Margarita
Mimosa
Moscow Mule
Old Fashioned
Pina Colada
Sex on the Beach
Tequila Sunrise
Tom Collins
Whisky Sour
White Russian

And even simpler than that… rum & Coke, Limón and Redbull, Black Velvet and diet, vodka and lemonade, gin and tonic. You get it.

Spice those up by adding mint leaves, fruits, a splash of soda or juice and a pop of color.

A pitcher of your signature cocktail for your guests.

Not every drink has to be made to order. Your guests may appreciate a self-serve option. These can include a variety of punches to help match your theme and colors.

Champagne Punch
Strawberry Rose Punch
Sangria
Beer on Tap
Lemonade / Whiskey Lemonade
Warm Cider or Tea
Mojitos
Fruity Vodka Slush

Full disclosure – be careful with these. They should be mixed very weak to prevent too much consumption because it is easily accessible. These should really only be available at adult only weddings to avoid kids confusion with the punch.

We’re just here for the mocktails and snack bar.

Did someone say the kids table? Even if you’re having alcohol, there’s always fun in some festive mocktails. If you’re providing a punch for the kids or a mocktail from the bar for those who are not drinking, incorporating these are a great options.

Sherbet Punch
Lemonade
Hot Chocolate Bar
Fresca Mule
Sparkling Grape Juice
Virgin Sangria

In a caters perspective, one bowl of punch goes quick for nearly all parties! A go-to easy recipe is one container of a sherbet of your choice and two 2 liters of sierra mist/7-up/sprite or even ginger ale. Allow your sherbet to get a little soft and runny so it combines well with the pop and it makes the best tasting and most festive drink for the party.

Signature Cocktails or Not-tails.

Before I wrap it up, how do you know what to do? There’s pros and cons of both incorporating a signature cocktail and just avoiding it. Here’s the big ones:

YES!

Save money: sometimes venues will allow you to choose two liquors and you get a discounted rate or your guests are not allowed to choose from the most expensive liquor on the shelf.
Easier for guests: the guests don’t have to think about what they want that night. They see the adorable sign and think, “yep, we’ll go with that.”
Reflect your personality: adding a signature cocktail is a great way to show your likes and your own personality. Do you always go for the Moscow Mule, no matter the flavor? Maybe all your closest friends know that and it just makes sense.
One more personal touch: going back to the name selection, it’s a great way to reflect on you, your spouse and your relationship or the things you love most.

NO!

Are they really your go-to drink? Chances are you don’t really have a go to drink. Are you confusing people by including a drink you really don’t love.
Guests are going to drink what they like. I’m sorry, but my husband is going to show up and drink a Busch Light or a rum and coke… no cute sign, fun name or adorable garnish is going to sell him on the drink.
Cute names are confusing. Drunk in Love? Is that wine? Tequila? Beer? Lemonade? I’ll stick with malibu and pineapple juice.
It’s expensive. In some cases, venues suggest only offering a limited number of drink options. If two of those options are fancy cocktails – that’s going to be far more expensive than if you were to offer 4 types of beer and/or wine.

Are you counting down the months, weeks or days until your big day? Start by testing out a few fun cocktails and let me know what you discover! In the meantime, I will leave the concoctions to the experts like Peach Cart Co. and Bev the BARbarian.