10 Refreshing Wedding Cocktail Recipes

If you’re having a wedding during a hot summer day, what’s better than cooling down with a fun, refreshing cocktail? Your guests will love you for presenting them with fabulous cold drinks during happy hour!

Drinks are such a great way to add some thoughtful personalization to your wedding. Perhaps you got engaged in the Caribbean and want to celebrate that with some delicious rum punch? Maybe you’re about to honeymoon in Italy so an Aperol spritz would be a fun way to share this with your guests. It could also be a fun way to pay homage to your home state; anything cherry-based would be perfect to represent our adorable mitten! Another fun thing that we’ve seen people offer their guests is “his” and “her” drinks; this gives them two fun options for the celebration.

Here’s what we’re loving…

10 Refreshing Wedding Cocktail Recipes

1. Blueberry Mojito

photo/recipe: domesticate-me.com

Ingredients:
1/3 cup blueberries (plus extra for the blueberry swizzle stick)
6-8 leaves fresh mint
1 tablespoon sugar in the raw (add an extra teaspoon or two of sugar if you like a sweeter drink)
2½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 ounces light rum
Crushed ice
2 ounces chilled Prosecco or champagne

Preparation:

1. Place the blueberries, mint leaves, sugar, and lime juice in a glass.
2. Using a muddling tool or wooden spoon, muddle the ingredients in the bottom of the glass until the blueberries release their juices.
3. Fill the glass with crushed ice and pour the rum over. Give it a stir.
4. Top with chilled  champagne or Prosecco and garnish with extra mint and blueberries

2. Rosé Cocktail

photo/recipe: crateandbarrel.com

Ingredients:

1 ½ ounces Rosé
½ ounce fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
½ ounce sugar syrup
1 egg white
3 ounces good champagne

Preparation:

1. Pour the rosé, grapefruit juice, sugar syrup, and egg white into the shaker full of ice.
2. Shake vigorously for a good 10-15 seconds until fully iced.
3. Pour into glass using the strainer. Top with 3 ounces champagne.
4. Decorate with lovely edible florals or a slice of fresh grapefruit. We highly recommend that you work with your local farmer’s market or grocery to purchase edible flowers.

3. Pineapple Rum Punch

photo/recipe: papernstitchblog.com

Ingredients:

3 ounces pineapple coconut juice
3 ounces coconut rum (you can also you light or dark rum if you prefer)
1 ounce mango juice
1 ounce orange juice
Splash of grenadine
Lime slices and/or orange zest for garnish
Edible flowers for garnish. Again, we highly recommend that you work with your local farmer’s market or grocery to purchase edible flowers.

Preparation:

1. Combine all juices (pineapple coconut, mango, and orange) and rum.
2. Stir and pour over ice (smaller ice pieces work best)
3. Add grenadine to add color

4. Cucumber Basil Gin + Tonic

photo/recipe: hostthetoast.com

Ingredients:

3 ounces gin
2 ounces St. Germain elderflower liqueur
Juice of 1 lime
3 springs of basil, plus more for garnish
1 cucumber
Tonic
Ice

Preparation:

1. Using a vegetable peeler, slice thin ribbons of cucumber and place in your cocktail glasses. From the remaining cucumber, cut off 5-6 chunks to muddle into the cocktail, and save the rest.
2. Squeeze the lime juice into a cocktail shaker and add the gin, St Germain, basil, and cucumber chunks.
3. Muddle the ingredients well, and then add ice.
4. Shake well, then pour to divide between 2 glasses. Top with tonic and garnish with basil.

5. Raspberry Limoncello Prosecco

photo/recipe: damndelicious.net

Ingredients:

3 cups prosecco, chilled
1 cup limoncello liqueur, chilled
1 cup frozen raspberries
6 springs fresh mint

Preparation:

1. In a large pitcher, whisk together prosecco and limoncello.
2. Serve over raspberries, garnished with mint, if desired.

6. Lavender Lemonade Martini

photo/recipe: creative-culinary.com

Ingredients:

½ cup sugar
½ cup water
6 springs of lavender, plus more for garnish
½ fresh-squeezed lemon juice
4 ounces vodka, chilled
lemon slices, halved
sugar for rims of glasses

Simple Syrup Preparation:

1. Combine the sugar and water in a pot on the stove and bring to a boil; cook only until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Add lavender sprigs and allow to cool completely, stirring occasionally.

Cocktail Preparation:

1. Rim the edge of two martini glasses with a lemon slice and dip the edge into sugar (I like cake decorating sugar with larger crystals)
2. Strain the lavender simple syrup into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and add the lemon juice and vodka. Shake until VERY cold.
3. Pour the lemonade/vodka mixture through a strainer into a cocktail glass. I prefer it without ice but if you prefer, put some crushed ice into the glass first.
4. Garnish with lavender sprigs and lemon slices.

7. Spicy Watermelon Sangria

photo/recipe: howsweeteats.com

Ingredients:

1 bottle dry rosé
4 cups of fresh watermelon cubes
½ cup brandy
½ cup grand marnier
2 cups club soda plain or flavored
1 ½ cups of watermelon balls
Handful of fresh mint
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder + 1 tablespoon sugar stirred together for rim

Preparation:

1. Place watermelon cubes in the blender. Blend until they are pureed totally then strain the mixture over a glass.
2. Add all of your fruit to the bottom of a pitcher. Pour your wine, watermelon juice, brandy, Grand Marnier, and club soda over top and stir. This tastes great when it sits in the refrigerator and “marinates” for a bit. To serve, rim a glass with a lime wedge and dip it in the ancho chili sugar. Add ice and some of the boozy fruit and pour the sangria over top.

8. Paloma

photo/recipe: goop.com

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups silver tequila
4 ½ cups grapefruit soda
Juice of 6 limes + lime wedges to garnish

Preparation:

1. Combine tequila, grapefruit soda, and lime juice in a pitcher; stir to combine.
2. Pour over ice-filled glasses and garnish each with a wedge of lime.

9. Grapefruit Salty Dog

photo/recipe: thecookierookie.com

Ingredients:

1/3 cup freshly squeezed red grapefruit juice
2 tablespoons good quality vodka
1 cup crushed ice
Coarse sea salt for rim of glass
Grapefruit slice for garnish

Preparation:

1. Wet the rim of your glass with water or the grapefruit slice. Dip in sea salt.
2. Fill glass with crushed ice.
3. Combine juice and vodka in a shaker and shake or stir to combine.
4. Pour over glass.

10. Blue Raspberry Spiked Lemonade

photo/recipe: tablespoon.com

Ingredients:

½ gallon lemonade
6 ounces vodka (one ounce per drink)
4 ½ ounces blue raspberry-flavored vodka
Sprig of mint

Preparation:

1. Prepare or buy your lemonade. Fill the glasses with ice and then pour the lemonade over the ice about 3/4 of the way full.
2. Add one ounce vodka and stir. Then top with 3/4 of an ounce Blue Raspberry Vodka. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Aren’t these all the cutest? Can’t you just see all your guests walking around holding these while mingling! Ahhhh, it makes my happy-hour-loving heart smile! So what are you going to serve your guests at your wedding?