Bespoke themed cocktails are drinks that you choose, name and present around the story of your party. Think of a tropical mango cocktail at a Tiki evening or a pink Cosmopolitan at a New York birthday. You don't need to hire a bartender and you don't have to mix them yourself. Start with the theme, translate that into a flavor profile and a color, choose two to four drinks including at least one mocktail, and finish it off with names, garnishes and glassware. Below you will read how to do this step by step, which combinations work well and what to pay attention to with allergens, alcohol rules and budget.
In short
- Start with the story, not the bottle. A theme gives you a color, a flavor direction and an atmosphere. You choose the cocktails based on that.
- Keep the menu short. Two to four drinks, of which at least one is non-alcoholic, are enough for a recognizable theme and smooth service.
- Names, color and garnish make the theme. The same drink feels completely different with its own name, the right glass and a matching garnish.
- Rules also apply to your party. No alcohol for minors or visibly drunk guests, and tell your guests which allergens are in it.
- Ready-made saves time and money. With ready-to-serve cocktails you don't need a bar, no stock of separate bottles and no mixer.
Table of contents
- What bespoke themed cocktails exactly are
- How to translate a theme into a cocktail menu
- Theme ideas with matching cocktails
- Names, colors and garnishes that enhance your theme
- Mocktails and dietary requirements: everyone a party glass
- Responsible serving: the rules you know
- What determines the price of bespoke cocktails
- Our view on themed cocktails
- Your theme party complete with Cocktails by Nina
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
What bespoke themed cocktails exactly are
A themed cocktail is more than a tasty drink with a little umbrella. It is a drink that fits the story you are telling that evening. You can also see that in the hospitality industry: according to the MICHELIN Guide, restaurants are increasingly developing signature cocktails to tell their own story. A cocktail thus becomes a piece of identity, just like the interior or the music.
Anyone who wants to see how far that can go can look at how mixology in a gastrobar combines with the kitchen and the atmosphere of the establishment. You take that principle home or to your company party: the drinks belong to the whole.
“Bespoke” means in practice that you coordinate three things:
- Taste and strength, matching your guests: fresh and fruity, sweet, bitter or non-alcoholic.
- Appearance, matching the theme: color, glass, garnish and name.
- Quantity and form, matching the occasion: a welcome drink, a shot round at midnight or throughout the evening.
Themed cocktails work for almost every occasion: birthdays, bachelor parties, weddings, a garden party, King's Day, New Year's Eve, a product launch or a staff party. For business occasions you will find more ideas in our overview of cocktail formats for your company party.
How to translate a theme into a cocktail menu
A good theme menu does not arise by randomly choosing drinks that you yourself like. Follow these steps and your menu will be correct by itself.
- Summarize your theme in three words. “Tropical, sunny, exuberant” or “stylish, pink, city”. Those words are your filter for every choice.
- Choose a color palette. Two or three colors that recur in your decoration. A yellow mango cocktail fits a summer theme, a pink or red cocktail with Valentine's or a glamour party.
- Determine the flavor direction. Tropical calls for fruit like mango, passion fruit and pineapple. A chic evening calls for classics with citrus. A winter party can be spicier and fuller.
- Choose a main cocktail. This is the drink that everyone remembers and that comes up in the photos. Give it the best place on the menu.
- Add one or two complements. A second cocktail with a different character, for example a fresh one next to a sweet one, so that there is something for every taste.
- Add a mocktail that is just as beautiful. An alcohol-free variant in the same theme, so that no one stands with a glass of water.
- Plan the moment. A welcome cocktail upon arrival, a shot round at the speech or the countdown, and the rest of the evening a fixed menu.
Matching the occasion works exactly the same with food; overviews of festive menus for event planners show how dishes and drinks together carry one theme. If you want to get your drinks menu really well balanced, also read how you assemble a cocktail catering menu.
Theme ideas with matching cocktails
These combinations are a starting point. Adapt names and garnishes to your own party.
| Theme | Colors | Flavor direction | Cocktail idea | Garnish and presentation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiki or tropical | yellow, orange, green | mango, passion fruit, pineapple | a fruity mango cocktail as the main role | pineapple wedge, flower, bamboo straw |
| New York or glamour | pink, silver, black | citrus, cranberry | Cosmopolitan in a coupe glass | orange zest, glitter on the table |
| Summer garden party | white, green, pastel | fresh, mint, lime | light, fresh cocktail and a mint mocktail | mint sprig, ice cubes with flowers |
| Winter and Christmas | red, gold, dark green | spicy, full, red fruit | a red cocktail with warm tones | cinnamon stick, rosemary, golden rim |
| New Year's Eve | gold, black, white | sparkling, citrus | shot round before midnight | golden shot glasses, countdown board |
| Company party in house style | the colors of the logo | broadly accessible | one signature cocktail plus mocktail | name cards with brand name |
| Wedding | white, cream, champagne | elegant, not too sweet | two drinks, “him” and “her” | engraved glass, menu card |
For the tropical theme our Mango Madness is a logical main cocktail. For a glamour party or an urban theme a Cosmopolitan fits exactly in the picture.
Names, colors and garnishes that enhance your theme
This is where you make the difference between “there were cocktails” and “the cocktails were completely the party”. The nice thing is: this costs little effort.
A name of your own
Give each drink a name that fits the party. A Cosmopolitan becomes “Dirty Thirty” on a thirtieth birthday, a mango cocktail is named after the bride at a bachelor party. At a company party you can name drinks after a product, a department or a milestone. Put the names on a small menu card or a chalkboard at the bar. Guests talk about it, photograph it and order earlier.
Color as a common thread
Color is the first thing your guests see. Let the color of your main cocktail recur in napkins, flowers or balloons. A yellow cocktail next to yellow decoration feels like a conscious choice. At a house style party you can let the color of the drink match the logo, or rather choose a neutral drink and incorporate the brand color in the garnish.
Garnish with meaning
Garnish does not have to be complicated. Choose one element that tells the theme:
- Tropical: a pineapple wedge or an edible flower.
- Winter: a cinnamon stick or a sprig of rosemary.
- Glamour: a citrus zest or a sugar rim.
- Summer: mint, lime or ice cubes with frozen fruit.
Make sure that garnish that guests might eat is also in your allergen information, especially with nuts or edible decoration.
Glass and presentation
The glass determines how a cocktail comes across. A coupe glass immediately makes a drink chic, a tumbler feels relaxed, a tiki mug is pure vacation. In our collection of glassware and cocktail accessories you will find what you need to complete your theme. Small details such as a name card on the glass or a fixed place where the drinks stand ready, also work well: this way you personalize the whole experience, not just the glass.
Mocktails and dietary requirements: everyone a party glass
A theme menu is only complete when everyone can join in: who is pregnant, has to drive, does not drink alcohol or just takes a break. Alcohol-free drinking has become very common in the Netherlands. According to the Trimbos Institute drank 16.7% of the Dutch adults in 2024 alcohol-free beer monthly. Those guests expect more than a glass of soda.
The best approach is a mocktail that looks just as festive as the cocktail next to it: the same color, the same garnish, the same glass. This way no one feels like they don't quite belong. Give the mocktail its own theme name too. In our collection of mocktails you will find alcohol-free options that you can place next to your cocktails.
Allergens
Dietary requirements go beyond alcohol. The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority states that providers of food and drinks must inform customers about 14 allergens, including gluten-containing grains, egg, peanuts, nuts, soy, milk, sulfites and lupin. For pre-packaged products, that information is on the label; for unpackaged drinks, it can be via cards, the menu or orally.
For your own party that means: read the label, put the most important allergens on your cocktail menu and ask about allergies in the invitation. If a guest has a serious allergy, let them check the label themselves and do not give a drink in case of doubt. You can read more explanation in our article about allergens in cocktails.
Responsible serving: the rules you know
A theme party should above all be fun, and it remains so if you follow the basic rules. The Dutch government puts the rules around alcohol on a roll:
- No alcohol for minors. Adults who give alcohol to someone under 18 in public places risk a fine.
- Do not serve visibly drunk guests. Then offer water or a mocktail.
- Age check for online ordering. For online alcohol sales, the age of the buyer must be checked both at the time of ordering and delivery. So make sure someone 18 years or older is home with a valid ID when your order arrives.
- Managers in hospitality and liquor stores must be in the Social Hygiene Register. If you organize an event with a permit, your venue or caterer will arrange this.
Delivery drivers are also being checked more strictly. The cabinet announced in January 2026 that parcel delivery drivers can get a fine for delivering alcohol to 18-minners, just like people who work in the hospitality industry or supermarket.
Useful to know when planning your quantities: a standard glass contains 10 grams of alcohol, whether it is beer, wine or spirits. A cocktail can contain more than one standard glass. Therefore, next to every round, have water and a mocktail ready, and agree who is driving.
What determines the price of bespoke cocktails
The costs of themed cocktails depend mainly on how you have them made and served. These factors count the heaviest:
- Number of guests and duration of the party. How many drinks per person do you calculate, and over how many hours?
- Ready-made or a bar on location. A bar with bartenders means staff hours, setup, travel costs and often a minimum order. Ready-to-serve cocktails do not have those posts.
- Separate bottles versus a fixed menu. Who mixes themselves, buys a bottle of spirits, liqueur, syrup and fresh fruit per cocktail, and often has half bottles left over.
- Bespoke. A unique recipe, a unique label or special packaging requires more work than a drink from the fixed assortment.
- Glassware and ice. Glassware hire, washing up and enough ice are often forgotten in the budget.
- Delivery and collection. Shipping costs, a fixed delivery time or collecting yourself.
- VAT. Business quotes are often stated excluding VAT. Always compare amounts including VAT.
You can find a detailed calculation per catering type in our article about cocktail catering costs. Want to know how ready-to-serve cocktails work and why they achieve bar quality without a bar? Read our article about pourover cocktails.
Our take on themed cocktails
When people think of themed cocktails, they often immediately think of a complicated bar, a bartender standing behind the tap all evening and a budget that quickly escalates. We see it differently. The theme is not in the shaker, it is in the choice, the name, the colour and the occasion.
That is why we make cocktails and mocktails that are ready to serve, prepared with premium ingredients and spirits. You choose the drinks that suit your party, we make sure they taste like they came from a good cocktail bar. This way, as a host or hostess, you can keep your hands free for your guests instead of lemons and measuring cups.
We also believe that a good party does not divide drinkers and non-drinkers. That is why we take mocktails just as seriously as cocktails. And if you want something that truly belongs only to your party, we are happy to help with customisation or prepare the drinks at your event.
Ruud
Your themed party complete with Cocktails by Nina
At Cocktails by Nina, you can order ready-to-pour cocktails, mocktails and cocktail boxes that you can pour straight away. For the countdown or the speech, there is a shot pack, and with glassware and accessories you complete the theme. We deliver free in the Netherlands for orders over €75, in Belgium for orders over €100, and in Amsterdam you can collect your order yourself.
Organising a larger party or a corporate event and want drinks that are truly tailor-made? View our options for events and customisation and tell us about your theme.
Frequently asked questions
How many different themed cocktails do I need?
For most parties, two to four drinks are enough: a main cocktail, a complementary cocktail with a different character and at least one mocktail. More choice makes the theme less recognisable and the service slower. For a large event, you can add a shot round for a fixed moment.
Can I give an existing cocktail my own themed name?
Yes, that is precisely the easiest way to make a drink fit your party. Put the custom name on a menu card and mention the original name underneath if necessary, so guests know what they are drinking. Also include the allergen information on that card.
How do I make sure that guests who do not drink alcohol are not left out?
Choose a mocktail in the same colour, with the same garnish and in the same glass as your main cocktail. Give it its own themed name and place it prominently on the menu. This way, everyone has a festive glass in their hand.
Do I need to be home when my cocktail order is delivered?
When selling alcohol online, the age of the buyer must be checked at the time of ordering and delivery. Therefore, someone aged 18 or over with a valid ID must be present. Plan your order for a time when you are sure to be home, or collect it yourself in Amsterdam.
How far in advance do I order themed cocktails for a party?
Order well in advance of your party, so you have time to coordinate the glassware, garnish and decoration of your drinks. For customisation or drinks at an event, contact us as early as possible, because a custom design requires more preparation.
Sources
- MICHELIN Guide: Trend, cocktails are back in the mix
- Trimbos Institute: How much alcohol-free does the Netherlands drink?
- NVWA: Informing customers about allergens in hospitality and craft
- Dutch Government: Rules to combat problematic alcohol use
- Dutch Government: Fine for delivery service delivering alcohol to 18-year-olds
- Trimbos Institute: Does it matter whether you drink beer, wine or spirits?
