Tips and recipes for serving non-alcoholic drinks at your reception.
Not all your guests will be boozing it up during your reception. Whhatever their reason for riding the sober train, the more important question is, how do you serve them at your wedding reception? For many, the popular choices seem to be glasses of fruit juice, soda or sparkling cider, much like at a child’s party. But outside of Shirley Temples, what kind of mocktails should you serve? According to Chef Jason McClure of Sazerac Restaurant located in downtown Seattle, there are plenty of options that are easy to make:
GINGER SPLASH
- Fresh mint
- ½ oz almond syrup
- 1 oz pineapple juice
- ½ oz lime
- Top with ginger brew
- Crushed ice
- Stemless wine glass
CITRUS CRUSH
- Muddled lemon & lime
- Sugar
- 1 oz lemonade
- 1 oz citrus tea
- Lemon bitters
- Splash soda
- Collins glass
ORANGE CREAMSICLE
- 6 oz vanilla bean dry soda
- 2 oz fresh orange juice
- Orange wheel to garnish
- Stemless wine glass
AFRICAN NECTAR
- 2 oz chilled Rioobos tea
- ½ oz fresh orange juice
- Top with ginger brew
- Collins glass
FRESH LEMONADE
Add a tropical fruit like guava or mango to this childhood summertime classic, and you have a grown-up take. Not into tropical fruits? Try blueberries, cherries or raspberries for a country twist.
Don’t those sound delicious? “And remember,” says Chef Jason, “It’s all about presentation. Use fun glassware, high quality ingredients, and know your audience.”
Photo: Melanie Blair; driscolls.com
