Bottoms Up!

In an effort to make sure that we still have an "open" bar, with liquor, but still be budget friendly, my fiance & I decided on having signature drinks at the wedding, where wine & beer would be complementary and liquor would be available, but only in the form of drinks that my fiance & I chose. Therefore, we began figuring out our "bride" and "groom" cocktails

My fiance's choice was an incredibly easy one -- he just picked the drink he has almost every night: the always classic Jack & Coke. My choice was a much more difficult decision, as I really only drink wine. I was a vodka tonic drinker in college until i went to grad school and it just became a much more difficult drink to stomach. I've recently gotten back into mixed drinks when visiting New Orleans - we've made a few stops at the spectacular Sazerac Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel, which is amazing. However when I embarked on this journey of finding a proper libation, I decided something - it needs to be something that reflects who I am, even If I don't drink the drink itself. Something southern, light, and a twist on a classic.

So I went to the bookstore and found this little gem:

(photo courtesy of Amazon.com)

This book has some spectacular recipes -- everything from classics like French 75s to Peach mojitos. There's even a full chapter on nibbles like - spicy vidalia onion cheese toasts and beer battered string beans.

Anyhow, so I realized that I kept coming back to the mint julep... spring race season is something i actually really missed about Virginia when I was away in Texas and I did love my occasional mint julep while hanging out with friends at various races. But you cannot serve a proper julep w/out the silver cup, thus nixing that idea. However, placed a little deeper in the book is the recipe for a Mint Julep Martini. It substitutes Bourbon with Vanilla vodka, absolutely PERFECT! I even added my own little twist to it to make it even more unique - sliced strawberries.

So, everything's been selected and here are the signs I made for the Bar:

the bride's drink sign-the grooms drink sign-

and for a little bit of humor (and some southern charm) i found a adorable toast that hearkens back to the Antebellum south. This ought to be a hit w/ the tons of Yankees (mom & dad are both from New york) at the wedding.

and the whole shebang!


So if you're ever up for a quirky taste of the old south like a Gin Fizz or a Hurricane, try the fabulous book Southern Cocktails: Dixie Drinks, Party Potions and Classic Libations by Denise Gee.

Next up - the cocktail table decorations!