Having a girls night? Or looking for inspiration for a hen party cocktails? Impress your guests with these unique mixes, featuring everything from champagne cocktails with cotton candy to Rosé slushies and even some cheeky shots! Many of these delectable recipes are for a single drink, so calculate the quantities you’ll need and prepare pitchers of cocktails or bowls and dispensers of punch instead of individual cocktails. Set them up with ice, straws, stirrers, and elegant signage on a bar cart or cocktail station. You could also set up a fantastic mimosa bar with sparkling wine, juice, and fresh fruit. Place some attractive glasses on the table and invite your guests to make their own concoctions! Check out our top picks for something a little more unique.
Cotton Candy Champagne Cocktail from Lauren Conrad
- Cotton candy
- Champagne, prosecco or sparkling wine
- St. Germain liqueur
Method: Place piece of cotton candy inside your glass. Add a splash of St. Germain, and then fill to the top with Champagne!
The Blushing Bride Cocktail from Freut Cake
- 2 ounces of a floral gin
- 1 ounce Canton Ginger Liqueur
- ½ ounce rose water
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1-½ cups crushed ice
- Lemon zest
- Rose petals to garnish*
Method: Add the gin, Canton, rose water and lemon juice. Add crushed ice, stir, and garnish with rose petals and fresh lemon zest.
*To make sugared rose petals like the ones pictured above, you’ll need 1 egg white, 14 cup granulated sugar, and a handful of washed and dried rose petals. Whip the egg whites until they are light and fluffy. Take a single petal and dip it into the egg white, then dredge both sides in sugar. Place on parchment paper and repeat. If not using right away, let the petals air dry for at least 3-4 hours before transferring to an airtight container for storing.
Grapefruit Margarita from Apartment 34
- 2 oz. Tequila
- 2 oz. Grapefruit
- 1 oz. lime juice
- 1/2 oz. triple sec
- 1/2 oz. agave
- Kosher salt for rim
- Lime wedge
- Grapefruit slice/lime slice to garnish
Method: In a shaker with ice, combine the tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, triple sec, and agave nectar. Shake. Run a lime wedge along the glass’s rim. Swirl the cup lip in the salt and place it on a dish. Fill the glass with ice. Pour contents of cocktail shaker into glass. Serve with grapefruit as a garnish.
Pink Lemonade Jello Shots from A Beautiful Mess
- 2 packets of unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup pink lemonade
- 1/2 cup regular vodka
- 1/2 cup lemon vodka or Lemon Eddy
- 5 lemons
(This recipe makes about 9 lemon halves you can cut into wedges.)
Method: Cut your lemons in half and scoop out as much of the insides as you can with a spoon (a serrated grapefruit spoon works wonderfully if you have one). In a skillet over medium heat, boil the lemonade and slowly stir in the gelatin packs until they dissolve. Pour your vodka liquids into a bowl with the lemonade and gelatin mixture. Stir until everything is well blended. Place the lemon halves in a muffin tray to keep them upright and pour the liquid into a pourable container. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until set, after pouring in the liquid until each half is full. Once the lemons have set, remove the tin and slice into slices just before serving.
Lady-like Earl Grey Tea Cocktail from Jacquelyn Clark
(perfect for a boozy afternoon tea hen party!)
- 6 ounces cold Earl Grey tea
- 1 1/4 ounces gin
- 1 1/4 ounces honey simple syrup (recipe below)
- 1/2 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Method: 4 cups Earl Grey tea (enough to make a few cocktails!) Method: Brew 4 cups Earl Grey tea (enough to make a few cocktails!) Refrigerate until totally cool. Meanwhile, warm 5 cups of water and 1 cup of honey until dissolved to make your honey simple syrup. Refrigerate until totally cool. Add all of your drink components to a cocktail shaker packed with ice and mix vigorously. Strain into a glass filled with ice.
Amaretto Bourbon Punch from How Sweet It Is
- 2 cups bourbon
- 2 cups ginger ale
- 1 cup amaretto
- 1 cup simple syrup*
- 1 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice, plus extra for the glasses
- Maraschino cherries, for topping
- Orange juice for garnish
Method: In a mixing glass, combine the bourbon, ginger ale, amaretto, simple syrup*, lime juice, orange juice, and cherry juice. (At this stage, taste and adjust for sweetness; depending on your preferences, you may want more amaretto, bourbon, or syrup!) Add a few drops of cherry juice to a glass of crushed ice. Pour the punch over the ice and add cherries and orange slices for decoration.
*Simple syrup is made up of equal parts water and sugar. 1 cup water + 1 cup sugar, brought to a boil, whisked until sugar dissolves, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
Cheers ladies!
