38 Signature Drinks That'll Personalize Your Cocktail Hour

By Chloe Gorman
July 02, 2012
Abby Jiu Photography

Get inspired by these creative sips.

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Abby Jiu Photography

After your wedding ceremony comes the cocktail hour. It's often the time for party-goers to mingle (and drink!) while the newlyweds share a few minutes of just-married bliss during a private walk or portrait session. If you're following this formula, you can still inject a personal touch into this interlude—even in your absence—by offering loved ones a signature drink inspired by everything from your cocktail preferences to your relationship timeline.

These custom drinks are a creative (and delicious!) way to tell your guests a little something about who you are as a couple. Looking for a place to start? Think of some the best cocktails that you have shared with your fiancé for inspiration. 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 personalize your signature drinks. However, we think one of the best ways to make these drinks your own is by naming them creatively. When brainstorming monikers, some look to memorable trips, favorite family members, or even their pets; others, like this couple, turn to their married titles and new initials for inspiration. The bride's cocktail, seen here, combined Champagne and a scoop of St. Germain-flavored sorbet.

Ready to discover more crowd-pleasing drinks there were served at real celebrations? Click through for some of our favorite signature cocktails.

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Kumquat Cocktails

Koman Photography
21 Ways to Use Citrus in Every Element of Your Wedding

Citrus played a role in every part of this celebration. In keeping with the theme, the signature cocktail was made of lemon juice, kumquat cordial, and vodka.

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Lemonade

Anna Delores Photography

The signature drink served at this moody, magic-themed celebration was a blackberry lemonade. The beverage got its dark hue from activated charcoal and fresh blackberries.

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Multiple Margaritas

Jose Villa

Since they couldn't choose just one margarita flavor, this couple opted for four—watermelon-mint, smoky, classic, and pomegranate with habanero simple syrup.

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Infused Champagne

Becca B Photography

The perfect garnish for this plum-infused Champagne cocktail was a bright red sliced plum.

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Pet-Inspired

Clary Pfeiffer Photography
11 Paw-fect Ways to Honor a Pet at Your Wedding

Looking for a meaningful way to incorporate your furry friends into your big day? Name your signature drinks after them. These beverages were titled "The Stella" and "The Stanley" to honor the couple's two dogs.

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Ombré

Daniel Kim Photography

This pretty-in-pink drink was created with lemon, raspberry, and vodka. Two skewered berries topped off the cocktail.

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His and Hers

Katie Parra Photography
30 His and Hers Cocktails to Inspire Your Own Signature Drink

This duo served up two of their favorite drinks 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.

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Mocktails

Erich McVey
Mocktail Recipes You'll Actually Want to Try

To cater to all of their guests, this couple passed around two mocktails. One was a peach ginger soda; the other, a blackberry basil soda.

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Three Drinks

Rebecca Yale Photography

Not one, but three drinks—all created by Vibiana—were given out at this reception. Yonder Design created individual plaques to help guests distinguish between each.

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Margaritas

Lacie Hansen Photography

Field to Table Events dreamed up this couple's pear-and-vanilla-flavored margaritas.

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Common Bond

Ryan Ray
20 Personalized Wedding Ideas You'll Want to Copy

Due to their mutual love for margaritas, this couple served two versions (including one spicy option) of the cocktail.

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Mint Juleps

Eric Kelley

At this spring wedding in West Virginia, refreshing mint juleps (a regional classic) were served to keep attendees cool.

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"Farmtinis"

Sara Richardson Photography
See how to pull off an outdoor wedding here

Wild hibiscus and vodka came together to form this duo's "Farmtini," which was named after their outdoor venue.

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"Mama's Margarita"

Valorie Darling Photography
How to Throw a Home Wedding Without Losing Your Mind

Two cocktails were made for this intimate celebration at the bride's family home. "Mama's Margarita" contained Epsilon tequila, Cointreau triple sec, lime juice, homemade simple syrup, and salt.

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Holiday-Inspired

Abby Jiu Photography
Festive Ideas for a Christmas Wedding

As a nod to the season (and the wedding's Christmas theme), Moscow mules were decorated with sugared cranberries skewered with a snowflake stirrer.

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Milestones

Sylvie Gil Photography

"The Montana" (a huckleberry vodka lemonade), "The Punta Mita" (a spicy margarita), and "The Colorado" (an old fashioned made with a Denver whiskey) represented three places that the couple loved the most.

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Pitchers

Belathée Photography
See more cool drink stations here

Attendees could help themselves to two spiked beverages—a fizzy, fruity vodka punch and a citrus-infused G&T—from glass dispensers.

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Cactus Cooler

Gideon Photo
Get more cactus wedding ideas here

Cacti filled almost every inch of this Palm Spring wedding—the specialty sip was no exception. The "Cactus Cooler" was made with pink lemonade and vodka and accented with a sugar rim and lemon twist.

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Custom Margaritas

Bonnie Sen Photography

The "Rosemary Refresher," featuring grapefruit juice, a house-made rosemary syrup, and smoky reposado tequila, made for a custom twist on the classic drink. The libation also went by another name—the "Marriage Margarita."

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Lavender

Koby Brown
25 Pretty Ways to Use Lavender in Your Wedding

A lavender sling was just one of the multiple signature sips offered during this pre-ceremony cocktail hour. Others included a blackberry thyme fizz, gin and cucumber, and bourbon peach cocktails.

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Illustrations

Fiona Conrad

Drawings of Kentucky mules and Manhattans were placed on the back of the bar to give guests a visual of these custom recipes.

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Tinted Champagne

Audra Wrisley Photography
20 Blue Wedding Color Palettes We Love

A halved fig and fresh flower floated on top of blue-tinted Champagne. The drink's hue highlighted the event's color palette.

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Rosé

Shewanders

Watercolor tangerine markers denoted the different tasting notes in each type of rosé at this citrus-themed event.

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Wine Barrels

Jodi & Kurt Photography

Old fashioned cocktails and sangrias were displayed on top of wine barrels—a nod to the couple's vineyard proposal.

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Bellini's

Michelle Beller

Halved strawberries decorated this duo's mix of peach and mango Bellini's and orange mimosas.

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Mules and Manhattans

Rachel Havel Photography
46 Signature Cocktails by Spirit

Attendees got a taste of New York at this Boulder, Colorado, wedding. The bride's signature drink of choice was a Manhattan; the groom opted for a Moscow mule.

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Eclectic Glassware

Liz Banfield

Kir royales were served up in mismatched glasses at this eclectic-style event.

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Candy Cane

Kate Headley
30 Cocktail Ideas for a Winter Wedding

A Christmas-themed event calls for a seasonal cocktail. That's why this couple created their candy cane martinis with strawberry vodka, crème de menth, and cranberry juice. The beverage wasn't complete without a mini candy cane.