11 Mar Sweet & Steamy Memphis Wedding Cocktail Bar
All photos compliments of Sam Bumpers Photography // Follow at @sambumpersphotography
First of all, it would be rude to not say hello. It’s been…awhile. So welcome, hi, we’re glad you’re here or back, whatever the case may be. Life and a toddler have slooowed down blogging efforts, but fret not we’re still drinking cocktails at the same rate :), now it just takes us 8 months to write about them.
Whiskey barrels and wild flowers
Truth be told, we’re a bit like an eager puppy. One of our best friends and a couple we’ve been long fans of announced they were getting married and mentioned they might like some drink advice. We ran over, wagged our tails, and said “here are 18 options” and “just let us bartend the whole thing.” We’re either really cute or insistent or at some point in wedding planning you concede to your loved-ones wishes; so in May we got to serve 50 folks cocktails. Strung lights, a farm table, whiskey barrels, and wild flowers adorned a Memphis backyard, for an absolutely idyllic affair. The perfect mix of classy and casual, glass champagne flutes and southern bbq.
The menu
Wedding menus are always a balance of the following:
1. Reflects the bride and groom (plays to their taste)
2. Generally appealing to the average wedding goer
3. Able to be made either quickly or ahead of time (who, tell me who, wants to wait for a drink at a wedding)
Number 1 is always the most fun and the part we like the best. We had infinite ideas for our friends who know what they like–both in flavor and style. Number 2 starts to get a little tricky as the average wedding guest actually is going to prefer something sweeter, lighter, and juicier than any cocktail-loving bride and groom would want at their wedding. And number 3 is just the sad-where-the-rubber-meets the road.
So after dreaming and emailing a number of different options we landed on the following menu. The sangria was available for people to take as they arrived and the sweet tea was serve yourself.
SKOL SANGRIA
more likely to score than Kirk Cousins & a bigger hit than Danielle
Hunter. guaranteed to please, even if the Vikings aren’t.
red sangria + fruit
MID TOWN MEMPHIS SWEET TEA
midtown is memphis and sweet tea is the south. nothing beats 90 degrees
and humidity better than a spiked arnold palmer.
sweet tea vodka + lemonade
3 8 – 7 SMASH
if we made it through this game, we can make it through anything.
guaranteed to have you singing Fly, Eagles, Fly! or just needing another
to forget.
bourbon, aquavit, basil, blueberry, simple
THE HIGH LINE
classic NYC. just like the classic Southside. this French flare puts the
Southside fashion forward and ready for a night out in Chelsea.
gin, galliano, mint
High Line Cocktail Recipe
We made this because our friends said they like Southsides. We spruced up the classic Southside with Galliano, an Italian bitter herbal liqueur.
Ingredients
- 2 oz dry gin
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 1/2 oz Galliano
- 1 lime
- 2 mint sprigs
- 2 oz club soda
Instructions
- Cut the lime in half, squeeze the juice into a shaker, and drop the peel halves in as well.
- Add the simple syrup and one sprig of mint.
- Muddle gently to release the mint aroma.
- Add the gin and Galliano
- Fill the shaker with ice above the level of the liquid and shake for 20 seconds.
- Strain into an ice-filled glass.
- Top with soda and garnish with the other sprig of mint.
