Choosing The Right Seasonal Cocktail For Your Wedding

For your wedding, one of the best ways to save on money all the while adding style and sophistication to your event is to choose one coordinated cocktail to serve rather than providing an open bar. We still recommend serving wine with the meal, but a festive well-chosen cocktail can set the mood for your entire wedding. Plus, it also controls the amount of alcohol people are drinking, by limiting one or two cocktails per person.

Here are some of our picks for the best cocktails year-round...

IN SUMMER

Starlet Cocktails

Ice cubes Sugar
1 1/4 cups orange juice
3/4 cup peach schnapps
3/4 cup vodka

Directions:
1. Wet the rims of 6 champagne flutes and dip them in sugar. Fill a pitcher with ice cubes and add the orange juice, schnapps and vodka. Stir until chilled, then pour into the sugared flutes.

IN FALL

Ginger Punch

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Orange Ginger vodka, chilled
Juice of 1 lime, plus 2 lime wedges for garnish
1/2 cup ginger beer, chilled

Directions:
1. In a small pitcher, combine the Orange Ginger Vodka and lime juice. Pour into 2 rocks glasses filled with ice and top with the ginger beer. Garnish each with a lime wedge.

IN WINTER

Pumpkin Pie Martinis

Ice cubes
2 ounces (1/4 cup) vanilla vodka
2 ounces (1/4 cup) crème de cacao
1/4 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Whipped cream, for garnish

Directions:
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice cubes. Add the vanilla vodka, crème de cacao, heavy cream and pumpkin pie spice and shake well.
2. Dip the rims of 2 martini glasses into a bowl of whipped cream. Strain the cocktail into the glasses

IN SPRING

Mint Julep

1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar
5 fresh mint leaves, plus 1 mint sprig for garnish
1/2 cup bourbon (4 ounces)
Crushed ice

Directions:
1. Add the sugar, the mint leaves and a few drops of the bourbon to a chilled glass. Muddle or crush the mint with a spoon to create a thick paste. Add a handful of crushed ice to the glass. Place a straw so that it reaches the mint paste at the bottom of the glass. Pour the remaining bourbon over the ice. Add more crushed ice, making a mound that reaches to the top of the glass and leaving about 1 inch of the straw peeking above the rim. Garnish with a mint sprig.

All recipes from Rachael Ray Magazine.