The better Half & Half, a signature wedding cocktail all your guests will love! (great for any party too!)
A version of a delicious signature wedding cocktail that will please even the pickiest of drinkers: A better half and half. It’s combination of Sweet Tea Vodka and fresh lemonade. It’s a nice change of pace, not overly strong, but very satisfying.
This weeks Friday Cocktail is from my niece Halley’s wedding in St. Pete’s Beach, Florida last November. It was their signature wedding cocktail and they called it the better half and half! Clever and delicious, it was the perfect drink to have to celebrate!
It was nice and cold for a hot day and it was easy to drink many of them while toasting to their marriage! (They are a really LOVED couple, the toasting of them was nonstop, so trust me when I say it was many of them.)
Usually I’m a purist. I like my iced tea plain, no sugar. I prefer martinis with gin straight up with no fruit infused mixer. Although I will occasionally have a chocolate martini…I mean chocolate vodka is pretty amazing in the right situations. And while I’m trying many new versions of bourbon cocktails for the Friday Cocktail series nothing beats a good scotch all by its lonesome.
But sometimes you need to break away from tradition and try new things. Enter the wedding signature cocktail: A better half and half. It’s kind of like an Arnold Palmer Iced tea except it’s the adult version.
Yes, you read that right, an Arnold palmer with alcohol. By substituting sweet tea Vodka for the iced tea then pairing it with lemonade it makes for one heck of and adult cocktail version.
It has just the right amount of tartness from the lemons while the sweet tea vodka gives it the added sweetness that you need to have a really smooth drink. Translation: you won’t choke on the alcohol taste when you take your first sips!
I’ve added my own touch by infusing the lemonade with fresh rosemary. It’s been a little bit crazy around here so I bought storebought lemonade and the rosemary was my way of making it just a little bit fancier.
This wedding was in St. Pete’s beach Florida. If you have ever been in Florida you know what real humidity is like. This drink is very refreshing because of both the lemonade and serving it over ice. The bartender made big containers of it ahead of time and poured it over ice for us upon ordering.
The recipe I’m including is to make it with a big batch but I plan on making it often for just one or two people at of our upcoming at home cocktail hours. So I’ll include a single version recipe in the note section.
If you ever have a chance to visit St. Pete’s Beach I highly recommend it.
We stayed at the Postcard Inn, a perfect venue for a wedding while having great rooms at really fair rates. Its right on the beach and they were crazy accommodating for anything we needed.
There are some great restaurants there to have the local fish available. Rum Fish Grill had some of the best appetizers. They had an Poke Tuna and Firecracker Shrimp that really hit the spot.
Rum Fish also has probably the second best mai tai I’ve ever had… second best to the version I make at home you can find here.
I also highly suggest the St Petersburg Farmers Market on Saturdays in the heart of downtown. I could have spent many hours there looking at great produce, interesting art pieces and some very unique food choices.
The Thai Food booth was especially tasty and made fresh to order. Here are some pictures that don’t even begin to do justice to how wonderful it was.
The last thing I recommend is the Twistee Treat! It’s a homemade ice-cream shop that has some crazy combinations where everyone can find something that appeals to them. You can’t miss it driving down the street….. its a business shaped in the image of an ice cream cone! Try it out, I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Can you tell I had a great time? I really enjoyed the city and the memories I will have from here. (If you look below you’ll see we all had a pretty great time!! And doesn’t my niece look absolutely beautiful??)
But back to the signature wedding cocktail, the better half and half. I can’t think of a better drink to make for a cocktail party. You can make it in pitchers ahead of time which is a great way to go so you have more time to focus in your guests or getting food ready.
Cheers!
- 16 oz Sweet Tea Vodka I used Seagrams
- 32 ounces Lemonade
- fresh squeezed lemon juice from 1 large lemon
- 2 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary plus additional for garnish
- Muddle 1-2 sprigs of rosemary in bottom of pitcher.
- Then add Vodka, lemonade, and lemon juice.
- Strain into glass over ice, then serve with a garnish of rosemary.
- This would also work well with a sugar rimmed glass!
One Serving:
2 parts Sweet Tea Vodka
3 parts Li]emonade
squeeze of 1/4 lemon
sprig or rosemary
(muddle rosemary in the shaker with liquids before pouring over ice!)
*** Wedding Photography Photo taken by Breanna Peterson Photography
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
March 9, 2016 at 7:01 pmThis sounds refreshing!!
Ashley - Baker by Nature says
March 9, 2016 at 7:38 amThis looks so refreshing!
Michele says
March 9, 2016 at 3:42 pm🙂
kristi says
March 8, 2016 at 5:03 pma grown up Arnold Palmer!! so refreshing and good!
Michele says
March 8, 2016 at 11:27 pmI know right? Enjoy! ~m
Caitlin + Dani says
March 8, 2016 at 6:37 amThis is so a-doll-able! Agree that this would be a refreshing summer wedding drink. Love it!
Michele says
March 9, 2016 at 3:52 pmI must admit, they were perfect at Halley’s wedding!! ~m
Hannah says
March 7, 2016 at 11:09 pmI bet this cocktail would be a hit at any wedding! I bet this would be great with some fresh fruit added as well
Ana De- Jesus says
March 6, 2016 at 1:24 pmAw sadly I cannot have a cocktail as I can’t have alcohol but I do like the idea of adding rosemary to Lemonade/ ice tea
Michele says
March 7, 2016 at 2:44 pmThat is where I got the idea Ana~ Lemonade jazzed up with rosemary… I think you’ll enjoy it 😉
Amber Nelson says
March 6, 2016 at 10:15 amNow this sounds like it would be awesome! I am going to bookmark this for my sister’s wedding.
Debra says
March 6, 2016 at 8:26 amHow fun is that ice cream shack? My kids would absolutely love to stop by something like that!
Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma) says
March 5, 2016 at 1:40 pmThat cocktail says Hello Summer! I can’t wait to make that, it looks amazing!
Michele says
March 7, 2016 at 2:44 pmI completely agree…. thanks for stopping by! ~m
Blythe A. says
March 5, 2016 at 12:04 pmPefect cocktail for the hot Florida sun. And I love the recommendation for Tastee Treat. We used to have one in my hometown and would go there all the time. Makes me nostaligic.
Michele says
March 7, 2016 at 2:45 pmIt’s funny what takes us back to childhood memories…. this was certainly a winner in my book too!
Jennifer Pilgrim says
March 5, 2016 at 10:52 amThat drink sounds delicious, and perfect for summer. Great wedding picture, as well!
Michele says
March 7, 2016 at 2:45 pmawww.. thanks… I think my niece looks so happy in that pic! ~m
Vicky says
March 5, 2016 at 10:02 amThis is not only great for weddings but any kind of gathering. With summer coming up, I think I have found my go to cocktail.
Michele says
March 5, 2016 at 10:25 amI agree! It is so refreshing@!@ ~m
Rose Sahetapy says
March 5, 2016 at 8:11 amI love fresh make ice tea, but Ice Tea Vodka..;hmm..that’s intruiging! Your photos captured all the fun and happiness from the wedding party, especially the wedding shot.
Michele says
March 5, 2016 at 10:26 amI must admit, it was the most fun Id had at a wedding in a long time…. the cocktail helped of course, but such love for the couple made for a fun weekend!!
Jeanine says
March 5, 2016 at 7:54 amYum sounds like such a refreshing drink I’ve never had before. Would love to give it a try though. Although I don’t drink, it would be nice to sip!
Koninika says
March 5, 2016 at 5:14 amSuch an absolutely refreshing drink! Looks like it can be customized for variety of different occasions and celebrations! Loved the pictures you provided with it!
Roxanne says
March 5, 2016 at 5:05 amOh my gosh I didn’t know sweet tea vodka existed! This looks like a perfect summer cocktail to enjoy at BBQ’s! Thanks for sharing!
Michele says
March 5, 2016 at 10:26 amIt would go great with some spicy ribs too!! ~ good idea!! ~m
Megan McCoig says
March 5, 2016 at 1:14 amI’ve never tried sweet tea vodka – must try it. Looks like you had a amazing time!
jill conyers says
March 5, 2016 at 1:12 amSweet Tea Vodka? I had no idea this was a thing. Maybe it’s because I don’t drink? Is it really sweet?
Michele says
March 5, 2016 at 10:27 amNot real sweet…. very subtle. Im not a big sweet person either so I could only drink it with something tart like lemonade! ~m
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
March 5, 2016 at 12:17 amI don’t drink but I love your photos! Especially the big group wedding photo!
Michele says
March 5, 2016 at 10:28 am😉
Valentina says
March 4, 2016 at 10:45 pmWhat a refreshing and delicious sounding cocktail. And I love that awesome wedding shot — such a cool picture. 🙂
Tina Marie says
March 4, 2016 at 6:51 pmI love St. Pete Florida! I’m a Florida Girl and love everything about the beach!! I’ve been living in Maine now for 19 years and I so the enjoy reading about home! Love this recipe and can’t wait to make here for the “Mainers”. 🙂
Michele says
March 5, 2016 at 10:28 amI had never been there and can’t wait to go back… there are still so many things there I didn’t get to do~~ ~m
Boastful Food says
March 4, 2016 at 6:40 pmWhoa! What? Sweet tea Vodka! Sounds like my kind of drink. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
jacqueline | i sugar coat it! says
March 4, 2016 at 5:31 pmSounds refreshing – the wedding and the drink!
Michele says
March 4, 2016 at 6:17 pmIt really is Jacqueline! Happy Friday!
Fatima says
March 4, 2016 at 5:17 pmThe perfect drink for a parents’ night in! I can’t wait to try this. Thank you for sharing.
Michele says
March 4, 2016 at 6:18 pmlol…. isn’t that the truth, we sure need those days occasionally don’t we?! ~m
Kait says
March 4, 2016 at 4:35 pmWe had this at our wedding and called it a John Daly (a notorious pro golfer who liked a good drink!) they are super refreshing!!
Michele says
March 4, 2016 at 6:18 pmJohn Daly was one of my Dad’s favorite golfers…. because he was so crazy! Love it!!