Weddingbee Blog

GOOD NEWS, everyone! (Said in the voice of Professor Farnsworth from Futurama.) Our plan for providing our own alcohol at the reception has evolved quite a bit since way back when I first posted about it, and I’m excited to say that we’re getting close to having our DIY booze options all figured out!

(Source)

Beer

We’re definitely going to serve Yuengling, Sam Adams Octoberfest, and Harpoon Brewery’s hard apple cider. Harpoon is local to Boston, and Mr. Octo and I went on a tour last month. We both sampled the hard cider for the first time, and had a “HELLO LOVAH, where have you been all my life?!” moment. It’s not really sugary and sweet like some hard ciders are—we both agreed it was almost like a dry champagne. Deeeelicious.

There is one sticking point on the beer selections. A certain maid of honor who shall not be named is giving me a great deal of heat for not having a “light, drinkable” (or, in my opinion, gross and watery) beer like Bud Light or Coors on the list. I mean, I guess it’s just a beer-snob position on my part; I think those “light” beers are gross, I never drink them, and I don’t really want to serve them. That certain maid of honor thinks my preference doesn’t matter; people want that kind of beer, and I should have it anyway. I think that if we’re going to serve a light beer, Corona would be a good compromise. Mr. Octo thinks Corona will be too expensive, and votes for PBR, because he’s turned into a hipster, apparently. What do you all think?

Wine

We’re keeping this one simple and not-too-specific. Whatever Finger Lakes white wine strikes our fancy, and whatever tasty merlot we can find for around $10 a bottle. Donezo.

Cocktails

So here’s where things get interesting. While the Children’s Museum does not provide our alcohol, it does charge us a $5 per person “bar fee.” For that fee, we get ice, bar fruit (like cherries and lemon wedges), juices, and sodas. Our goal has been to come up with a few mixed drinks that can largely be created using the juices and sodas provided with the bar fee, eliminating the need to spend lots of money on extra mixers. Here’s what the Children’s Museum will be providing to us: Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sierra Mist, ginger ale, orange juice, cranberry juice, grapefruit juice, tomato juice, tonic, and seltzer water.

From that, we’ve decided to serve gin & tonics, some variation on a cranberry & vodka, and my grandfather’s whiskey sour recipe. The gin & tonic is easy peasy, but my grandfather’s whiskey sours will not be—we’ll have to stock all our own mixers for that one. I’m hoping to strike a happy medium on the cranberry & vodka drink. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love just a plain ol’ cranberry & vodka any day, but I’m hoping to maybe…jazz it up a little? Something that says more “fancy and festive event” and less “my go-to choice on dollar well drinks night”? I would LOVE to hear recipes for cranberry-and-vodka-based cocktails. Or, alternately, orange-juice-and-vodka-based cocktails.

I’d love your feedback, hive, especially on the crapp—ahem, drinkable beers issue, and I’d quadruple-love vodka cocktail suggestions. What do you think? What are you serving as your alcohol options?