What flavour are you?

Cocktails are fast becoming the first choice of beverage when it comes to weddings and events as they offer something different to other traditional alcoholic drinks, as well as a ‘wow’ factor, according to Lucy Barrow, Director of Leeds-based Mix & Twist.

She said that, as weddings are such huge occasions, cocktails add a unique and colourful twist to such a joyous and momentous time in people’s lives.

These flavoursome drinks have always been massive at parties and corporate events, and have dominated menus at bars for years. They offer a little extra indulgence – and there’s nothing better than the fun and excitement that goes into making them for a bit of team building or ice-breaking activities and games.

In recent years Lucy has seen more and more brides and grooms opting for the joys of ‘mixology’.

And Mix & Twist have taken this one step further, by offering couples the opportunity to design their own unique wedding cocktail that reflects their personalities and history as a couple.

“We work with couples and ask them their favourite flavours and spirits so that we can create a bespoke cocktail that is unique to them,” said Lucy.

“It just adds a personal touch and they can name it after themselves or maybe the place where they met.”

So what, exactly, is the process of creating such a unique drink?

“We first of all get to understand if they prefer sweet flavours or something a bit more sour, or maybe something fruity, and produce a cocktail that is unique to them.

“This can add that something extra special to their big day and act as a real talking point for their guests.”

What makes for a great cocktail?

We couldn’t resist asking Lucy her view on the key ingredients for a perfect cocktail.

“A cocktail needs to have the right balance of sweet and sour,” she said.

“This can be achieved by adding lemon and lime flavour with a little sugar. It needs to be well balanced and pop with a really great colour, as nobody wants to drink a cocktail that looks like pond water! This is vital as you don’t want people pulling strange faces!

“The garnish is really important too, as the overall look needs to have visual impact.

“It’s a good idea to think about using the flavours within your cocktails as a garnish.

“Take a Cosmopolitan, for example, which features Cointreau (orange liqueur). You could add a flamed orange peel to decorate it, making it look incredibly colourful as a feature at your wedding or other event.”

Top 5 wedding drinks of 2017

Of course, it’s not all about cocktails. We asked Lucy what she sees as the most popular wedding and events drinks of this year. This is how she ranked them:

1. Craft gins with a mixture of fancy garnishes

2.Cocktails

3.Craft beers

4.Real ales

5.Whisky

She added: “While cocktails are more popular than ever, the other big trend is gin. Craft beer is also becoming huge, particularly really cool brands like BrewDog. And real ale is also making a bit of a comeback.”

Getting the kids involved

When it comes to weddings, adults can seem to be the ones who have all the fun when it comes to posh drinks. Not any more, though. Mix & Twist have developed a range of non-alcoholic ‘mocktails’ and Lucy says this is a brilliant way of ensuring the younger guests don’t feel left out.

“They get really excited because they think they are having a cocktail,” she said.

“We offer a lot of fresh fruits and dress their drinks up to make them more interesting. We can even do a mojito for the children, which makes them feel like grown-ups.”

Lucy’s top 10 tips for planning your event drinks

If you’re not quite sure where to begin, here are Lucy’s top 10 tips to get you started:

1. Consider the flow of your event. Right from the bride and bridesmaids’ make-up and hair first thing in the morning, to the photographs, the pre-wedding breakfast welcome, dinner, and evening party. Make sure you have the right selection of beverages for each stage of the day. For example, a glass of champers or prosecco can add to the air of excitement and help to calm pre-wedding nerves first thing, while guests might be ready for something refreshing like a glass of Pimms or even something non-alcoholic like fruit juice during your photos. Having the right wine with your sit-down meal, meanwhile, can make or break the food.
   
2. Also, think about the ambiance you want to achieve during different parts of your day, your personalities and tastes and those of your guests. Exciting ‘pick-me-ups’ like cocktails, craft beer sampling or exquisite gin combinations at the right point can really add to the high points.
   
3. Cost is also a factor, of course, and it helps to start with a budget in mind and then work out how you want to spend it throughout the day, to ensure things don’t get out of hand. For example, investing in two or three special drinks at key points in the day can really help to create something memorable, without going overboard.
   
4. Drinks can also provide entertainment. Mix & Twist offer an element of performance as well as serving beverages, including cocktail juggling. Other companies also provide everything from a ‘master of ceremonies’ service to mock drunken singing waiters, so it’s worth looking at these elements too when selecting a drinks service.
   
5. Building in some personalised options like bespoke ‘Mr and Mrs’ cocktails representing you and your partner, can add an extra-special, memorable element to your day.
   
6. Drinks can also act as a powerful ice-breaker when your wider network of family and friends meet for the first time, so consider things like your seating plan and the kinds of tipples that might help people de-stress and come out of their shells a tad. Of course, cocktails are a great example of this.
   
7. Try to cater for a variety of needs. Often, beer drinkers don’t like wine and vice versa, for example. And, though perhaps hard to believe, some people aren’t keen on alcohol at all, so it’s important to make sure you have something for everyone – including a selection of soft drinks options.
   
8. How much is enough – and not too much? This is a question we get asked a lot. The answer hinges largely on your venue type and the order of your day. However, our general rule of thumb would be to have something a little special as a welcome for your guests after your wedding ceremony and during photos. This is where your cocktails, gins, fizz or craft beers come in, as they keep everyone occupied as well as slaking thirst while you deal with the formalities of your day. Then, you should ideally provide half a bottle of wine per person at each table, plus water and another soft drink option. The preamble to your evening do then really depends on you and your budget. You could simply open a paid bar and allow everyone to purchase their preferred tipples, or offer the first couple of drinks free of charge. Or those who are feeling really flush sometimes run a free bar all night (an option not for the faint-hearted).
9. You can even use drinks to make a bit of a fun out of your seating plan. Games like ‘Take a shot, take a seat’ involve guests finding their name underneath a shot glass, filled with a drink of your choice. They then down the corresponding shot before taking their seat at the table.
10. You might not want to think about this aspect of things when you’re wrapped up in all the excitement of planning your big day, but you also need your drinks company to take control where necessary. There are always some guests who get a little carried away and ideally your drinks provider will spot the signs and help you to avoid them getting rowdy and spoiling things, offering them non-alcoholic options after a certain point in the evening.

Mix & Twist have bases in London and Leeds and provide everything from innovative and varied drinks packages reflecting the latest trends, to mobile bars and even drink-based performance and entertainment. If you are inspired by what you’ve read in this blog and would like to pick their brains about any aspect of your wedding drinks, get in touch with us at Village Farm Marquees, by calling us on (01262) 468160 , or via email at info@villagefarmmarquees.co.uk , and we’ll hook you up. We can also advise you on planning all other aspects of your day, and recommend a range of trusted suppliers to ensure things go with a swing .