Finding unique drinks to accompany your food can enhance the entire experience so if you’re trying to find the right beverage for your event, let these ideas inspire you.

What could be simpler than water-dressed with elegant add-ins …

Here’s a cost-effective way to hydrate your guests by simply adding vibrant fruits and herbs to water pitchers for a hint of flavor and a dash of colour.

Cucumber + Strawberry + Basil,
Lemon + Raspberry,
Blackberry + Mint,
Cantaloupe + Watermelon + Honeydew,
Pineapple + Ginger,

If you want to offer non-alcoholic beverages, consider choosing a creative, signature drink to serve.

You can offer “the usual” pop drinks, but here are some ideas beyond that :

• Your favorite Lemonade, Raspberry, Strawberry, etc.
• Have an Italian soda bar where guests can mix their own flavours,
• Create up a signature punch that compliments the flavours of your food,
• Choose a drink that reflects you – something like RedBush Tea,
• Coffee & Tea Bar,

Especially appropriate when your food selection is limited to dessert, a coffee and tea bar can be fun to create. You could hire local baristas to serve lattes, or keep it simple by serving brewed coffee and a selection of teas.

• Serving coffee and tea from local companies always adds interest,

• Offer a variety of cream and sugar options,

• Offer a “signature drink” such as vanilla or mocha,

Many people enjoy beer and wine, so it’s hard to go wrong with these options. However, they do add cost so these tricks will help you save money while still offering your favourite beverages :

Offer a red and a white wine, such as Rieslings and Sauvignon Blanc, as they are good white options, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz are good red options.

If your event is small – bottles or cans of beer in a cooler might be best, so contact a local microbrewery or drinks retailer for pricing on their kegs, cans, beers, and wines.

Attending an event with an open bar is fun, but is an expensive beverage option. However, depending on the event, this may be something important for you to include.

If you want to serve cocktails, take the following suggestions into consideration :

If appropriate for your event, give each guest a limited number of drinks tickets they can redeem at the bar to keep costs down (and reduce the chance of intoxicated guests!)

Be sure you know your local laws concerning licenses to sell and serve alcohol and comply with them and don’t have an open bar – hire professionals!

Don’t feel like you have to offer everything, choose beverages that best accompany the food you’re having and the type of event you’re hosting.

Also, keep in mind your audience when trying to choose the right beverages for your event, as an example, a family-oriented event could probably do without alcohol altogether; beer and wine at a work event might be appropriate

Top Tip : – Feed your guests before serving them alcohol!

As you can see, choosing the right beverages for your event can be trickier than it first appears.

The key is to start with your guest list and the tone of the occasion, then build a balanced selection: a few reliable crowd-pleasers, a couple of “something different” options, and a thoughtful range of low- and no-alcohol choices.

Keep servings sensible, plan for glassware and ice, and you’ll avoid the classic last-minute scramble.