Pink Your Drink

Chambord's Pink Your Drink program has generated more than $50,000 in donations for Breast Cancer Network of Strength® and other organizations fighting breast cancer.  By adding a splash of Chambord® to any cocktail at your wedding, each bride can supporting breast cancer awareness year round.

Visit http://www.chambordonline.com/pink-your-drink.aspx where you'll find recipes for great signature drinks perfect for a weddding.  What a great way to support breast cancer research and charities by serving Chambord® based drinks at your wedding reception!

All Photos and Signage courtesy of http://www.chambordonline.com/

Chambord®  also has started making a Chambord®  Flavored Vodka that you can order online. 

I had to opportunity to taste this at a recent event for the EP Henry sponsored Patio Party at the Philadelphia Design Home (for more information about this event visit my other blog "The Wedding Queen" at http://theweddingqueen.blogspot.com/2010/09/design-to-die-for-outdoor-spaces-you.html).  The Chambord®  Martinis were spectacular! I'm not usually a drinker, let alone a martini drinker, but this martini really was GOOD! While the vodka is only available in liquor stores in some areas, you can order it online for your wedding. 

These drinks are both pretty and taste great! What more could you want for a signature drink for your wedding?  For additional recipes for Chambord®-based drinks visit http://www.chamordonline.com/.  Try their recipe for French Sparkle or French Gingerale or my favorite, the Chambord®  flavored martini. 

Garnish Your Drinks

Photo courtesy of Flatiron Kitchen

While you frequently see orange or lime slices garnishing drinks or the ubiquitous olive or onion in a martini, why not try something a little different?  You can freeze whole strawberries and they will act as the perfect ice cube in drinks without watering them down.  You can also skewer a blueberry, raspberry and blackberry and put it in your drink.  Anything that makes your drinks stand out and adds some flavor at the same time.  I think the skewer of berries would be perfect in a Chambourd Martini. 

Handblown Glasses For Martinis

Photo courtesy of Crate and Barrel at http://crateandbarrel.com/

Enjoy the look of your favorite upscale martini bar in your own home. Serve your favorite martini in these two part handblown martini glasses, add ice to the bottom to keep your drink ice cold no matter how long you sip on it. Also use for serving appetizers like shrimp cocktail, caviar or ceviche. Easy online ordering available. Crate and Barrel makes your wedding gift giving fast and easy.

Give Your Drinks a Real Buzz With Fizzy Lizzy!

Photo courtesy of Fizzy Lizzy

I recently discovered some incredible juice drinks at my local Whole Foods.  Known as "Fizzy Lizzy" this award winning beverage is a combination of fruit juice and 'fizzy water', hence the name "Fizzy Lizzy."  Fizzy Lizzy comes in eight different flavors (my personal favorite is pineapple, but try them all!).  I love that they not only quench my thirst but have a high percentage of REAL juice without fillers. 

Their web site reveals there really is a REAL Fizzy Lizzy.  According the the site: "One day back in 1995, Liz (yes, there’s a “Lizzy”) was riding her bike. As usual, she had a carton of grapefruit juice and a bottle of sparkling water in her backpack. You see, it was her habit to mix juice and seltzer and the only way to get that combination was to make it yourself. So she got off her bike, started mixing and had her “aha” moment. The next thing you know Liz is running a little company out of her fifth floor Manhattan walk-up, pounding the pavement and evangelizing (to anyone who would listen) about the virtues of juice and sparkling water without the usual added sugars, gums, or other junk. A new religion is born: The Fizzy Lizzy Church of Healthy Soda (TFLCHS for short). Try Fizzy Lizzy. We think you’ll join up. Whether you’re into our Cranberry or our Pineapple, all are welcome. TFLCHS has a big tent." 

So whether you drink these alone or use them to make signature drinks, Fizzy Lizzy is a great boutique juice option for your wedding. 

Planning Your Signature Drink

From Santa Barbara Chic, visit SantaBarbaraChic.com to see more signature drinks

Signature drinks at your wedding can provide a colorful welcome for your guests as well as provide a pop of interest near your bar.  Couple this signature drink with beer and wine and it will help control your alcohol bill for your wedding.

From Santa Barbara Chic, visit SantaBarbaraChic.com to see more signature drinks

Your signature drink does not need to be a new drink, but should reflect the taste of the couple. It can be their favorite drink or can reflect their favorite colors or flavors.  The best way to make your signature drink memorable is is to pay attention to presentation. Having a group of signature drinks setup on a separate table near the bar or passed on a tray will accent your choice and help to prevent a long line at the bar.  All the drinks lined up with their beautiful garnish is so pretty. Be sure your caterer gets the drinks set them up a little before guests arrive so your photographer can get a shot of them.

From Santa Barbara Chic, visit SantaBarbaraChic.com to see more signature drinks

And remember, signature drinks don’t have to be alcoholic. A refreshing lemonade or cucumber water are perfect for a pre-ceremony welcome drink. So have fun creating something personal and refreshing for your guests to enjoy at your wedding.

Wine and Your Wedding

If you have a venue that lets you bring your own wine don't forget to figure in the cost of the corkage fee. Some venues charge as much as $10-20 dollars per bottle! While this seems steep, don't forget to figure in the cost differential. So if you figure the venue markup for wine, possibly as much as 60% of the cost, you can save yourself some money buying a $15 bottle of wine and paying the corkage fee. So don't be shy about asking what their corkage fee is before making this important decision. Also consider asking your store for a discount for buying in bulk and/or the convenience of returning any wine not opened after the wedding. Depending on where you live you may be able to buy from an adjoining state and save by avoiding sales tax or paying a lower tax. Don't throw away money just because you're uncomfortable asking, this could save you money you'd rather spend elsewhere!

Also for some reason most wines venues choose are domestic, and you can usually get a better buy by purchasing an imported wine of a similar quality. Chilean Sauvignon Blanc or some nice Sicilian vintages are available for as little as $10. Often a comparable domestic wine is going to cost you 5-10 dollars more.

Refreshing Fruit Teas

Get a Sampler of E-Natural Fruit Tea

These natural fruit teas come by the case (24 bottles/case) and it offers you a chance to have tastes of a variety of teas.  These refreshing teas are great for an outdoor wedding.  Photo from: http://www.itoen.com/lemon/index.cfm?sp=product&id=282, please note the varieties of teas changes with availablity, so ask before you order.  $36.00/case of 24.  Bottles are 16.9 fluid ounces, and the case has six of each variety.

Signature Wedding Tea

If you are having a wedding in a park or a venue that doesn't allow you to serve alcohol, or you choose to have an alcohol free wedding, try serving this great tea blend. You can find tins of it available at http://www.harney.com/. Or elect to hand tins of Wedding Tea out as favors to each couple at your wedding. This elegant tea is a special blend created for your special event. Mutan White tea, with a touch of lemon-vanilla to taste, pink rosebuds and petals blended together to please and refresh your guests. Serve iced in a pretty pitcher or larger urn.

Better Half Premium Drink Mixes

                Photo courtesy of  http://www.betterhalfmix.com/

This mix uses real fruit juices instead of substituting sugar.  Better Half Premium Cocktail Mix is diabetic friendly, gluten free and low in calories and carbs but still contains more real fruit juice than any traditional cocktail mix! This remarkable mix was born when two brothers from Texas were looking for a healthy, better tasting mix alternative to the sugar filled fakes currently on the market. Frustrated and determined to change the status quo, they concocted the first batch of Better Half to create margaritas for a party. Their guests urged the guys to share their blended cocktail mix with health-conscience party-goers everywhere. The rest is history.  Better Half Premium Cocktain Mix is available online, their website is http://www.betterhalfmix.com/.

Looking for Non-Alcoholic Drinks for Your Wedding?

Photo courtesy of http://www.lorina.com/

Why not try Lorina Sparkling Lemonade, Pink Lemonade, Orangeade, Blueberry Lemonade or French Berry? Just put it on ice and enjoy! If you visit their web site you'll find their non-alcoholic drink recipes at: http://www.lorina.com/.

Make Some Raspberry Limeade

This bright dark pink drink will be refreshing even on the hottest of days!

Raspberry Limeade


1 c fresh or frozen raspberries

1/3 – 1/2 c simple syrup*

3 juicy limes, juiced

5 c cold water



Puree the raspberries and put juice into a pitcher. Discard seeds. Add in lime juice and simple syrup and cold water. Stir and taste making any adjustments to sweetener or lime juice. Serve over ice.

* Simple syrup is an equal mixture of water and white sugar combined over heat to make a syrup. It’s simple! I usually take 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar and mix them over medium-high heat until it just starts to boil. Once it completely melted, remove from heat and cool. I store it in a jar in the fridge to use for all kinds of drinks.

Recipe and photo courtesy of: everybodylikessandwiches.com

Chiara Drink Coolers

(Courtesy of NapaStyle.com)

Half the fun of serving ice-cold lemonade or non-alcoholic tropical punch is seeing it. This elevated square glass dispenser showcases colorful fruit-filled concoctions to full effect. An elevated base is hollow, so you can keep fresh lemons, oranges or extra ice underneath. The spigots are stainless steel, so you can even use them for olive oil. Thick, smooth-finished glass. Hand wash. Imported. Small 7 x 7 x 19" h. (holds 1¾ gallons). Large, 7 x 7 x 26½" h. (holds 3 gallons).  $199.00 - $299.00

Wine Glace Mix Goes Non-Alcoholic

(Courtesy of NapaStyle.com)

Gourmet food show award-winning Wine Glacé mix turns non-alcholic and into refreshing frosty fruit drink. All you need is ice, juice, the mix, and a blender. You can make great non-alcoholic smoothies with fruit juice. Each mix makes approx. 72 oz.

One mix: $15.00 - Two mixes: $29.00

Non-Alcoholic Gypsy Strawberry Kiwi Iced Tea

Iced tea is simple: make hot tea and serve it cold. But getting a good tasting batch is harder than it sounds. If you over-steep the tea it becomes bitter, and if you over-dilute it with melting ice it loses it's cooling zing.  To solve this problem brew extra strong tea by using a few extra tea bags (the number will depend on the size of the batch), then stir in the sugar or honey while the tea is hot and chill overnight.  Do NOT add ice.  Instead only add ice right before serving or use frozen strawberries as ice cubes.   
The tea pictured above is Zhena’s Gypsy Tea Strawberry Kiwi Green Tea which is iced with frozen strawberries, raspberries and cherries, and garnished with a bit of mint from my garden. 

This is a perfect brew for a picnic wedding or outdoor bash and can be served in pretty clear glass pitchers.

Use Lavendar to Garnish

Garnishing your cool non-alcoholic wedding drinks this spring and summer with lavendar.  It immediately adds color and a soft, sweet smell to your wedding drinks.  Whether they are lavendar tea or lemonades, lavendar as a garnish will add that special something to your day.

Fruity Fun Imported from Great Britain

Belvoir Fruit Farms described their drinks as "fresh fruits, flowers and spices with no nasties (colours, flavors, artificial sweeteners or preservatives." Their fine line of organic cordials, pressés, and fruit juices with spring water are high quality adult soft drinks from Britain. Quotes from foodies include: "If you are looking for an upmarket non-alcoholic drink to quench your thirst, look no further than Belvoirs Elderflower, Gooseberry & Muscat cordial." (Food & Travel, June 2009) and "I've given up alcohol so look for soft drinks with a bit of bite Cranberry pressé by Belvoir Fruit Farms" (Marie Claire, October 2009). They're imported to the US by British Wholesale Imports, British Delights, and The British Aisle. I happened to stumble across them when I was researching fonts (you never know where you'll find a treasure! I was on a Russian web site, just seeing what they had and came across a beautiful bottle of their juice.) It has a unique taste, the packaging is award winning, and the drinks are all high quality organics. Belvoir wins awards for their products year after year. Their web site has some ideas for non-alcoholic drink recipes you could use for a signature drink, or just buy the bottles of fruit juice and sparkling water and serve a non-alcoholic but beautiful drink choice to your guests. For recipes and more information go to their web site at: http://www.belvoirfruitfarms.co.uk/page/cocktail-recipes.  Don't forget, cordials need to be diluted about 7 to 1 with either still or sparkling water. 

Left: Belvoir Organic Blood Orange and Mandarin Cordial; Right: are pressés that are already diluted so you can drink them right from the bottle.