Local libations for your celebrations
WWhen it comes to wedding plans, one thing is certain: the celebration, whether held next month or next year, will need a good beverage selection. So, while choosing the champagne and wine, think about adding some personality to the well-stocked bar with a special craft brew or signature cocktail. In eastern Connecticut, there are a handful of breweries and distilleries that can make the day extra special.
Some people already have a favorite brewery and know exactly what style beer they like. Others know that they want to find something that evokes meaning, ties the wedding to the region, or just tastes great.
“We will work with the bride and groom,” says Mike Teed, co-owner of Black Pond Brews in Danielson. “One time, we packaged up one of our regular red IPAs with a special logo.”
A variety of styles
With so many different tastes, textures, and aromas among craft beer styles, it can be hard to make a choice. For example, Black Pond Brews’ “go to” beer is its citrusy New England IPA called Hold My Juice Box. Decidedly different, however, is the brewery’s most popular offering: the Machu Picchu, a Belgian-style saison made with jalapeños from its own garden.
The brewery offers half barrel kegs that serve between 125 and 130 pints as well as “logs” that serve about 40 pints. Teed recommends choosing a style for a half barrel that appeals to everyone’s palate. Or, have some fun — go with three logs with a different style in each one.
“IPA is the most popular style around, so you want to have that,” says Tom Drejer, co-owner of Outer Light Brewing Company (OLBC) in Groton. “If you’re lucky enough to choose and have variety, then look for something else like an amber or pilsner because it appeals to both younger and older guests. Our SUBduction IPA is by far the most popular for a wedding with Lonesome Boatman, an amber ale, a good second choice.”
At the same time, the company’s one-off and seasonal series allow them to experiment with different styles throughout the year, like Sweet Summer, a blueberry and pomegranate blonde ale. Just recently, OLBC created a green tea pale ale for a wedding that was supposed to take place this past May. With the wedding rescheduled for October, Drejer says that they’ll make another batch this summer and put some aside.
How much to buy?
“We typically see smaller weddings come to us looking to add some local flavor,” says Drejer. “For 50 guests, it makes more sense to purchase cans or bottles versus kegs. A lot of times, kegs are done with hand pumps, and then you’re introducing oxygen and the beer is done the next day. But, if the venue has a draft system, you can save that keg and enjoy it later.”
Whether cans, bottles, or kegs, it’s challenging to predict what guests will drink and how much. Nobody knows the guest list like the bride and groom, and there are a lot of factors: Is the bar wine and beer only or a full? How many guests? How long is the reception? But an overall good rule of thumb is about a pint per person.
Signature craft cocktails
Another way to put your mark on your celebration is with signature cocktails. Offer a drink that you sip together as a couple, or each pick a favorite for “his and her” cocktails. Even guests who don’t normally drink liquor might try a signature wedding drink because of its favorable presentation at the bar. Choosing a fun moniker for the drink will also pique interest.
“By making a little effort with a couple of signature craft cocktails, you can really separate an event apart from the everyday into something special,” suggest Louis Chatey, owner of Westford Hills Distillers, a craft spirits distillery located on 200 acres in Ashford.
Margaret and Louis Chatey founded the distillery in 1997, launching a line of spirits focusing on Eau de Vie, European-style clear and aged brandies distilled from locally grown fruit. In fact, the distillery purchases more than 100,000 pounds of fruit a year, mostly from Connecticut farms, for its brandies. Today, the distillery produces a wide range of spirits including brandy, gin, rum, vodka, whisky, liqueurs and vermouth.
“One cocktail, Poire Royal, developed by Manhattan Chef Jean George is very simple,” says Chatey. “It uses our Pear Brandy, Poire Prisonniere, and White Lillet. Our bottle has a local connection. We bring them down to Holmberg Orchard in Gales Ferry where they actually hang them on the trees and grow a full-size Bartlett pear inside. In early fall they harvest and we fill the bottles with our Pear William Eau de Vie.”
Elegantly packaged, these curvy, heart-shaped bottles (750ml) are hand-dipped and labeled, each with a unique number, and look great atop a bar. In addition, they also make for great wedding party gifts.
Locally sourced spirits
“It’s neat to offer something completely local for the wedding,” says Daniel Nagy, owner of Watercure Farm Distillery, which opened last year in Pomfret Center.
For the perfect drink, ready to go, its Apple Spiced Flavor Rum comes with a cinnamon stick in each bottle. Nagy describes it as a warm, apple pie in a glass; others describe it as “dangerous.”
“The McIntosh Apple Vodka makes for a nice, classy vodka where you can add it to cranberry and a lime for a wonderful drink,” says Nagy, who notes that the distillery partners with Lapsley Orchards, also in Pomfret, for its apples and other fruit. “And coming soon we have a Strawberry Rhubarb Flavored Vodka, and Cucumber and Mint Vodka. Add Del’s Frozen Lemonade to make it pop, and it’s incredible.”
As with beer, the amount to purchase all depends on the crowd. Nagy recommends about one 200ml bottle, which offers about six shots in each bottle, for every five people.