Mixology

Hive, thank you so much for your great suggestions on our stocking-the-bar issue! I have some sad (for me) news regarding The Great Beer Debate. When I was home for my bridal shower, I was describing our beer choices to the Parents Octopus, as well as gleefully noting how Weddingbee mostly agreed with me that a light beer was not a necessary menu option.

But surprise! Mom Octopus informed me that Dad Octopus wants to drink Labatt Blue at the reception, and since Dad Octopus has been so easy-going, diplomatic, and supportive throughout the planning of this whole shindig (and holds a hearty share of the purse strings), what he wants, he gets. I mean, my first suggestion was that an alternative to the Labatt would be for Dad Octopus to develop better taste in beer, which he chuckled at, but......no dice. Labatt Blue is on the beer menu.

Then, tonight, I assembled an informal tasting panel consisting of Mr. Octo, MOH/Sister Lauren, and BM/Cousin Katie to try out some of the cocktail options you all shared with us. Want to see the winners?

Cocktail #1
A combination of ingredients based on suggestions by commenters Miss OceanBeach SF and 7SEVENJ9: orange juice, ginger ale, and vanilla vodka. Everyone, you should make this beverage as your TGIF evening drink tonight. I don't know why this combination of mixers never occurred to me before, but it was DELICIOUS. After I mixed it up for the panel and handed out the glasses, everyone started announcing, "oooooohh! this tastes really good!"


Soon-to-be in-laws toasting (to their mutual appreciation of fart jokes, probably)


Katie enjoys a cocktail, a slice of Upper Crust pizza, and the new issue of Martha Stewart Weddings. What else could a person possibly want?

A logical name for this drink would be something like "Creamsicle" or "Orange Blossom" or something, because that's what it tastes like. However, after 2.5 drinks last night, it occurred to me that maybe we should refer to it as a "Daffodil" on our bar menu. As an homage to my precious boo-boo, who is yellow and sweet, as is the drink. Get it?


Sweet? Yellow? Yeah?

Is this too cheesy and doofy to handle? And, I mean, if a person happened to Google "French bulldog silhouette" to try to find an image to put on the bar menu to make the connection between drink and dog abundantly clear, would this be crossing the line into "I love my dog SOOOO MUCH" psychosis? Please advise.

Cocktail #2
For the other mixed drink, we sampled (and liked) a dressed-up variation of a basic cranberry & vodka: cranberry juice, citrus-flavored vodka, seltzer water, and a squeeze of lime. Dry and fruity. Yum.

So, the final bar menu will include: Yuengling, Sam Adams Octoberfest, Labatt Blue, and Harpoon Cider as our beers, whatever Dad Octopus chooses for our wines (I'm not picky about those), and Creamsicles/Daffodils and the fizzy cranberry-citrus vodka drinks. Yum!

Notably, we're not serving champagne. I don't think people tend to order it from the bar that much, and I've observed firsthand that all the champagne poured in a champagne toast often isn't finished. We'll just have wine at the tables, and guests can toast with that if they'd like. I do love a good glass of bubbly, but I just think this is an expense that is easily cut.

What's on your bar menu?