It may only be Thursday but it is never too early for a cocktail and today we have some fabulous DIY wedding cocktail recipes for you to try. The recipes are tried and tested by Casey Jayne and Cyril Roger, two members of the trio and FWS Vendor La Tartine, specialising in wedding and event music.

DIY Wedding Cocktail Recipes

My husband, Cyril, and I were all hands on deck when it came to our wedding- we wanted to really put our mark in the details, making it DIY from top to bottom, even including the cocktails!

We had a few things on the checklist before we decided which cocktails to make: First off, most of Cyril's family aren't drinkers, so we wanted to have a delicious non-alcoholic option. Second, though we were both on board for a hands-on wedding, we are still human and our lives are full of other things beside wedding planning: family, friends, and both working as professional musicians. So these cocktails needed to be able to be made ahead of time, or so super easy to do, it takes no time at all.

No time at all? No problem for me: that fell easily to my favorite self-invented cocktail, "The Russian Grenade." An easy and delicious mix of vodka, pomegranate juice, and sparkling lemonade, garnished with a lime. It's light, it's sweet but not too, and a little dangerous on how easily it goes down. It's also absolutely gorgeous in a glass.

As for the mocktail, that was another adventure. We went to pick up our invitations at the printers a good ten months before the big day, and after strolling the streets of Paris for a place to stop for lunch, we sat down and had our first taste of the sweet nectar that is Bissap: a sort of Senegalese spiced iced tea made with red hibiscus flower and orange blossom water. We were hooked! Eyes on the prize, we set out to find our perfect recipe, and now share it with you.

The Russian Grenade Cocktail

1 part vodka
2 parts pomegranate juice
3 parts sparkling lemonade
Lime slices to garnish

Nothing is simpler!

1. Add the vodka
2. Add the pomegranate juice
3. At the last moment, add your sparkling lemonade. An important detail:If you are using a self serve container like we did, don't close the top of the lid completely. Leaving a little air avoids any pressure building on the valve and any unwanted explosions.
4. Garnish with a lime wedge
5. Serve yourself another, these are too good!

(To make 2.5 liters)
- 2 cups of dried red hibiscus flower ("Bissap": this can be found pretty easily around Paris at exotic food markets, or ordered online. Either way, it's super cheap!)
- 2.5 liters of water
- 100 grams of sugar (or to taste)
- 2 tablespoons of Orange Blossom Water (make sure it's the real stuff, not "arome de fleurs d'oranger" but really "eau de fleurs d'oranger." The arome is chemically made, and tastes like it!)

Optional ingredients:
Vanilla bean
Cinnamon stick
Fresh mint
Nutmeg

Rinse the hibiscus and set the water to boil

Before the water is boiling, add the rinsed hibiscus petals, and any other optional spices you may want (we added the vanilla bean now). Let it boil until the water has become a deep red : about 10 minutes. Take it off the heat and let it cool completely before extracting the hibiscus petals and any added spices with the aid of a strainer or a slotted spoon.

Add the sugar and orange blossom water to the completely cooled juice and mix well. Store in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours and serve cold. The Bissap will keep for a few days in the fridge in a closed container, and even longer if you add a good amount of lemon. As it sits, its flavors develop. Its light and sweet, fruity and flowery, exotic and completely addictive!Cheers, everyone!

Thank you to Casey Jayne and Cyril Roger are two members of the trio La Tartine, specializing in wedding and event music. To hear a little of what they do, visit their site at www.latartinemusique.com