Today is our 35th wedding anniversary. We celebrated last night with these drinks, and then today with an elegant (and delicious) brunch at The Farmhouse at Veritas, one of our favorite wineries, in the beautiful mountains of Nelson County, Virginia. I lost track of how many flutes of sparkling wine I drank, and happily, Dear Husband knows my weakness and agreed to be Designated Driver. The sun was shining and the fall colors were glorious! We made wonderful memories to add to our ever-growing list.

I am sentimental, so I pay attention to special anniversaries. Twenty-five is silver, thirty is pearl, and thirty-five is coral. (I had to look up that one, admittedly.) I searched for a coral-colored cocktail for this weekend, and voila! The strawberries provided the color I wanted.

I added our “bride and groom bears” to the photo, since they were the decoration on top of our wedding cake. Our running joke is that our moms bonded over their mutual dissatisfaction about our decision to use these cuties. We thought the bears were unique and would add our own personal touch to at least one aspect of our big ol’ Polish wedding. Going forward, I should probably keep these bears in a prominent spot, to remind me to not interfere (too much) with the decisions our son and his fiancee will make for their celebration.

Today’s cocktail recipe makes drinks for two, of course:

In a blender, combine 3 ounces vodka, 2 ounces Malibu coconut rum, 10 frozen strawberries, and 2 teaspoons simple syrup. Pour into fluted glasses and chill, or else pour over ice.

A toast to all married couples! Cheers!

Enjoyed: Friday, September 29, 2023

Listed on the menu: No, since there was no menu per se, but a small sign did name the “Bride’s Cocktail” (Rum and Pineapple) and the “Groom’s Cocktail” (Whiskey Sour).

Ingredients: House bourbon (made in association with Buffalo Trace, said the bartender), simple syrup, angostura bitters, soda water, maraschino cherry, orange piece.

The occasion: My entire family had gathered to witness the wedding ceremony of our beautiful niece and goddaughter, Camie, to her beloved Adam. The drinks started pouring as the reception began, and we had ample toasts! And ample food and dancing and smiles!

My rating: ** out of 5. The bartender was alone, and making drinks for almost a hundred people. She appeared happy to make my request, but was heavy-handed on the ice and soda water, which diluted the cocktail too much. (Is this common at all open-bar situations? Cocktails don’t need to fill the entire glass for guests to be happy.) I should have tried a shot of the house bourbon, neat.

Final thoughts: Weddings are marvelous occasions. Camie is the first of our family’s next generation (i.e. my late parents’ grandchildren) to get married, and she did it in true style. Best wishes to the happy couple, and we look forward to toasting the next milestones in their life together.