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Los Angeles Times
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Raise the Bar: Wedding Drink Trends That Go Beyond the Expected
Crafting a thoughtfully curated wedding drink menu is an easy way to create a lasting impression at your wedding celebration. The days of simply offering wine and beer are long gone. From creative cocktail bars, custom beverage experiences and elevated zero proof drink options, the latest wedding drink trends are all about creating one-of-a-kind and inclusive drinking experiences. To help you conceptualize your unique beverage program, we contacted ten wedding experts and mixologists to discover the latest wedding drink trends. One interesting and inclusive trend is the rise of sophisticated zero-proof cocktails at weddings. 'It's no longer an afterthought and, thankfully, sober guests aren't limited to Shirley Temples. They can now enjoy drinks that are just as beautifully presented and carefully crafted as their alcoholic counterparts, blending fresh ingredients and not skimping on garnish and rimming, presented in glassware that complements the beverage,' declares Brittny Drye, wedding expert and editor-in-chief of Love Inc. Magazine. 'With so many opting the alcohol-free route, a good rule of thumb is that at least 20-30% of your drink menu be dedicated to non-alcoholic options.' With an increasing number of sober guests, couples are crafting their beverage menu to include delicious alcohol-free connections. 'Sophisticated zero-proof cocktails have become essential on modern wedding menus, reflecting a shift toward inclusivity and intentional hospitality. The result is a curated mocktail experience that allows all guests—regardless of their drinking preferences—to feel equally celebrated and engaged in the festivities,' adds Kelli Sturges, director of guest experiences and programming at The Sanctuary Beach Resort. A wedding bar that involves guest interaction and surprise elements is sure to stand out. 'One trend that comes to mind is our custom interactive beverage station—the Smoke Show, featuring a smoke gun and a smoking machine,' remarks Meg Walker, executive chef and president of MBM Hospitality. 'Watching the bartender add a unique component that guests don't regularly see adds an exciting element to your wedding beverage offering, easily adding buzz and deliciousness to your drinks menu.' Perry Lau, assistant director of hospitality at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, Los Angeles, adds: 'We offer a Build-Your-Own Shochu Bar, which invites guests to explore a curated selection of shochu paired with seasonal, house-crafted fruit purees, traditional Japanese mixers such as sencha, oolong, and hot water alongside modern interpretations like matcha, yuzu, and shiso.' Being creative and using drinks to tell people about who you are as a couple is one of the most popular trends for 2025. 'Couples in 2025 want every detail to be intentional and tell a story about who they are and where they come from. So naturally, a cocktail menu will reflect that. Our signature cocktails like the 'Punjabi Mango' with yogurt and coconut rum or the 'Chai Ishq' show how beverages can blend traditions and identities in unexpected ways. The most memorable drinks always have fun, unique twists that reveal something about the couple's personalities,' states Anmoldeep Khinda, owner of Roots Indian Bistro. A themed bar is a great approach to showcase your personality as a couple. Maria Soriano, director of events and style at Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo adds: 'A couple recently created a one-of-a-kind tequila and mezcal bar for their welcome party, using regional spirits from Jalisco and Oaxaca, and curated themed cocktails representative to the destination such as custom margaritas and palomas.' Brides and grooms have embraced signature cocktails for years, but now they are serving custom-crafted beer at their wedding festivities. 'San Diego is the 'Capital of Craft,' so beer-loving couples can level up their wedding beverages by brewing their beer at Ballast Point Brewing Company. The couple can create their custom beer that represents their personalities and taste preferences and serve it at the reception. As a bonus, we offer customized growlers to fill with their commemorative brew as a take-home gift for guests,' remarks Emily Goldman, director of sales and events for RMD Group. Photographer Lensy Michelle, adds: 'A couple in Maine had custom-printed beer cans they gave out during their ceremony. True to their personalities, they ditched the formalities—serving their custom beer, 'Hoppily Ever After,' and replacing the traditional 'grand entrance into cocktail hour' with a Lobster Launcher tournament that had everyone laughing and cheering.' Beverage programs are increasingly embracing hyper-local ingredients exhibiting the local produce of the wedding destination. 'There's a growing shift towards using locally sourced ingredients like regional herbs, seasonal fruits, and artisanal infusions, to craft drinks that are meaningful, sustainable, and deeply connected to the couple's story,' mentions Peeyush Bhushan, director of food and beverage at the JW Marriott Pune. 'Many couples have opted to tap into a hyper-local connection, including resort-grown herbs and citrus for their welcome cocktails. We've also been incorporating local flowers for an added Hawaiian touch, and visual element, for couples and their guests,' adds Melina Manchester, director of special events at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. Couples are personalizing their cocktails with edible cocktail toppers or stirrers with photos of memorable moments like their proposal or their beloved pet. Alternatively, the portraits are of the guests themselves. 'We have had the pleasure of collaborating with The Grand Bevy, a Los Angeles-based beverage company. One of their standout features is their 'Sipmi' program. Guests can step into a booth, and within moments, their photo is printed directly onto the top of their cocktail,' states Pamela Wolter, director of sales at The Resort at Pelican Hill. 'Imagine guests arriving and being greeted with a cocktail adorned with a special photo—a truly magical moment that adds a personal touch to the celebration.'
Telegraph
03-04-2025
- Telegraph
The British holidaymakers devoted to a single destination
Back in the 1980s, Hotel Aigua Blava had a well full of unfortunate lobsters captured for blow-out dinners, a pool bar called Chez Henry where a man named Angelo served umbrella-adorned Shirley Temples to pre-teens, and much-coveted limited edition pens, which they gave you in return for payment of the bill. The hotel was pitched as a secret little corner of the Costa Brava, but if you asked around among my school friends or their parents, somebody always knew someone else who'd been there. And it was this mix of the familiar and the exotic that made it my home from home. I first visited aged seven, with parents who enjoyed reading, sunbathing and long dinners with lots of viña sol. They also enjoyed a challenge – and getting a room at the Hotel Aigua Blava involved booking a year ahead, resigning yourself to the worst one available (choose between sewage smells and all-brown decor or old furniture and no sea view) and then returning year after year to earn small, incremental upgrades. All this meant it worked well for all of us. I made friends with other guests and spent days swimming in the pool, walking to 'the slab' (a sort of swimming platform by the harbour) and hanging out by the ping-pong tables. My parents relished their slow path to bedrooms in the main building, from which they could (by the time I was 13 or so) admire a pine-infused view over tiled rooftops and out to the glittering Mediterranean. It's still one of the most beautiful in the world. I know because, almost 40 years later, we continue to visit every year. These days, my husband and two kids have joined the throng and, though my father died a few years ago, I can sense him here too: sitting cross-legged with a book on a bench on the seaside promenade at Tamariu or dozing on a lounger by the hotel pool, hat perched over the top half of his face. Some things have changed. Children don't roam free anymore, but mine are very happy with long days splashing in the pool. My must-dos now include a rare night of romance with my husband, clambering along the cliff path to Toc al Mar for dinner by the sea while my mother watches the children. Some things, meanwhile, stay exactly the same. The head waiter, who has never not been there, still kisses my mother on both cheeks when we arrive. My kids find the same delight in the first Cacaolat (chocolate milk) of the holiday as I did all those years ago. And I know every tiny cove and every curve of coastal road. I may never return to my childhood home or my first school, but our yearly trip to Aigua Blava is a constant. Island life It's a similar situation for Sian Downes, whose family's love affair with Gran Canaria began before she was even born when – as a teacher in the 1980s – her mother left her father at home and headed off to a school in the Canaries for a year. She returned with a lifelong love of the island. 'She met these amazing women, two English girls, one Canarian,' says Downes. 'They were all sharing a flat and just living the life, renting jeeps and going down to the south and sunbathing topless, and all sorts of things.' As for her father… 'I mean, he really had no choice. He visited her and there were famous stories of him falling asleep on the beach and his flip-flops washing out to sea. You love that when you're growing up. I had funny ideas of a dolphin somewhere, wearing my dad's flip-flops.' Once Sian came along a few years later, the family headed for the resort town of Puerto Rico for two weeks every June. Then, escaping dismal Scottish winters, they started to visit at Christmas too. 'I used to get called Sian Canaria because I was there more than a normal youngster gets to go on holiday,' she laughs. When Sian was 17, she took her own gap year in the town. 'It became one of my formative milestones,' she says. 'I met my best friend. She's from Denmark but we worked together and it was one of those things: you could have had one of any of the thousands of apartments in the tourist zone, but ours were a street apart.' Puerto Rico has been the setting for many more milestones since: her first girls' holiday after university, another one when she got engaged to her now-husband, an overseas work trip in her role as a pioneering event planner, and a quick getaway during the pandemic, before her first child was born. 'When the travel corridor opened up, I was like, 'Get me on a plane,'' she says. When her mother passed away, Sian scattered her ashes on the island and held a celebration of her life at their favourite restaurant, Balcon Canario. Now, she returns with her husband and three daughters, checking in to the same hotel each year, Puerto Rico's Marina Suites. 'It was always my mum's dream hotel but we just couldn't afford it. Before that, we used to just rock up and use the pool, sneaking in with a 'Pretend you know where your room is,'' she laughs. Her local links have enabled Sian to have a different experience of Gran Canaria to many Britons. 'I saw some celebrations from St Patrick's Day on Facebook and I thought, 'Oh, no, no, no'. Each to their own, but the way we do it feels quintessentially Canarian,' she says. A French affair Sober coach and author Sam Roome hadn't holidayed in Morzine, France, as a child, but having her own children persuaded her that it was the perfect family destination. 'My husband and I had gone off travelling to different places and always out of school holidays before children. We had a fear that we were going to have to go to places with thousands of people,' she says. 'We went on a holiday to Switzerland, to the mountains in the summer, and we thought, 'This is really quiet'. In 2006, we went to Morzine and we just loved it. We got these backpacks that you put the children in. Then, as everyone does in Morzine, we just started looking at the estate agent windows.' During their stay, they got an email informing them that their daughter Tilly had a rare chromosome disorder. 'Things had been really difficult up to that point with trying to get her a diagnosis, so I think, mentally, I was struggling. But there was something about being there and knowing that it was going to work. We bought a place that year,' says Sam. The family rent out their property when they're not visiting but, though the children are now in their teenage years, they still go at least twice a year. 'They all learnt to ski, so we go in ski season and in the summer,' says Sam. 'The children have continuity, knowing that they can just pop up to the lake whenever. They like the pool, they know their favourite restaurants. And the pace of life is completely different.' It's been especially helpful for Tilly. 'She gets tired really easily and overwhelmed. It's the same sensory processing you'd find in autism spectrum disorder, which she also has, but also, physically, she has to sleep a lot longer than my other children… It's why we wanted to go back to the same place, because she doesn't have to use her mental processing.' Sam dreams of living permanently in Morzine, but is aware that Tilly's condition – and Brexit red tape – would make this hard. She can't imagine not visiting though. 'There's the community, the way it's situated,' she says. 'I go skiing with my friends to other places, and every time, I think, am I biased? Nope.'
Boston Globe
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
This 11-year-old New Englander is ‘The Shirley Temple King'
'This looks absolutely beautiful. … It's got a pink-to-red hue going on,' he told some quarter-million followers Get Winter Soup Club A six-week series featuring soup recipes and cozy vibes, plus side dishes and toppings, to get us all through the winter. Enter Email Sign Up Since his start, the critic has looked for the same drink characteristics: ginger ale over lemon-lime soda, an appropriate ratio of not-too-sweet grenadine, three cherries, very cold. Advertisement But, now a grizzled vet in sixth grade, his taste has refined when it comes to pairings. He chuckles when I mention an old 'My palette has changed quite a lot. Now, I love pairing Shirley Temples with a good cut of steak, filet mignon. Or chicken parm.' Leo loved both the chicken parm and Shirley Temple at Strega. He also awarded their Shirley Temple milkshake an 8.1. 'You got that vanilla soft serve in there … decadent.' Much of the charm of @theshirleytempleking — his legion of followers includes Noah Kahan and While his parents Lisa and Tom Kelly run his Insta account, the magic of the videos: the well-spoken, thoughtful lil' critic. Takes feel unprompted, often all in one take, authentic (and adorable.) But food and beverage reviewing — which he also did for a stint as correspondent on Advertisement Strega was just one spot the Kellys — including kid brother Declan, 8, and sister Presley, 5 — hit up on a recent Boston trip. They live in Fairfield, Conn. Leo doesn't like to give bad reviews. 'I do post them — but obviously, in a respectful manner. Sometimes I'll pop back in to see if they improved. A lot of times they have, which I'm very proud to see.' He's only slightly fudged a review once, he admits, in December when the Big Man himself, 'Santa Claus brought me a Shirley Temple at Lotte New York Palace. I wanted to be on the nice list — so Leo Kelly has gone viral on Instagram for his Shirley Temple reviews. The Shirley Temple King sometimes 'When there's not a lot of Shirley Temples around me, I substitute other things,' he says. 'I love limited releases because I feel there's a level of exclusivity to it.' I had questions for the tastemaker, so we chatted one recent afternoon after school. So what made you want to start @ShirleyTempleKing when you were 6? I always loved filming on my mom's phone, reviewing toys and candy. That really sparked me at a young age — I want to review, I want to critique, I want to make stuff better than I found it. Advertisement I've always loved Shirley Temples. I got introduced to them at a young age from my cousin. Ever since then, they've been my go-to at restaurants. What do you like about food reviewing in general? I'm a pretty big foodie. I love trying new foods. Having my own opinions excites me to try new foods — respectfully. I only critique stuff politely. I'm not trying to be rude when I say something is bad. Were you surprised at the following you got so quickly? You went viral when you were 6. I was very surprised. It blew up in one night. I remember waking up the next morning, my parents showing me — I thought I was still dreaming. You were on 'Ellen' soon after. Did you realize then how big a deal that was? I was too young to understand what was going on, but looking back, I feel very accomplished. You should. You're also busy with acting. You were on 'Law and Order,' and soon you'll be in 'Guns Up,' with Kevin James. How did you land that? I got my first role in ' Would you like about acting? I love putting myself in somebody else's shoes. It's always something that I've always been interested in — it's like living another life. You took a recent reviewing trip to Boston. You gave Grill 23 & Bar's Shirley Temple a 6. It had lemon-lime soda — you prefer ginger ale. Advertisement I do. I feel it's the original way to make it. It did have cubed ice, which I appreciate. Cubed is better than crushed? I just like seeing the different types of ice. Fun ice is better. I love seeing cool, different shapes. But as long as it's cold, that's great. Alden & Harlow in Harvard Square . You said their grenadine was 'like cough syrup.' It was very syrupy. It was just flat soda. It needs bubbles to stabilize it. What could they do to improve? They could swap out flat soda for ginger ale. I don't know if they just had a really sweet grenadine, or if they just did way too much. But I think fixing the ratios would definitely skyrocket their rating. You gave Strega a 9.7. What did they do right? Everything. They had amazing ice, very cold. It was ginger ale, very carbonated. The grenadine-to-soda ratio was perfect. It almost had a slightly strawberry flavor. They had a Valentine's Day strawberry-heart garnish. That was awesome. The food was also amazing. I got chicken parm. Absolutely loved it. If somebody was visiting Boston, where should they go? Go to TD Garden for a Boston Celtics game. [The Shirley Temple there] was amazing, very cold. Two things I loved about it were both garnishes: the four-leaf clover obviously represents the Celtics. I don't know where they found that. They also had dehydrated Satsuma, which is a type of orange. It really added a lot of flavor to the drink. In your videos, you've got the lingo and cadence of a TV food critic down pat. Do you watch the Food Network? Advertisement Absolutely. Food Network, I really grew up on that. I've always loved watching 'Hell's Kitchen' and 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.' And my great-grandma and my grandma both were always in the kitchen cooking. That's really their love language. I learned a lot from them. Because I cook, too. Leo Kelly, who is known online as the "Shirley Temple King," with the non-alcoholic drink at The Smith in New York, Jan. 20. Lanna Apisukh/The New York Times What do you cook? I love cooking Italian dishes. I also love cooking steak. We make homemade pizza and our own tomato sauce every year. Would you want to be a chef when you get older? It sounds like you want to pursue acting, too. Being a chef could definitely be a cool side-job. When I have kids, I'd love to make them some delicious meals. But acting is my set goal for the future. Whether it's directing, writing — as long as I'm in the movie and TV scene, I'm happy. What's next for acting? I'm always auditioning. I get a lot of auditions, and a small fraction go to the next level. There's a quote I love, it has to do with acting. It's like … 'You won't get certain projects because there's always a better one for you to get.' And that's true. There were some roles I didn't get, and I was sad. Then I auditioned for 'Guns Up,' a bigger role, and I got it. I'm happy that my hard work paid off. Any tips for restaurants making a Shirley Temple? As long as they're trying their hardest, that's all that matters. Obviously, ginger ale is better. A good portion of grenadine is better. Three cherries is better. That's solid advice. You seem older than 11. Thank you. I read a lot. I'm reading a few books right now that I picked up — speaking of Boston — at the Harvard Book Store. ' Follow along at @shirleytempleking. Lauren Daley can be reached at and Lauren Daley can be reached at
New York Times
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
A Shirley Temple Hates to See Him Coming
In 2022, the chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten was working in the kitchen of Happy Monkey, his restaurant in Greenwich, Conn., when an employee pulled him aside. A critic was coming in. 'I'm always nervous when someone tries my food,' Mr. Vongerichten said. But this time was different. The critic was 8 years old, and he planned to order an item that wasn't on the menu: a Shirley Temple. After perfecting arroz con pollo and sour cherry mole, Mr. Vongerichten admitted that America's favorite mocktail had slipped through the cracks. 'The Shirley Temple is not something I grew up with in France,' he said. 'We were not prepared.' Mr. Vongerichten and his team invented a Shirley Temple recipe at the eleventh hour using small-batch grenadine, homemade ginger syrup and Tajín seasoning. The critic awarded it a 9.3 rating. This is the effect of Leo Kelly, now 11, who has been reviewing the drink for roughly half of his life as the 'Shirley Temple King.' In short videos on Instagram, and occasionally on TV, he ranks Shirley Temples on a 10-point scale, considering factors like color, carbonation and the quality of the grenadine. The internet is awash with food reviewers who opine from dining booths and drivers seats. But perhaps few of them have studied a single item the way Leo has. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
