Signature Drinks for the Non-Drinker

Signature Drinks for the Non-Drinker

January 12th, 2010 @ 12:50 pm by Mrs. Hamster
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Genetics are an interesting thing - it can give you height, hair texture, the ability to wiggle your ears. For the Mister and me, genetics as well as ethnicity have granted us the ability to turn a traffic-stopping red with just one alcoholic drink. Behold - with just one beer, we’ve got… a tomato!

Hamsters + Alkie = Above

The Mister turns beet red, but he feels fine. We’ll be treating his color-challenged complexion on the day-of with some Pepcid or Tagamet. However, I have a serious allergy to alcohol. Just one sip and I break out into hives and migraine headaches. Not fun.

So, while our venue serves a signature drink to guests pre-ceremony, I thought it would be great to have a non-alcoholic option for my similarly alcohol-challenged guests, in addition to the traditional drink.

Now here comes the fun part - what should that drink be?

Things I like:

Fizziness

Sour/tangy flavors (like lime)

Herbs like mint and/or basil

Aesthetics - I want the drink to look pretty (but not necessarily pink)

I tried the following drink recently, and it was pretty good (I’m not sure of the exact proportions, since it was in a restaurant, but I’m pretty sure I can recreate it):

Cranberry Fizzy

Cranberry juice
Seltzer
Ginger
Lime
Mint

Hmm…. many options abound. I was considering some kind of chili-lime concoction - spicy and sweet! I’ll have to do more drinking - in the name of research, of course.

Are you having a signature drink at your wedding?

Tags: alcohol |

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33 Responses to “Signature Drinks for the Non-Drinker”

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Member

littlebug (message) 512 posts, Busy bee

That sounds really yummy! Let us know when you find the right ratios- that sounds like something I would like to drink!

We’re thinking about doing a signature drink, but I can’t decide what type of drink we should have. Good thing we have a few months!

1/12/10 @ 12:56 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Sewing (message) 2,701 posts, Sugar bee

mm. lime and mint..mojitoooo! Your cranberry fizzy sounds yummy
We’re having fruit punch, which is as non-signature as you can get. lol.

1/12/10 @ 12:57 pm (reply)

Member

Entangled (message) 2,616 posts, Sugar bee

That sounds fantastic, actually (and I am a serious drinker). I was going to suggest something based on a mojito - seltzer, muddled mint, sugar, and lime, but the cranberry and ginger sounds great.

1/12/10 @ 12:57 pm (reply)

Member

Osakagrl (message) 761 posts, Busy bee

Im just like you and cant drink alcohol. If I even have a couple sips of a beer i will have a HUGE migraine and become extremely dehydrated. And then I just want to sleep…not exactly how i imagined my wedding night going ! So for things like the toast I want to have sparkling apple cider….its my fav!!!

1/12/10 @ 1:02 pm (reply)

Member

MissCamera (message) 770 posts, Busy bee

I make what I call “cranberry spritzers” all the time. Soooo yummy. Its just ginger ale, OJ, cranberry, and lime.

What about a virgin mojito?

1/12/10 @ 1:04 pm (reply)

Member

aliceinweddingland (message) 243 posts, Helper bee

nothing like going to the source: http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/non-alcoholic-drinks?lpgview=thumb&showComments=true#ms-global-breadcrumbs

martha’s got lovely nonalcoholic drinks covered for every season.

1/12/10 @ 1:08 pm (reply)

Hostess

Miss Burgundy (message) 1,426 posts, Bumble bee

I’d say some sort of mojito-type thing!!

1/12/10 @ 1:10 pm (reply)

Hostess

LatteLove (message) 5,588 posts, Bee Keeper

ooh that sounds good! a virgin mojito might also be a good addition!

1/12/10 @ 1:12 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Pug (message) 3,753 posts, Honey bee

all the great elements of a drink! sounds yummy!

1/12/10 @ 1:20 pm (reply)

10.

Bee

Mrs. Mouse (message) 5,844 posts, Bee Keeper

Yum, the cranberry fizzy sounds awesome, as does the chili-lime combo.

1/12/10 @ 1:26 pm (reply)

11.

Member

KLP2010 (message) 4,199 posts, Honey bee

Wow, FI is allergic to alcohol too, but I had never met another! He just likes plain water and we’re having adults only reception so I didn’t think much of it, but I’ll bring this to his attn and seek out his thoughts!

1/12/10 @ 1:33 pm (reply)

12.

Guest

cottonball

I have the same problem with alcohol. It’s the lack of a certain enzyme that breaks down the alcohol and a lot of asians have this problem. I was told that non-flushing niacin will take the tomato-redness away. Make sure it’s NON-FLUSHING or it’ll make you turn red without any alcohol!

1/12/10 @ 1:48 pm (reply)

13.

Member

irmango (message) 192 posts, Blushing bee

i used to break out it hives when i drank any sort of alcohol too. just keep drinking… the allergy does go away. my cousin told me this. i was skeptical, but tried it anyway and she was right.

1/12/10 @ 1:49 pm (reply)

14.

Member

Champagne Wishes (message) 1,187 posts, Bumble bee

Seltzer, a sugar cube soaked in juice concentrate (a la Martha) and a squeeze of lime in a flute.
I did something similar with simple syrup and mint but it wasn’t so pretty. I am DYING to try the sugar cube trick!

1/12/10 @ 1:52 pm (reply)

15.

Guest

Jamks

Thanks for this post! My mom and I (both Japanese, well… I’m just half) have quite the aversion to alcohol. She seems to have your reaction, Miss Ham, while I have the reaction your fiancee seems to have. It’s really hard, people drink a lot more than you think at social functions, and you only notice it when YOU can’t drink as much! But wait… Pepcid works against the red-face??? I didn’t know this!

1/12/10 @ 2:03 pm (reply)

16.

Bee

Miss Guinea Pig (message) 1,377 posts, Bumble bee

That drink sounds delicious, I LOVE the combination of mint and lime. And anything fizzy is always even better, somehow!

1/12/10 @ 2:09 pm (reply)

17.

Guest

frzndaqiri

My mom is allergic to beer, wine, and champagne - she found out from her Doctor it’s related to her mold allergy. Since those drinks are fermented, (essentially allowed to mold in a way) they set her off.

Hard liquors are ok.

1/12/10 @ 2:12 pm (reply)

18.

Bee

Miss French Fries (message) 2,218 posts, Buzzing bee

I love fizziness too — so much so that I recently figured out that it’s not so much soda that I crave, just fizzy bubbles. Random, I know.

Anyway, I think the drink you concocted sounds great!

1/12/10 @ 2:30 pm (reply)

19.

Bee

Miss Spaniel (message) 6,792 posts, Bee Keeper

Sounds yummy! I like the fruity drinks.

1/12/10 @ 2:51 pm (reply)

20.

Member

Curlysue (message) 1,703 posts, Bumble bee

I love basically any fun twists on lemonade–or limeade for that matter! Blackberry Lemonade at Chili’s oh my goodness—delicious! I too will probably not have a drop of alcohol at the wedding because I can only have one drink and then I get VERY tired and feel way too hot. I plan to have some fun tasty alternatives since I know several people who will be at the wedding who also don’t drink at all or very much.

1/12/10 @ 2:56 pm (reply)

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