Hi! I'm Taryn, a writer, designer and soon-to-be-bride from Atlanta, Georgia. Sit a spell with me and catch up as I plan the wedding of my beer-loving, confetti-throwing dreams to the wonderful Mr. Williford.Sip on These Signature Beer Cocktails
I love a signature drink for an event. Whether the goal is so save on spirits, add a personal touch or just to keep the wedding theme going, I think signature cocktails are a fun experience for guests. I know I’ve tried a few themed drinks at events that were totally different from what I usually sip, and I loved them. Being that our wedding theme has been driven by our location, and the fact that our location is a brewery, we thought it might be apt to suggest a menu of signature cocktails at our bash that were all made with beer. That’s right, signature beer cocktails.
For the uninitiated, beer cocktails are certainly “a thing,” and for the most part they’re incredibly delicious. Across the board, there’s no standard template for beer cockail recipes. Some combine a beer with a mixer, some mix beer with a liquor, and some just mix beer with other beer. Some popular beer cocktails you may have heard of or tried are the Moscow Mule (ginger beer + vodka), Michelada (beer bloody mary), Shandy (beer + lemonade), Snakebite (beer + cider) and the Black and Tan (Guiness + an ale/lager).
A pic of my usual easy Summer Shandy a few summers ago; just Bud Light and lemonade.
As soon as I suggested doing a menu of beer cocktails, Roo was totally on board. Monday Night beers have great flavors that I knew we could build a cocktail around. In fact, I’ve even had a Monday Night beer cocktail once, at a local bar here in Westside Atlanta called Ormsby’s. It was a Drafty Kilt (MNB’s scotch ale) mixed with a 12-year scotch and Drambuie. Really good, but really strong. So last weekend, Roo and I decided to tackle a really tough wedding task: Drinking (tough life, I know). I wanted to take him to Ormsby’s to sample their Drafty Kilt cocktail and determine if it was a good fit, plus spin our heads on some other cocktail recipes. We sat down at the bar, ordered some Pimento Cheese Fritters and got to chatting with the bartenders.
Our wedding bar scouting trip went incredibly well, mainly thanks to the man behind the bar that day, Gavin. A few weeks fresh off his own wedding celebration, he was eager to chat about our wedding plans and help us out with some great beer cocktail ideas. He’s da real MVP of our beer cocktail menu, since two of the three drinks we’re settling on came from him.
The only thing left to do? Come up with cute names. I need some help from you, hive! Tell me which ones you like, or let me know if you have better ideas. (For reference: Roo’s from Michigan, I’m Cuban and Ernest Hemingway loved Cuban rum, Roo and I met in Atlanta, our last name will be Williford, and the neighborhood near the brewery is is called “West Midtown.”)
The Williford Wedding Shandy or The Michicuban or Hemingway Apple Shandy
Michigan apples meet Cuban rum in an Atlanta craft beer cocktail.
The recipe: Fu Manbrew Belgian Wit + Berentzen Apple Liqueur + Domaine De Canton Ginger Liqueur + Bacardi Spiced Rum
Images: MNB/Berentzen/Domaine De Canton/Bacardi
West Midtown Mule or Southern Mule
A classic Moscow Mule made with MNB’s ginger-spiked Fu Manbrew wheat beer.
(I’m debating adding Peach Scnapps or Sweet Tea, like this recipe I found.)
The recipe: Fu Manbrew Belgian Wit + Tito’s Vodka + a squeeze of lime
Images: MNB/Tito’s
ARRRgarita (because, Eye Patch) or The Georgiarita
A twist on the classic margarita, with Indian Pale Ale.
The recipe: Eye Patch Ale IPA + El Jimador Tequila + agave nectar + a squeeze of lime
Images: MNB/El Jimador/Madhava
I think these are all pretty delicious. While there’s not a ton of variety (they’re all very similar crisp, refreshing cocktails), I think this menu is a great add-on to our full bar. There’s going to be plenty of beer, wine and mixed drinks available—these signature beer cocktails are just meant to be a fun option for anyone who wants to sample the local craft beer and try something new.
After our trip to Ormsby’s, we ventured to a liquor store to stock up on all the spirits we’ll need for the wedding. Now all that’s left to do is create a cute sign for the bar, right?
Mint Love Social Club
Laura Murray Photography and Love this Day Events via The Knot
Sign by Tomoko Kuwahara, shot by Corey Ryan via 100 Layer Cake
Did you have a signature drink at your wedding? How did it go? Were people into it?
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