Photo: SMS Photography
Naming your signature cocktail can be a fun highlight in planning your wedding — or, if you put too much pressure on yourselves to be clever and cute, it can be kind of stressful, says Amy Nichols, owner of Amy Nichols Special Events and cofounder of The Poppy Group. “Brides and grooms want their guests to know they’ve thought of their enjoyment when selecting a signature cocktail,” she explains.
But naming your signature cocktail doesn’t have to be burdensome. With these tips, it’ll be a breeze — and hopefully fun.
1. Start with the bartender.
Who better to help you name your mixed drink than the bartender who’ll serve it up to your guests? Ask him or her what the key ingredients are, how it’s prepared, and how it’s served to spark inspiration, suggests Nichols. “All of that information could give you some ideas for a fun name,” she says.
2. Play up the key ingredient.
Rather than picking any ol’ cocktail, start your search for the right beverage by brainstorming cocktails with ingredients you love, 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.”
3. Pick a drink with a name that already works for you.
You’ve got enough on your plate to stress over. So rather than spend hours trying to come up with a clever catchphrase, why not let an already delicious drink do the work for you? There’s a beverage called the Blushing Bride that is already fitting for a wedding, Fisher points out, made with champagne, fruit nectar, and grenadine.
See More: What Your Signature Cocktail Says About You
4. 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, 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 cocktails name,” she says. Of course, if you are throwing a destination fete, you can use your wedding spot as inspiration, too.
5. Be playful and informative.
While you want to surprise and delight your guests with your cocktail’s name, you don’t want to make it such a tongue twister that they’ll have no clue what they’re drinking, warns Fisher. “While drink names should be playful, they should also be descriptive so guests know what they’re drinking,” she says. In addition to placing a sign with the drink’s ingredients at the bar, consider including the main ingredient or alcohol in the cocktail’s name for clarity.
6. Get a little online help.
You may have heard of a hashtag generator. Well, it turns out, these awesome online tools can help name more than your big day. By plugging in key words, such as cities or ingredients, a hashtag generator could come up with a cocktail name you’ll love. “Plus, this will ensure you create something totally unique,” Nichols says.
7. Search the season.
Just as your wedding’s season informed the details of your wedding — your ‘maids won’t be wearing short dresses in the dead of winter — so too can it help you with your signature cocktails. “Signature cocktails and their names should be reflective of the season,” says Fisher. So, for example, “in the summer months, stick with something cool and refreshing like a Moscow Mule, named the Marry Me Mule.”