Wedding Reception Forum

Random question about our limited bar

edited December 2015 in Wedding Reception Forum
This question is geared toward any of you who are gluten intolerant and/or those who have served a hard cider at their wedding:

Obviously, if you can't consume gluten, beer is out of the question. That being said, are you more likely to go for wine or a cocktail, or will you choose to drink a hard cider like Angry Orchard if it is offered?

Basically, my fiancé and I are considering including a hard cider in our beer selection at our bar as a courtesy to our small handful of gluten intolerant guests, but if it doesn't tend to be a high-traffic item, we don't want to spend the money on it. 

What has been your experience with serving/consuming hard cider at a wedding?

Re: Random question about our limited bar

  • I don't follow a gluten-free diet, nor have I been to a wedding where there needed to be a GF option; but, if your circle of GF friends is rather small, why don't you just ask them what they would prefer? You could present a few options and what they express the most interest in could be your answer. This way you'll know your spending $ on something your GF guests will want to drink.
  • I tend to stick with wine. I wouldn't get the cider unless you know for sure that people will drink it. Contact your GF guests and ask what they'd prefer. 
  • My mom tends to stick with wine. She says the ciders are usually too sweet for her. But I'd just check with your GF people to see what they prefer.
  • I'm not gluten free but I know some of my friends prefer hard cider over beer and when I hang out with them I usually get hard cider too and like it. I probably like wine more but I like having it for something different every once in a while. Do they typically order hard cider or wine when out? Or if you don't hang out with them often I think it's ok to ask what they'd prefer.

    On a side note are your buying your own alcohol or is it through your venue? Our venue let us order a favorite beer/wine that wasn't on their menu and if it wasn't all used they didn't charge us because they'd just offer it at the next wedding until it was gone so you could check and see if yours will give you a similar deal. But if you're buying your own I know some liquor stores have an unopened bottle policy where they let you return what wasn't used so maybe see if you can do that if the cider doesn't go as well as you thought it would. 
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  • I'm not GF, but neither my FI nor I like the taste of wine or beer. I'd be sober at a wedding that only offered wine & beer, or holding my nose and gulping wine if I really felt like I couldn't endure the party sober. We both like and drink hard cider, though, and would be excited to see it as an option.

    I think Angry Orchard is a mainstream enough brand, and hard cider is something enough people enjoy that it wouldn't go to waste, even if your GF friends opt for the wine.
  • I love wine, but I also adore cider and would probably switch to it after a glass or two of wine or maybe just have it if I didn't care for the varietals since most people will offer, say, Merlot or Chardonnay and I don't drink either unless the Chardonnay is unoaked which is not typical.

    I vote yes for cider.
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  • My GF friends all tend to stick with wine when they drink.

    There are a couple GF beers on the market but I'm not sure if it's worth it for a small group. I've had one or two made with sassafras that were pretty delicious but it's not to everyone's taste. I'd definitely consider having hard cider as an option.




  • I am gluten-free and if I'm ever given the option, I will always go for cider over wine, because cider is rarely offered (even at restaurants, though it's increasing in popularity) and I love it, but can have wine practically everywhere.  I would maybe have a glass of wine with dinner, depending on what is served, but if I'm dancing or partying in general I prefer cocktails or beer (well, cider now) over wine.

    However, I think this isn't necessarily a gluten-free option only kind of question - really, it depends on whether your gluten-free friends in general are more wine people vs. cocktail people.  Even if I weren't gluten-free, I would be going for a cocktail over wine.  I like wine, but my friends know to gift me whiskey and cider when bringing me a present.  Meanwhile, my also gluten-free friend likes cider, but is definitely more of a wine drinker.

    That said, I always appreciate out of the box gluten-free options and plenty of my friends who are not gluten-free also love cider, so I don't think it would be a waste to offer it.  I know I would definitely drink cider over a gluten-free beer - they aren't that great and just make me long for the actual thing.
  • I too am gluten free and I would drink cider over wine.  Many of my non-gluten free friends prefer cider as well.  Gluten free is trendy right now and so is cider so serving cider seems to be a win-win!
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  • If you know everyone enough to be on your guest list, go ahead and ask what they prefer - you never know when they're going to say "honestly, I'm just happy with bottled water!"  You don't want to choose something for them and discover "oh - they hate _____" and you could have used that money for a different option your guests would prefer instead..
  • FWIW, I'm celiac and follow a strict gf diet. Personally I would rather have a cocktail or wine. However, there are quite a few hard liquors out there that are made using some gluten containing ingredients. Supposedly distilled alcohol has all the gluten gone, but I know a couple people who still get a gluten reaction from those.

    Definitely ask your guests. I don't imagine hard cider going over very well.
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  • To go against the grain a bit, cider is HUGE in my circle. We're including it along with beer and wine. Check to see the return policy of the store where you purchase it. If you buy it and it's not a huge hit, you could return the extras.
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