Winter Signature Cocktail Ideas

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This post is written by Pete. For all his posts, check out this link.

Having your wedding this winter? Hopefully you live in a climate that does not have a winter season. If you don't, you probably won't have a lot of people traveling to your wedding. Winter weddings are a subtle way of saying, "I really don't want to pay for too many people" without actually having to say it. Lemme guess: you're probably having your wedding on a Friday or Sunday too?

What better way to beat the chill (and aggravation) of going to a winter wedding than with a menu of delicious winter cocktails? Sooner than you can say, "Dammit, my leather shoes are ruined from stepping in a pile of slush and road salt" you'll be rosy-cheeked and buzzed as you savor some of winter's classic flavors. If you recall, I wrote a post similar to this one that discussed the value of having a creative menu of fall signature cocktail ideas for autumn weddings. Well bust out the peppermint vodka because today I’m going to do the exact same thing, but for winter signature cocktail ideas.

Winter Signature Cocktail Ideas

Candy Cane Martini (from My Recipes)

When deciding on a winter signature cocktail menu, it would be a good idea to consider the proximity of your wedding to Christmas. If it's close enough to (but not after) Christmas, you can include holiday-themed cocktails in your menu. Not to say that there aren't enough cold weather winter warmers out there, but being able to include something like a candy cane martini would be delightfully festive.

• 1.25 ounces vanilla vodka
• 1.25 ounces white crème de cacao
• .75 ounce peppermint schnapps in an ice-filled cocktail shaker, shake vigorously, and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with peppermint candy and BANG! Christmas in a glass.

Add the liquids to an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a candy-cane rimmed martini glass. Garnish with a mini candy cane.

Spiced Apple Cider 

I don't know about you, but when I think of the New York winters I was subjected to for so many years, one of the first things that pops into my head (besides moving) is, "Warm cider would be great right now!" What would be even better is if that warm cider had some sort of alcohol and spices to turn it into spiced apple cider.

• Half gallon apple cider
• 1 ounce spiced run
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/8 tablespoon nutmeg
• 1/4 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tablespoon lemon juice

Bring the cider and spices to a boil. Dissolve the honey. Pour into a mug. Serve. For convenience you can even make a big batch, and keep it warm in an electric coffee pot.

Hot Buttered Rum (from Esquire)

What discussion of winter cocktails would be complete without mentioning the age-old classic staple of all winter libations: hot buttered rum? To round out the list of what I believe are classic winter cocktail flavors, I leave you with the following simple and boozily delicious recipe.

• 2 sugar cubes
• 2 ounces dark rum
• Pat of unsalted butter
• Hot water

Drop the sugar cubes in a mug of hot water. Add the rum and butter. Fill the rest of the mug with hot water.

If you like signature cocktails, be sure to check out our wedding signature cocktails by season:

• Spring Signature Cocktail Ideas
• Fall Signature Cocktail Ideas
• Summer Signature Cocktail Ideas

BRIDAL BABBLE: Which of these winter signature cocktail ideas would you add to your wedding menu?

Bribing Yourself To Work Out (With free bottled water)

I was pretty lax about my wedding workout. I would go to the gym at our apartment complex every so often, but it was never on a regular basis. So I decided that my workout would be walking the park next to our apartment. It was easier to keep up with that, but it wasn't helping me shed the pounds I wanted to lose before we got married. So instead, I had to bribe myself. And maybe you're one of the people who think bribing yourself to work out isn't such a bad idea.

If you are, you're my people.

So bribe yourself to work out with free bottled water or other items to go in your wedding welcome bags. That's what I did.

Walgreens has a Balance Rewards program where you earn points for specific purchases. Plus, you  get 100 points every time you fill a prescription. 

It's not much. I mean, 100 points is only equal to $.10, but it adds up if you fill a lot of scripts (which I don't, but still).

But, part of the Balance Rewards program is moving. Moving your body -- not your address. And that's huge.

You get 20 points for every mile you walk (up to 1,000 points) or run and 20 points every day you track your weight. Since you're probably weighing yourself like mad to make sure you can still fit in my dress, you might as well get 20 points for doing it daily. That's 2 cents a day. I know, I know, not much but better than nothing. 

You also get 20 points per blood glucose test (with a maximum of two logs per day), 20 points per blood pressure test (with a maximum of one log per day), 20 points every time you log your sleep.

Of you have a Fitbit (or similar tracker) or an iPhone with the Health app, you can actually sync either to your account and you don't even  need to keep track yourself. One less thing to think about.

What I did was save up all our points and used them to buy bottled water for our hotel bags. My intention was to put one bottle in each welcome bag, but my mom said most people are coming as a couple, so it would be nice to put two in each bag. Which means we went from needing about 100 to about 200. And that was eight cases of 24 bottles. On sale, cases are $2.99, so we needed about $24 in Balance Rewards.

So I'm took matters into my own hands ... uh, feet.

And we actually did that. All our water was free.

The program is a little different now because you can only redeem 5,000 points per transaction. So, if you're planning on using a bunch of points, you'll need to break up your transactions. Keep that in mind.

I know myself. I know I needed to bribe myself to get to the gym, and the idea that my wedding dress might not fit wasn't enough of a bribe for me. But the fact that I could get points and see them add up and know that they would eventually be spent on items to help save on our wedding budget ... yup, that is the bribe that worked for me.

I actually still have my Fitbit synced and save the points, then treat us to things like toilet paper and laundry detergent. This is married life. Get ready.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Do you bribe yourself to workout or are you actually just awesome and go without trickery? 

Get Bridal Guide Magazine For Free

As soon as I got engaged, one of my mom's best friends told me she had a few bridal magazines for me. And almost at the very same time, someone purchased me a gift subscription to Bridal Guide.

I didn't think I needed magazines. I had the Internet, and that was good enough. So I thought.

It's not.

Google is a great place to start, but magazines are so amazing and worth the cost. There is so much information, ideas on ways to save money, how to address invitations, check lists, and a ton of ads for wedding products.

Yes, we have these all on A Bride On A Budget. So you should definitely keep us bookmarked all through your wedding. But you should supplement us with a wedding magazine subscription ... especially if it's free.

Bridal Guide is amazing, but it's $5.99 an issue at the newsstand. That's way too much to pick up at the store every month. Right now, though, you can get a free Bridal Guide magazine subscription.

You can easily get a free issue of Bridal Guide magazine. Just click that link, enter your info, and your first issue should arrive in about six weeks. So hopefully you don't have a short engagement.

I requested all the free wedding magazines I could find. They were all so helpful for me. I was able to flip through them when I had a few minutes and look at the dresses (bridal magazines are very ad heavy, but I never minded), read an article, and just feel like I was on the right track with my planning. That confirmation is worth it.

And brides, they really need a lot of confirmation.

Until you start planning your wedding, you don't even know what you have to plan. And you always feel like you're on the wrong track, no matter what you're doing. So having a magazine is just a big help as far as reassurance goes.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Are you reading any wedding magazines?

Recently engaged?

Check out our So you're engaged ... now what? (What to do before you say "I Do") post.