Party Cocktails

[musi]

I know this has little to do with literature or food, but I wanted to ask anyway :) As part of wedding reception we are thinking of having a cocktail bar aside from the traditional here wines and vodkas, but we have to buy ingredients for that and there will be a waiter serving the drinks. As I drink cocktails very little (although I do think that guests should be given a wide variety of choices), I have no idea which cocktails are at all popular at parties. I googled most popular cocktails, but I am not sure people will be drinking pina colada with their main dish :) So, I decided to ask, if anyone maybe has more experience in the matter and knows which cocktails are drunk more at the events? :)

[Jez]

I think there's a wide variety and what you decide on might depend a lot on what food you're serving and what theme you're going for. Margaritas are fairly popular here now, martinis are common, um, Manhattans, Cosmopolitans. Then there's all the weird named ones that seem to be endless (hurricanes, godfathers, rusty nails, sea breeze, etc).

Things like this would probably be good to have on hand because they're flexible and used in a lot of cocktails:

--Vodka, whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, bourbon, vermouth, sherry, scotch, brandy.
--Orange juice (or other juices: grapefruit, tomato, pineapple, cranberry, etc), grenadine, soda (coke, ginger ale, seltzer, etc), tonic, Tabasco sauce, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, tea, coffee, olives, fruit (cherries, lime, lemon, strawberries, etc).

It would probably be easier (and cheaper!) if you bought just a few of those versatile base mixers and then designed your menu around those. I've never actually drank most cocktails, but I've somehow heard of them!

Best wishes!

[Winifred]

I think that cocktails are usually drunk before the meal, and wine with the meal, but, actually, it's been years since I've had a cocktail - except for the Tanqueray martini which I drank in my aunt's honor after she died (she loved a martini before dinner, but she was 95 and lived through the martini's heyday!) - wine and beer have pretty much displaced cocktails in many circles.

That said, the list Jez presented is comprehensive, and since it's summer, fresh fruit for garnish would be nice. I believe that there is a movement to bring cocktails back, so, if money is no object, go for it. If you do go for cocktails, I'd make sure you have some bottles of good brands of scotch, gin and bourbon, there is really a difference! If you want something a bit exotic, try Campari, it's a gorgeous color (but, it's tart: tastes a lot like grapefruit rind - great, though).

I used to bartend, years ago, but my knowledge of what's popular now is zero. Back then, we used to serve lots of Tom Collins, Rum Collins, martinis, manhattens, gin and tonics, rum and tonics, Bloody Marys, Margaritas, scotch on the rocks, before dinner. Wine with dinner. After dinner, it was Irish coffee, or Black or White Russians, or a good brandy.

Champagne is always a drink of choice at weddings in the US - what about Poland? Does vodka take its place?

[musi]

Champagne is always a drink of choice at weddings in the US - what about Poland? Does vodka take its place?

Here champagne is drunk mostly only when the couple arrives at the reception - let's say, the first toast. And the rest of the party is covered by wine or vodka - guests can choose what they want themselves - if I drank a shot of vodka to every toast there was on the weddings I've attended, those would have been rather short weddings for me, so a sip of wine is no problem. Guests aren't expected to finish half a liter in one go :)

As for cocktails, it is just that I think that most people here don't know much about cocktails. If I go out with my friends (girls), we go to bars that serve cocktails, but they usually have the pictures and description of ingredients, so it feels much simpler and better. However, in case of this kind of open bar system, I am just afraid that the guests won't know what to order - like, what kind of drink vermouth actually goes with and what the hell that is anyway :D The most popular "cocktails" here are something insanely simple, like vodka and juice or rum and cola. Which is tasty, but in my head it is not a cocktail and I would rather go for something more complicated and with that - special. A friend of ours did a "do it yourself" cocktail bar - they just bought the ingredients and printed out the recipes for guests to do themselves, but he said the guests were not using it so much, so I would love to have a barman, juggling the bottles :D
Another thing I am not sure of is how much of what we should get - it is almost a lottery to guess how much of which drinks will guests drink and I would hate to have unhappy guests :)

Jez, what are those "versatile base mixers"? I am not sure what it means.

[Jez]

Jez, what are those "versatile base mixers"? I am not sure what it means.

The things I listed:

--Vodka, whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, bourbon, vermouth, sherry, scotch, brandy.

If you get a really good bartender, the guests can tell them their tastes and the bartender can make the drink they think the guest will like. Could be a little risky as they might make a drink someone doesn't like and then there's some waste, but the question of what they might end up with could also be fun. Whenever I've gone out with one of my friends they always insist on buying a drink for us. I don't know anything about what I might like, so they just ask the bartender to make "something a girl would like." I've always gotten something very good, though i don't know what any of them were.

[musi]

Ah, ok, sorry, I guess I thought of something completely different :)

I will try to calculate today how much of which alcohol we might need for cocktails (although it might be tricky). I think my boyfriend had an app for that (horrible, if there is an app for that :) ), but he is not here today, so I guess I'll do it the old-fashioned way - Math :D

[Jez]

no problem :) Good luck :)

[Winifred]

musi, there are versatile mixers - Collins mix comes to mind, or margarita mix, but taste 'em before hand. Some are a lot worse than following a recipe from scratch.

I think your wedding theme is blue. How about this :) :

How To Make A Blue Lagoon Cocktail

Blue Lagoon Cocktail. A refreshing vodka-based cocktail served best in a long glass. One of the most popular and refreshing cocktails for all adults to enjoy. Delight in our Blue Lagoon Cocktail.

Step 1: You will need. Units: Metric US Imperial UK Imperial
•1 2⁄3 fl oz vodka
•7⁄8 fl oz blue Curacao
•3 1⁄3 fl oz lemonade
•1 maraschino cherry
•1 orange slice
•Ice cubes
•1 shot measure
•1 highball glass
•1 long-handled bar spoon or cocktail stirrer
Serves: 1


Step 2: Prepare the highball glass.
Begin by filling the highball glass almost to the top with ice cubes.

Step 3: Add the ingredients.
Into the highball glass measure out and add 50ml of vodka and 25ml of Blue Curacao. Finish by topping with lemonade.

Step 4: Stir, garnish and serve.
Using a long-handled bar spoon or cocktail stirrer, stir the cocktail thoroughly. Garnish the side of the glass with a maraschino cherry and enjoy this strong drink poolside for the ultimate in relaxation!

from: http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-a-blue-lagoon-cocktail

P S : If you can't find blue Curacao, I don't know why you couldn't use a couple of drops of blue food coloring....

[musi]

musi, there are versatile mixers - Collins mix comes to mind, or margarita mix, but taste 'em before hand. Some are a lot worse than following a recipe from scratch.

I am pretty sure we don't have those here, but I will check :)


I think your wedding theme is blue. How about this :) :

Hehe, that is a nice idea. The theme is more like light-blue (there is, unfortunately, no word I know that would be just one word for the color), but it is a very tempting idea to have light blue cocktails ;) Very tempting... :D Now I have to discuss it with the groom, hehe :D

[Jez]

There are a lot of blue cocktails, so if you're going to go that way I'll try to find you some recipes if you'd like. :)


I think Winifred is talking about those pre-mixed bottles you can buy where you only need to add alcohol or some other ingredient. That's not what I meant, but that is also another way to go (assuming you have access to them).

[musi]

There are a lot of blue cocktails, so if you're going to go that way I'll try to find you some recipes if you'd like. :)

I googled the blue cocktails and there seem to be quite a lot of them and, in essence, they are just a slightly changed version from the original cocktails :) More or less in the style of "add Curacao" and you get "Blue Martini", "Blue Margarita" and so on. But it is good, because it means if someone wants a typical cocktail, they can just ask to not have anything blue in it. But all in all it sounds like a great idea :D Funny too :) I don't think I ever had a blue cocktail, but I for sure would like to have it now :D


I think Winifred is talking about those pre-mixed bottles you can buy where you only need to add alcohol or some other ingredient. That's not what I meant, but that is also another way to go (assuming you have access to them).

I googled those too - the pictures, especially. Pretty sure we don't have them here, but maybe it is a good idea. Otherwise it is like buying pre-made food for a festive dinner ;)

But this is really great! Thank you, both! I am glad we had this thread :D:D:D

[Jez]

You're welcome. Happy to help. :)

[Winifred]

Ditto! :)