by Shelley Waugh

Creating a Signature Drink personalizes a wedding for some couples and their guests

Kuawa Martini by Jonathan Pogash, The World Bar, NYC

Once you've chosen your date, season, style, theme and colors for your wedding this will help you create a look and choice of wine, spirits or beer. You may choose more than one drink in different size glasses. Be sure to include non-alcoholic signature drinks as well.

Edible flowers in cocktail menus
The wide array of flora available at farmers markets and in private gardens provides cocktail connoisseurs with an essential ingredient for this cocktail trend. Top mixologists across the country are incorporating edible flowers, floral extracts, and floral-based spirits into cocktails.   
 
Edible flowers like Anise Hyssop, Carnation petals, Lavender, Rose petals and Violets will add complex floral or vegetative elements to mixed drinks. Syrups and extracts infused with petals and stems incorporate a more concentrated flavor of the blossoms to cocktails. Floral garnishes infuse the cocktail aroma with a stronger floral note and add beauty to the presentation. It is recommend that chosen flowers are confirmed by the seller as edible prior to using it in any recipe. 
 
For additional cocktail recipes visit www.distilledspirits.org.
 
Kuawa Martini  
Created by Jonathan Pogash of The World Bar in New York, NY, located on the ground floor of the Trump World Tower, pictured above.
1-1/2 oz Guava Pineapple Juice
1 oz Gin
1/2 oz Elderflower Liqueur
Juice of 1/4 Lemon
Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an edible orchid flower.

THE GOLDEN SNOWBALL

Gold on food and drink has long been considered an act of respect to honour the presence of special guests at the banquet table

Whiskey Sour (Seven Year Itch, 1955)
50 ML Knob Creek Bourbon
40 ML Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Egg
Sugar Syrup
Angostura Bitters 
Stemmed Cherry 

Blue Blazer
(Pal Joey, 1957)
50 ML Laphroaig Quarter Cask Scotch
Lemon Zest Large dash of boiling water
1 Teaspoon powdered sugar

Manhattan (Murder At The Vanities,1934)
50 ML Maker’s Mark
25 ML Sweet Vermouth
Orange Bitters
Orange Zest

Bourbon Highball 
(DOA - Dead on Arrival, 1949)
50 ML Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
Ginger Ale
Twist of Lemon

Rob Roy 
(Angels Over Broadway, 1940)
50 ML The Dalmore 21 YO
40 ML Sweet Vermouth
4 Drops Angostura Bitters
Orange Zest
Maraschino Cherry 

Bourbon Sidecar
(Our Modern Maidens, 1929)
40 ML Booker’s Bourbon
20 ML Cointreau
20 ML Fresh Lemon Juice
Maraschino Cherry 

TRUE HAPPINESS
Mickey Finn blue pomegranate, right, topped with iced green tea, garnished with a mint sprig.
• Fill a tall glass with ice. Add 1-½ oz. Mickey Finn blue pomegranate and 4 oz. iced green tea.
• Garnish with a mint sprig.

PARIS BY NIGHT
Grand Marnier imbued with crushed blood oranges and a dash of Angostura and orange bitters, served over crushed ice.
• To a rocks glass, add ½ blood orange, chopped, and a dash each of Angostura and orange bitters. Muddle well. Fill the glass with crushed ice and add 1.5 oz. Grand Marnier. Stir to mix.

THE LUXURY VACATION
360 Eco Luxury Vodka, left, shaken with fresh plums, vanilla bean and lime, garnished with a fresh plum slice.
• In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 1 whole plum, peeled and chopped, ¼ oz. vanilla syrup and ½ oz. lemon juice. Muddle the plum. Fill the shaker with ice and add 2 oz. 360 Eco Luxury vodka and 1 oz. Ocean Spray 100% cranberry juice. Shake sharply and strain into a martini glass and garnish with a plum slice.

Recipes and images courtesy: www.drinksshow.com
(7162008)

IT'S SO EASY TO BE GREEN

The Peartini has a stimulating and full-bodied taste that is soft and ripe with a long and fruity aftertaste. The aroma is natural, containing mellow pears with a hint of sweet almond notes, adding a sensual energy to this otherwise demure fruit. 

ABSOLUT PEARTINI
3 parts ABSOLUT PEARS
2 parts white cranberry juice
1 ½ parts lime cordial
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a well-chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a pear slice and blueberries as shown. For more recipes visit www.absolutdrinks.com.
(6122008)