There are so many ways to incorporate personal touches into your wedding day. Adding your favorite song lyrics to your reading, including your new monogram on your dinner napkins, and serving up a signature cocktail are simple ways to elevate your special day. Having a unique wedding drink named just for the two of you allows your personalities to shine through and offers a chance to be fun and playful. But with so many options out there, how do you come up with the perfect signature drink names?
If you put too much pressure on yourselves, coming up with personalized signature wedding drink names can be stressful, but it’s important to remember that this is a fun way to liven up your cocktail hour. Crafting drink names doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Whether you’re mixing a fresh gin recipe, a wine cocktail, or even putting a fun twist on craft beers, these expert tips for naming your customized cocktail will make it a breeze.
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Tips for Naming Your Signature Cocktail
Not sure where to begin? Here are a few ways to find the right name for your signature wedding cocktail.
Ask Your Bartender
Who better to help you name your mixed drink than the bartender who will serve it up to your guests? Amy Nichols, owner of Amy Nichols Special Events, suggests asking your bartender what the cocktail’s key ingredients are, how it’s prepared, and how it’s served to spark inspiration. “All of that information could give you some ideas for a fun name,” she says.
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Schedule a Tasting
Get even more help from your bartender by planning a cocktail-tasting months before the wedding. “Think cake-tasting but boozier,” says Abbie Daley, co-founder of Northern California mobile bar Bar Baby Co., which she owns with her husband, Chase. The husband-and-wife team converted a horse trailer into a mini mobile bar, where they offer dry-hire bartending. “This little rendezvous gives us a brief peek into their lives, who they are, and their go-to drink of choice when stranded on an island,” adds co-founder Chase Daley. From there, you’ll figure out which direction to go with your drinks—and in turn, the names. “At the end of the day, if the drink is no bueno, the name won’t resonate.”
Use a Clever Pun
One way Bar Baby Co. likes to wedding-ify a cocktail is by throwing a funny pun in the name. “Get clever. Be witty. Make people laugh.” They note that it's totally okay to be cheesy. Try a Llama del Rey, Shiso Vain, or A Shrub Is a Guy Who Thinks He's Fly.
Photo by O'Malley Photographers; Wedding planner & Floral design Valley & Company
Incorporate Wedding Words
When in doubt, toss in a wedding word to give your go-to drink that just-married factor. Rather than picking any old cocktail, start your search for the right beverage by brainstorming cocktails with ingredients you love and then use those flavors for your name, says Jaclyn Fisher, owner of Two Little Birds Planning in Philadelphia. “Vodka Rosemary Lemonade could be Vodka Rose-Marry Me Lemonade,” she says, “Or Spiked Apple Cider could be renamed Apple of My Eye.”
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Take Your Guests on a Trip
You don’t have to throw a destination wedding to take your guests to a new locale. Use your signature drink as a way to celebrate a city you love, the place you met, or a time period that intrigues you, Nichols suggests. “Use the influences of your dream locale to help you make the selection of your signature cocktail’s name,” she says.
Use Your Wedding Location
Of course, if you are traveling long distances, you can use the destination as inspiration, too. This could mean naming the drink after the actual city (e.g. a Sparkling Charleston Cosmopolitan), drawing inspiration from the surrounding culture (e.g. a Southern Belle-Ini), or putting a twist on the name of an already-popular drink in the area.
Be Playful, but Not Too Playful
You want to surprise and delight your guests with your cocktail's name, but you don't want to make it such a tongue twister that they'll have no clue what they're getting, warns Fisher. “While drink names should be playful, they should also be descriptive so guests know what they're drinking,” she says.
Incorporate the Season
Just as the season informs the details of your wedding, it can help you with cocktail names too. “For weddings in summer months, stick with something cool and refreshing like a Moscow Mule, named the Marry Me Mule,” says Fisher.
Make It Personal
Your wedding is the one day it should be all about you and your partner. Use your own names (and nicknames), or incorporate your new, shared last name. Likewise, you can incorporate words associated with your favorite hobbies and sports, the name of your pet, or anything you like to make the signature drink names really reflect who the two of you are.
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Photo by Trevor Mark Photography; Event design by Aaron Hahnselle; Floral by Antigua Floral
Tie in Your Wedding Theme
Let your wedding theme dictate the name of your drinks. For a fresh, farm-to-table signature drink name, try a Greenhouse Tonic or a Cucumber Collins with fresh ingredients to match, naturally. For a garden party-themed wedding, think floral-inspired cocktails adorned with lavender sprigs.
Use Your Color Palette
Colors are particularly easy, and there are so many fun options to choose from. Keep it simple with a Something Blue, Pretty in Pink, Purple Passion, Mellow Yellow, or a Sweet Peach Punch.
Photo by Lauren Fair Photography; Planner Bello & Blue Events
Remember It's Your Wedding
At the end of the day, make it something you as a couple will love. “So often we talk with couples that are worried about guests' preferences,” says Bar Baby Co. “You're already providing them with a bad-ass party! You'll go crazy if you try to please everyone with every detail.”
Signature Cocktail Name Examples
You don't have to invent a name! Use one of these—or let the list inspire something even better.
- Bloody Marry Me
- Apple-y Ever After Martini
- Something Old-Fashioned
- Mint-to-Be Mojito
- Tall and Handsome
- Main-Squeeze Margarita
- Love Potion
- Altar-ed State
- Blushing Bride
- Grinning Groom
- Be Mine Wine
- I-Do Brew
- The Perfect Pear
- Vodka Rose-Marry Me Lemonade
- Apple of My Eye
- Sparkling Charleston Cosmopolitan
- Southern Belle-Ini
- Marry Me Mule
- Greenhouse Tonic
- Cucumber Collins
- Something Blue
- Pretty in Pink
- Purple Passion
- Mellow Yellow
- Sweet Peach Punch
- Two Less Fish in the Sea
- Matrimony Martini
- Mister Margarita
- Love Bite
- About Thyme
- Mai Gai
- Bloody Marry
- Forever & Ale-Ways
- Amber Moon & Back
- Drunk in Love
- Something Blue Lagoon
- Say I Do Sangria
- Honey I Do Martini
- Sippin on Lynn & Juice
- Shiso Vain
- A Shrub Is a Guy Who Thinks He's Fly
Source: https://www.brides.com/story/how-to-name-signature-drink-for-wedding
