Premixing own signature drink?

I wouldn't premix. People can get sick if something goes wrong. Just stick with beer and wine.

We did that. Our venue suggested it; you had to buy beer and wine through the venue but were allowed to BYOB hard liquor. It worked out great! We made 2 signature cocktails that our guests loved and drank all of. Saved us a ton of money too! However, DH and I regularly create and make batch cocktails for parties, so we were comfortable with doing that for our wedding. The main reason why people get sick from cocktails is using expired mixers or overserving (which is what your bartender is supposed to prevent). Google "easy punch recipes" for ideas.

Check with the bartender you hire before you premix. He/she might require that they do they mixing in order to reduce their liability.

We provided the recipes and they pre-made the mixers. They specifically would not allow us to mix it because the liability for alcohol was apart of their insurance.

I don't know how to make big bitch cocktails. I don't think I've ever made more than 4-5 drinks at a time.

If you do a punch, this would be fine! And put it in the same kind of dispenser that you would serve tea in for example, so the bartender can just open the nozzle and pour it into the cup.

Our venue and caterer both specified that this was an option to pre-make our own.

It's highly unlikely you could make your guests sick by preparing your mixture, as long as if you make a signature drink make sure that all ingredients are fresh and, if you can, make them only out of commercially prepared items and keep it at proper temperatures (I think between freezing and 55 degrees, but you'd have to check). Skip the egg white fancy concoctions (those will get you sick) and think rum punch with pre-spiced punch.

If you manage to get someone sick from mixing your own signature drink....you really effed up then. Like shagalagadingdong (lol) said...stick to safe ingredients and you'll be fine.

I've bartended several years in the past. I actually have a current bartender license. Personally, I would be comfortable serving something I wasn't sure of the recipe/ratio. Only because not only can the venue get in trouble, but the bartender themselves can take the blame for things "going wrong". As a bartender, I would honestly question a place that wanted me to serve a "ready made" drink, unless I could be fairly sure of it's ingredients.

@MrsBdeG I was surprised at the suggestion given liability issues. Not that I would, but the bartender wouldn't know if I were putting in grain alcohol or whatever. I would think they would want to know what they're serving is safe. I am hiring the bartender through the caterer.

The drink I am thinking of has three ingredients (A syrup, lemon juice, and vodka) and then is topped off with champagne or sparkling wine, so the champagne would be left separate. Now I am imagining myself mixing this stuff up in my room the night before the wedding. Lol. To be fair, I will be staying in a cottage at the venue that has a full kitchen.

Do you think they meant premix without alcohol? Our venue allows premix of a mixer fir a signature drink, but the bartender adds the alcohol in the individual cup

@AQuixoticBride

Don't add the sparkling to a big batch! Let the bartenders top off with anything sparkling (even seltzer). In a big batch, the bubble tend to go flat

@MrsBdeG I would never! That's what led me to ask about what they would require to be premixed, and she said the first 3 ingredients and then the bartender would top with champagne. Just seemed odd to me.

Just make sure your proportions are correct. My friend went to a wedding where a pre-mixed signature drink was served, but the proportions were off. It apparently wasn't drinkable. The bride and groom acknowledged that they made a mistake when they mixed the big batch of it.

That doesn't sound like a normal request. My parents are providing the ingredients for our signature cocktails, I am providing gallon-sized containers for the bartender to mix them in. I wouldn't make it ourselves.