35 Signature Drinks That Will Personalize Your Cocktail Hour

Cocktail hour is often the time for partygoers to mingle while the happy couple share a few minutes of just-married bliss during a private walk or portrait session. If you're following this formula, know that there are plenty of ways to personalize this interlude—even in your absence. One of our favorites? Offer loved ones a signature drink (or two!) inspired by everything from your cocktail preferences to your relationship timeline.

These custom drinks are creative and delicious ways to tell your guests a little something about who you are as a couple. Looking for a place to start? Think of some of the best cocktails that you have shared with your fiancé as a jumping off point. If you can't think of just one, make like many of these couples and serve multiple options. Adding a mocktail to your signature drink roster is also always a good idea, especially if you plan on having little ones on your guest list.

You can also use garnishes or other drink-related elements, like monogrammed napkins and stirrers, to further personalize your signature drinks. However, we think one of the best ways to make these cocktails your own is by naming them creatively. When brainstorming monikers, some look to memorable trips while others, like this couple, turn to their pets. Their signature cocktails—which paid homage to two adorable French bulldogs—were coined "The Peanut" and "The Gary." The former is a mixture of whiskey, ginger ale, and orange liqueur, while the latter features vodka, peach schnapps, pineapple and cranberry juice. 

Ready to discover more crowd-pleasing drinks that were served at real celebrations? We've provided plenty of inspiration in this collection of incredible signature cocktails. 

Show gratitude to your guests during cocktail hour by taking notes from this signature beverage. With the assistance of the couple's planner, Natalie Good, the drink was cleverly titled "Bee Positive," and each cocktail was served with a wooden honeycomb stirrer that featured positive affirmations written by the bride herself. 

If you've landed on a specific color palette for your wedding, it's a fun idea to choose a signature drink that matches. At this whimsical garden-inspired event, which boasted a peach, coral, and sage green color scheme, it was only fitting that the official beverage was a light green bourbon peach smash. 

Provide an option for every type of wedding attendee, like this couple did. They served three signature cocktails: whiskey sours, basil gimlets, and hibiscus margaritas. 

Don't forget to give your signature cocktail a cute name. One of this couple's two official drinks was a spicy margarita, cleverly coined her tequila drink the "Blushing Spicy Margarita," a nod to its flavor and stunning purple color. 

Find unity, even when you're serving two separate cocktails. At this wedding, the bride's drink was an Aperol spritz, while the groom opted for a Manhattan. The common thread between the two? Matching orange peel garnishes. 

Don't feel like your official wedding beverage has to be something brand-new and totally innovative. Sometimes the best option is your bar go-to. For him, an old fashioned; for her, a classic margarita. 

Personalize your drinks even further by getting created with your stirrers, like Lauryn Prattes Styling and Events did for this event. During the wedding's cocktail hour, signature drinks were adored with fox drink stirrers, a nod to the couple's venue, Foxfire, a private estate in Monkton. 

Are you a dessert lover? Don't be afraid to incorporate your sweet tooth into your cocktail offerings. Follow in this couple's footsteps who worked with Dolce Bacio to have a gelato bike at their wedding. The duo took it a step further by serving sparkling rosé in a coupe glass with a strawberry popsicle dipped inside. The drink was thoughtfully named "La Vie en Rosé." 

Don't let your garnish sit there just for aesthetic reasons; choose something that imparts its own flavor, like this vodka and grapefruit cocktail that was served with rosemary. The couple behind the creation worked with their venue and caterer, Inn at Graybarns, to create a variety of carefully curated cocktails, including margaritas made with spicy pepper syrup, an old fashioned with coffee gomme, Camillo martinis with cocchi Americano, and more. 

If you know you want drink stirrers, but you can't decide what to put on them, why not opt for multiple designs, like this couple did? The newlywed's cocktails—"Hers," a classic daiquiri, served with fresh, edible flowers; "His" a mojito with plenty of fresh mint—had two different stirrers, one with their initials and the other with an illustration of their dog's face. 

Are you known for your love of spicy foods? Bring a bit of that flare into your cocktail hour, like this pair did. They served one signature drink, made with jalapeño-infused tequila, honey, and pineapple.

Refreshing and aesthetically pleasing, an Aperol spritz an ideal signature sip for a summertime event. At their July wedding, this couple welcomed attendees with a big glass of the bright orange beverage. 

Is your wedding during the sweltering summer month? Opt for a beverage that will quench your guests' thirst. At this celebration, cups of pre-poured watermelon lemonade mixed with tequila or vodka were available to help keep attendees cool.

Add a unique touch to your cocktails by serving them with personalized napkins, like the ones Laura Allin from Gather Events helped this duo dream up. Adorned with each person's first initial and illustrations of florals and greenery, these napkins were the perfect thing to keep condensation off glasses. 

Are you using some form of edible bloom as part of your big-day flower palette? If so, add it to your signature sips to tie everything together. Take inspiration from this couple who incorporated chamomile provided by Floressence Florals into various parts of their wedding, including during their bud toss and as a garnish in their signature drink: a chamomile gin fizzy. 

Incorporate elements from your wedding ceremony into your cocktail hour, like this couple did. During their vows, the duo burned incense alongside fresh citrus fruits, which appeared again during cocktail hour, when celebrants were offered blood orange and ginger cocktails topped with dehydrated citrus slices.

If you're tying the knot during the holiday season, lean into the aesthetic by serving hot drinks that will keep guests feeling warm. We love what this couple did with the help of their wedding planner from A Southern Soiree: Mugs of hot chocolate topped with marshmallows were the perfect way to keep the spirit bright, especially when paired with gift wrapped straws and festive napkins. 

How you choose to serve your signature cocktail is often even more important than the beverage itself. At this wedding, an otherwise simple margarita was transformed into something everyone wanted to try when delicately dipped in salt and served with a perfectly cut lemon wedge. 

Planning a summer celebration? Add a little citrus to your signature beverage—it's bright, refreshing, and make your drink pop. At this celebration, the couple served a cocktail made with kumquat cordial, vodka, and lemon juice for a burst of citrusy tang. 

Use your wedding's overall theme—if it has one—to inspire your cocktail choices. Take notes from this couple's moody, magic-inspired event—they served a beverage crafted by Soirée Center that used blackberry lemonade, fresh blackberries, and activated charcoal to evoke a dark and dramatic vibe. 

Why serve one signature cocktail when you can serve four? This couple couldn't decide between a single margarita flavor, so they chose to serve multiple options, including watermelon-mint, smoky, classic, and pomegranate with habanero simple syrup. 

It's no secret that Champagne is the ultimate celebratory beverage. Feel free to punch it up a bit and serve it as your signature drink by doing what this couple did and infusing your favorite bubbly with bright red sliced plums.  

Create something as delicious as it is visually appealing, like this bride's signature cocktail. Acquired Taste Bartending Co. created this two-toned, pretty-in-pink drink made with lemon, raspberry, and vodka. Two skewered berries topped off the cocktail.

One of the easiest ways to decide on a signature cocktail will be to consider what your go-to drink usually is. This duo served up two of their favorite beverages on their wedding day. The groom's drink of choice was an old fashioned while the bride opted for a mix of gin, St. Germain, and grapefruit juice. 

Let your wedding's locale guide your cocktail choices. The perfect example is this couple, who served a mint julep—a regional classic—at their West Virginia spring wedding. It kept guests refreshed in the warmer weather and paid homage to the area. 

Are you planning a winter fête? Nod to the season, like these newlyweds did, and serve Moscow mules decorated with sugared cranberries skewered with a snowflake stirrer. They're perfect for a Christmastime affair. 

If you're serving a common fan favorite, like a margarita, try putting your own signature spin on it! At this wedding, the couple coined their beverage the "Rosemary Refresher"—a margarita made with grapefruit juice, a house-made rosemary syrup, and smoky reposado tequila. 

Choosing the right garnish can take a simple cocktail to the next level. We love what this duo did by serving a lavender sling in one of their multiple signature sips, including a blackberry thyme fizz, gin and cucumber, and bourbon peach cocktails.

Guests won't have any confusion as to what your signature beverage is if you serve them in front of a display like this couple did. Planner Jove Meyer helped them create illustrations of the drinks (Kentucky mules and Manhattans) and their recipes, laser-cut from adhesive vinyl, providing a visual of the drinks on offer.

Consider other elements of your relationship, like where you met and the spot of your engagement, when choosing your wedding-day beverage. Here, an Old Fashioned and sangria were displayed on top of wine barrels as a nod to the couple's vineyard proposal.

Will your cocktail hour fall during mid-afternoon? Then play up the brunch vibes by serving peach and mango Bellini's and orange mimosas, like this pair did. Halved strawberries decorated the cocktails for a bright, fruity touch. 

Serving signature cocktails that are as delicious as they are timeless is a great way to ensure there's something guests will find familiar on the menu. At this wedding, the bride's drink of choice was a Manhattan, while the groom opted for a Moscow mule—two drinks that will never go out of style.

There are plenty of ways to honor family and friends at your wedding, but we love the idea of working them into cocktail hour. This couple served tall glasses of gin and tonics—a nod to the bride's late grandmother (they were her favorite drink!). With the help of Margaret Cally Events, the duo added drink stirrers with family photos to every beverage.

Collaborate with your significant other to create one drink that's a perfect combination of you both. This couple worked together to create a delicious cocktail that featured luxardo cherries and Bermudan ginger beer for an unexpected take on the classic Moscow mule.