Signature Cocktails: Names and Recipes

Updated: May 25, 2020

Go classic with a good ol' glass of sweet tea, sweetened even more with peach preserves and lemon juice. And of course, spike it with bourbon.

Bourbon Peach Sweet Tea: Click for the recipe!

Consult With Your Bartender

Who better to help you name your mixed drink than the bartender who will serve it up to your guests? Ask 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.

Incorporate Wedding Words

When in doubt, toss in a wedding word to give your go-to drink that just-married factor. An Old Fashioned becomes a Something Old Fashioned. Then there's a Bloody Marry Me, an Apple-y Ever After Martini, and, well, you get the point. 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. Vodka Rosemary Lemonade could be Vodka Rose-Marry Me Lemonade. Or Spiked Apple Cider could be renamed Apple of My Eye.

There's also a beverage called the Blushing Bride, made with champagne, fruit nectar, and grenadine that are already fit for a wedding!

Blackberry Whiskey Lemonade: Click for the recipe!

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. Use the influences of your dream locale to help you make the selection of your signature cocktail's name.

Of course, if you are throwing a destination celebration, you can use your wedding spot as inspiration too. This could mean naming the drink after the actual locale (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.

Raspberry Limoncello Prosecco: Click for the recipe!

Keep it light, yet 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 getting. While drink names should be playful, they should also be descriptive so guests know what they're drinking.

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.

Coconut Margarita: Click for the recipe!

Incorporate the Season

Just as your wedding's season informed the details of your wedding—your bridesmaids won't be wearing short dresses in the dead of winter—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. Signature cocktails and their names should be reflective of the season.

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.

Tie in Your Wedding Theme

Let your wedding theme and/or color palette dictate the name of your drinks. 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. For a fresh, farm-to-table signature drink name, try a Greenhouse Tonic or a Cucumber Collins with fresh ingredients to match, naturally. Throwing a garden party-themed wedding? Think floral-inspired cocktails adorned with lavender sprigs. Creativity is encouraged!

Nowadays it is pretty popular for couples to have signature cocktails offered at their wedding receptions along with wine and beer, but it isn’t always easy to come up with cute cocktail names to go with it. So we compiled some of our favorites to help!