Boozing it Up

One of the major selling points on our venue, the Children's Museum, was that they do not have a liquor license. That means that we can purchase and provide our own alcohol, saving many, many dollars! Woohoo!

It also means that it's about time to start planning our bar menu, which I think is serious business. Our guest list, as a whole, is a pretty celebratory crowd, and I want to get the alcohol options right. The plan is to provide a limited open bar, including a few types of beer and wine, as well as some liquor options. Wanna see what we've come up with so far?


(Source.)

One of the beers we serve will definitely be Yuengling. It's Mr. O's favorite, it's brewed in Pennsylvania, and it's tasty and fairly light, without being watery. After the Yuengling, though, we're a little stuck, because Mr. O and I are big-time beer drinkers, and we are kind of paralyzed by all the choices!


How do I chooooooooooose?!?! I love you all so much! (Top row: 1, 2, 3. Bottom row: 1, 2, 3.)

My old standby is Newcastle, which is a yummy brown ale. MOH/Sister Lauren, on the other hand, has been pushing for a more crowd-pleasing beer like Budweiser or Miller Lite, because, quote, "not everyone is a beer snob like the two of you." (Thanks. Love ya.) Or we could stick to the "local" thing and go with something brewed in our current hometown--Sam Adams or Harpoon. OR!!!! We could go seasonal and pick out one of my all-time favorite things in the universe--pumpkin ale--or a hard apple cider.


This is my favorite winery at Keuka Lake, Rooster Hill. Their riesling is ridonkulous. (Source.)

As far as wine goes, we will definitely be serving a white wine from the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, where the Octopus Family lives. I can personally attest to the fact that Finger Lakes white wine is deeeelicious, like maybe you might be tempted to lick the inside of your wine glass delicious. It tastes so fresh and grape-y! Finger Lakes red wine, on the other hand, is typically not so hot--so I'm totally open to suggestions for a relatively inexpensive, tasty red wine (bonus points for merlot, Dad Octopus's favorite!).

For liquor, I think we're just going to provide some standards (gin, rum, vodka, and so on) that can be mixed with the juices and sodas the caterer provides. Maybe we'll get fancy and throw in some flavored vodkas. I love the idea of a signature drink (or two), but I'm pretty sure we'd then also have to purchase all the special mixers involved, and the dollar signs are dancing before my eyes.

So, to recap: Yuengling, Finger Lakes white wine, and the standard liquors are already decided, but I still need ideas for one or two other beers and a red wine.

What do you think? Do you have any suggestions? What types of alcohol are you serving?