No holiday wedding is complete without the perfect festive drink menu for you and your guests to enjoy! Curating cold-weather drinks for your holiday wedding is a fun way to stay on theme with the season. However, we understand that the options are endless! If you are not sure where to begin, we have teamed up with our friends at Single Barrel Events for their advice and recipes for the top holiday wedding drinks to serve to your guests. We first worked with them at one of our favorite Smoky Mountain weddings. Share these recipes with your bartender to bring your holiday drink menu to life!
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Bailey’s and Coffee
Searching for no-fuss holiday wedding drinks? Bailey’s and Coffee is a classic holiday cocktail with only two ingredients that will warm up your guests!
Recipe from Single Barrel:
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Bailey’s Irish Cream
- Coffee to fill
- Garnish: Aerosol Whipped Cream
Assembly:
Single Barrel says, “Fill a footed mug with hot coffee, we prefer a holiday blend of coffee from our local coffee shop. Add the Bailey’s, you can use any flavor of Bailey’s you like but we love the OG! To make this cocktail extra fun we like to make our own whipped cream!“
Hot Toddy
Another holiday classic! A Hot Toddy is also known as ‘hot whiskey’ and contains soothing ingredients to comfort your guests.
Recipe from Single Barrel:
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Grand Marnier
- 3/4-1 oz Local Honey
- 1 orange wedge (squeezed)
- Hot water to fill
- Garnish: Cinnamon Stick
Assembly:
Single Barrel says, “First, fill a footed mug 2/3 with hot water. Next, stir in honey until dissolved. We love to use local honey from our farmer’s market! Then, add orange squeeze and Grand Marnier. Finally, Top off with hot water and stir. Finally, garnish with a cinnamon stick or cloves.“
Chocolate Apple
This Chocolate Apple Cocktail is ready to be served at your Tennessee wedding! With local Tennessee moonshine and seasonal apples, this drink is a unique option to feature at your destination wedding.
Recipe from Single Barrel:
Ingredients:
- 1oz Old Forge Distillery Apple Pie Moonshine
- 1/2oz Old Forge Distillery Chocolate Moonshine
- 3oz Cranberry/Apple JuiceTop Sprite
- Garnish: Apple Wheel
Assembly:
Single Barrel says, “Fill a pint glass with ice. Add OFD Apple Pie Moonshine, OFD Chocolate Moonshine, Cranberry/Apple Juice. Top with Sprite and garnish with an apple wheel.”
Holiday Sangria
Saying yes to Sangria year round! Add a holiday twist to this sweet cocktail with cinnamon liqueur and apple cider.
Recipe from Single Barrel:
Ingredients:
- 1.5L Shiraz
- 375ml Cinnamon Liqueur
- 1 gallon Apple Cider
- 64oz Cranberry/Apple Juice
- 2L Sprite
- Garnish: Apple Wheel and Fresh Cranberries
Assembly:
Single Barrel says, “Pour all ingredients into a dispenser and stir. Next, add 12 seedless apple wheels, add ice to fill the remainder of the dispenser. Finally, garnish each drink with an apple wheel and 3-4 cranberries. This recipe will yield 30-40 16oz cocktails.”
Hot Chocolate
We always recommend including a non-alcoholic option within your bar menu so that each guest can enjoy a festive drink! While hot tea and coffee are go-to non-alcoholic options, hot chocolate is the way to go for a holiday wedding. This warm drink is extremely customizable with simple assembly.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- Pre-mixed hot chocolate. We purchase our favorite mix from Thrive Market!
- Milk of your choice
- Garnish: Aerosol Whipped Cream and Peppermint Sticks
Assembly:
Combine hot chocolate mix and milk in a large pot. Store in a thermal coffee carafe to keep warm. Fill a mug with hot chocolate and garnish with whipped cream and a peppermint stick. Get creative with different toppings!
Planning your Holiday Wedding Drink Menu
After you have some holiday wedding drinks in mind, be sure to plan ahead with your bartender. Jake with Single Barrel is sharing his advice to keep in mind during the planning process!
Jake says, “When structuring signature cocktails for your wedding or event I suggest starting with your favorite spirit(s), this is kind of the foundation for the cocktail. You can incorporate a theme or specific flavor profile such as a holiday cocktail or something more suited for the summer. Go over your likes and dislikes or any allergies. When I design cocktails for my clients I try to keep a few things in mind. First, probably most important, is the cocktail a crowd-pleaser? There are a lot of different cocktails out there with a wide range of flavor profiles and complexities but the question is will everyone feel the same excitement about them as I do? I can make some amazing cocktails but if there is one ingredient in the cocktail that isn’t popular with the crowd then the cocktail is a flop. Second, is it affordable? The more ingredients or the more complex the cocktail the more expensive it is. Last, is the cocktail functional? I have always been mindful of is the bartender’s ability to recreate that same cocktail over and over and over and over….. you get the picture. If you are dealing with an experienced bartender they should be able to walk you through your selection process and guide you to a cocktail that will check all of the boxes.”
