Pre-Mixed Cocktail: Yay or Nay?

kwiksilver · March 2017

We are doing wine on the tables and then a selection of beer, for our small casual wedding. We have servers minding all the food and drink, but the bar is essentially self-serve (which is fine with our venue, as it's a campground). I'm fine with limited bar, but I also kind of love cocktails so I was debating offering some that are pre-made friendly (sangria, Caesars, anything without soda really). All of the soda, bottled water, beer, etc is going to be kept cold in tubs of ice, so it wouldn't be that hard to add some cocktail-filled mason jars in there (although my wedding is mason-jar free thus far...). I thought jars would be easier than pitchers because bugs, and also I do a lot of canning so I already own about 5,000 jars.

What do you guys think? Should I bother?

ernursej · March 2017

You can get bottled Caesars and some other mixed type drinks. I would do that vs. pre-making your own.

STARMOON44 · March 2017

No. Why make things harder on yourself?

banana468 · March 2017

I don't think it's necessary.

Where will extra wine be? Or will you have multiple bottles on each table?

kaos16 · March 2017

What is a Caesar?

kwiksilver · March 2017

banana468 said:

I don't think it's necessary.

Where will extra wine be? Or will you have multiple bottles on each table?

There will be 2-3 bottles per table and the servers will replenish as needed

kwiksilver · March 2017

kaos16 said:

What is a Caesar?

It's a cocktail made with vodka, Clamato juice, and spices, basically.

greeninspring · March 2017

I wouldn't do the mason jars unless it's gonna be a really small wedding.

How do I know what's in the mason jar? If it's labeled a drink I don't recognize (Caesar) I'm definitely not going to try it. If it's labeled a drink I do recognize (Sangria) then do I take the whole jar? Is there a cup to pour some in? If the mason jar was half empty and already opened would I still feel comfortable drinking from it? Who all has put their mouths on this jar?

Now if it was a really small wedding (20 people ish) I might not care about any of the questions I listed if I knew everyone and it was my family.

Also I would definitely separate the alcoholic drinks and non alcoholic drinks into separate coolers and make it obvious which is which. Especially if you plan on having children attend.

kwiksilver · March 2017

greeninspring said:

I wouldn't do the mason jars unless it's gonna be a really small wedding.

How do I know what's in the mason jar? If it's labeled a drink I don't recognize (Caesar) I'm definitely not going to try it. If it's labeled a drink I do recognize (Sangria) then do I take the whole jar? Is there a cup to pour some in? If the mason jar was half empty and already opened would I still feel comfortable drinking from it? Who all has put their mouths on this jar?

Now if it was a really small wedding (20 people ish) I might not care about any of the questions I listed if I knew everyone and it was my family.

Also I would definitely separate the alcoholic drinks and non alcoholic drinks into separate coolers and make it obvious which is which. Especially if you plan on having children attend.

Cesar's must be a Canada thing LOL. I didn't realize people wouldn't know what they are. Everyone at the wedding definitely will, as every bar in this country can make one. But thank you for mentioning it.

The mason jars would essentially be small, single-serving. But PP's make a good point, it's probably a hassle.

Yes all of the non-alcohol will be separated. Very few children will be coming. The youngest will be 9 and he can read, so the tubs will all be labeleled.

greeninspring · March 2017

KwikSilver said:

greeninspring said:

I wouldn't do the mason jars unless it's gonna be a really small wedding.

How do I know what's in the mason jar? If it's labeled a drink I don't recognize (Caesar) I'm definitely not going to try it. If it's labeled a drink I do recognize (Sangria) then do I take the whole jar? Is there a cup to pour some in? If the mason jar was half empty and already opened would I still feel comfortable drinking from it? Who all has put their mouths on this jar?

Now if it was a really small wedding (20 people ish) I might not care about any of the questions I listed if I knew everyone and it was my family.

Also I would definitely separate the alcoholic drinks and non alcoholic drinks into separate coolers and make it obvious which is which. Especially if you plan on having children attend.

Cesar's must be a Canada thing LOL. I didn't realize people wouldn't know what they are. Everyone at the wedding definitely will, as every bar in this country can make one. But thank you for mentioning it.

The mason jars would essentially be small, single-serving. But PP's make a good point, it's probably a hassle.

Yes all of the non-alcohol will be separated. Very few children will be coming. The youngest will be 9 and he can read, so the tubs will all be labeleled.

Okay well in that case then yes I'd probably drink a single serving jar of a drink that I was familiar with. It will be a hassle and extra work but if it's something you really want then I see nothing wrong with it as long as the jars are clearly labeled and they are single serving jars.

southernbelle0915 · March 2017

STARMOON44 said:

No. Why make things harder on yourself?

This. You already have sufficient offerings and this sounds like a huge hassle.

If you're going to offer pre-mixed, you might consider renting one of those machines that keeps the drinks mixed and has a dispenser. This would solve your bug problem and also ensure the drinks stay mixed instead of the alcohol sinking or floating and the ratios being "off". Also, it would prevent you from having to transport and set up a bunch of glass mason jars filled with booze.

kwiksilver · March 2017

southernbelle0915 said:

STARMOON44 said:

No. Why make things harder on yourself?

This. You already have sufficient offerings and this sounds like a huge hassle.

If you're going to offer pre-mixed, you might consider renting one of those machines that keeps the drinks mixed and has a dispenser. This would solve your bug problem and also ensure the drinks stay mixed instead of the alcohol sinking or floating and the ratios being "off". Also, it would prevent you from having to transport and set up a bunch of glass mason jars filled with booze.

Fair enough. I think I will take the earliest suggestion and get bottled Caesars and maybe some hard cider. That way I don't have to fuss with anything

DIY would be cheaper but not worth the hassle now that I really think about it.

mollybarker11 · March 2017

Caesar's are definitely a Canadian thing (one of my least favourite Canadian things but to each their own

)! I second the suggestion to just buy bottled cocktails if you really want them, DYI really would cause too many problems, but wine & beer only is perfectly fine.

Australian_girl_in_Paris · June 2017

Is a Caesar just a bloody mary?

kwiksilver · June 2017

Australian_girl_in_Paris said:

Is a Caesar just a bloody mary?

Basically. Except Cesar's use clamato juice instead of regular tomato.

Australian_girl_in_Paris · June 2017

kwiksilver said:

Australian_girl_in_Paris said:

Is a Caesar just a bloody mary?

Basically. Except Cesar's use clamato juice instead of regular tomato.

What the heck is clamato - I thought it originally was a typo!

OurWildKingdom · June 2017

Australian_girl_in_Paris said:

kwiksilver said:

Australian_girl_in_Paris said:

Is a Caesar just a bloody mary?

Basically. Except Cesar's use clamato juice instead of regular tomato.

What the heck is clamato - I thought it originally was a typo!

It's a mixture of clam juice and tomato juice. I think it's popular in Canada.

InLoveInQueens · June 2017

OurWildKingdom said:

Australian_girl_in_Paris said:

kwiksilver said:

Australian_girl_in_Paris said:

Is a Caesar just a bloody mary?

Basically. Except Cesar's use clamato juice instead of regular tomato.

What the heck is clamato - I thought it originally was a typo!

It's a mixture of clam juice and tomato juice. I think it's popular in Canada.

I saw Budweiser Clamato juice at my local Chinese grocery store. I was so tempted to buy it but I figured it was better if it forever remained a mystery.

ernursej · June 2017

OurWildKingdom said:

Australian_girl_in_Paris said:

kwiksilver said:

Australian_girl_in_Paris said:

Is a Caesar just a bloody mary?

Basically. Except Cesar's use clamato juice instead of regular tomato.

What the heck is clamato - I thought it originally was a typo!

It's a mixture of clam juice and tomato juice. I think it's popular in Canada.

The Caesar (made with clamato) is very popular in Canada. I think Mott's Clamato is probably the favourite brand.

Australian_girl_in_Paris · June 2017

OurWildKingdom said:

Australian_girl_in_Paris said:

kwiksilver said:

Australian_girl_in_Paris said:

Is a Caesar just a bloody mary?

Basically. Except Cesar's use clamato juice instead of regular tomato.

What the heck is clamato - I thought it originally was a typo!

It's a mixture of clam juice and tomato juice. I think it's popular in Canada.

Weird. Ok cool.

Australian_girl_in_Paris · June 2017

Also in that case - if you have any vegetarian guest you might need to let them know. They may already but its just a thought.

kwiksilver · June 2017

Australian_girl_in_Paris said:

Also in that case - if you have any vegetarian guest you might need to let them know. They may already but its just a thought.

We ended up just going with beer and wine, but according to the RSVPs so far we don't have any vegetarians

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