Four Great Things About Signature Cocktails

This past weekend I hosted another party I won from House Party. It was a Godiva Truffletini party. They did not pay or bribe me in any way to write this post, but they did send me free things. I love free things, and cheap things.

As you may have guessed, I'm a big fan of throwing parties. But it gets expensive quickly. Obviously winning items helps, but this party also allowed me to use another favorite trick, the signature cocktail.

Cocktail jewelery and signature cocktail in hand. Photo by Ali

Four Reasons Signature Cocktails are a Brilliant Trick


1. Signature cocktails feel elegant and festive.  This has been scientifically proven by facts like the word signature sounds fancy. You can add to this with a decorative sign about the drink. And since you are focusing on one drink, you can include bells and whistles you might otherwise skip. Nothing says fancy like two kinds of garnish, or maybe pre-salted glasses for a margarita.

Chocolate themed foods. That's a white chocolate lemon cake

2. They contribute to the theme. For example, a gin martini is perfect for a twenties party while an alcoholic root beer float might be better for a fifties party, and a bright blue drink might be better for your Super Bowl party. Or a red one. Or beer, honestly, but that's not a signature cocktail. When choosing the drink I try to consider visuals (color, presentation, garnish, etc), flavor, and thematic reference--like a champagne cocktail for New Year's Eve.

In this case, however, the theme was set by the cocktail. I knew my party had to be based around the Godiva chocolate vodka, so I had a chocolate themed party. This was a happy coincidence, as I love chocolate. (coincidence, or conspiracy?) Conspiracy. I planned it after all. Really it was an elaborate scheme to get my friends to bring me chocolate, which  I can revealed now that it worked. Mwa ha ha.

Raspberry Mint Tea with a Twist, Godiva Raspberry Chocolate Vodks

3. They save time. So yes, the drink. Other than contributing to the theme, a signature drink helps save on hosting time. Rather than spending time bartending you can make a sign with drink instructions or even mix up a batch in advance and provide garnish and cups.  Then you can spend more time socializing, which is always an important task as host. And coincidentally, a fun one.

4. They are cost effective. The final benefit of the signature drink is that it saves money while feeling fancy. Rather than providing a wide array of drinks and mixers you can provide just what you need for the signature drink and a few extras. In this case I made sure I had gin and orange juice out and a few more drinks available should guests desire.

Because the party was built around the alcohol coming up with a signature drink was easy. Godiva suggested several recipes and I came up with a variant of one, which I dubbed raspberry mint tea with a twist.

Raspberry Mint Tea with a Twist
Mint iced tea, sweetened
Godiva Chocolate Raspberry Vodka
Raspberry
Mint leaf

I muddled the mint slightly and put mint and raspberry into the cup. I then poured in the tea, topped with the vodka, and stirred. I used about 3:1 tea and vodka in small glasses. I found it to be a really nice, light drink with a summery feeling. It went well with the much heavier chocolate foods. And it worked well for the non drinkers as mint iced tea with a raspberry and extra mint is still a tasty drink.

What's the best (or worst) experience you've had with a signature drink at a party?