Taste

Lemon Aid

When life hands you lemons—or even if it doesn’t—make limoncello. Limoncello’s sunny yellow hue makes for a perfect summery accent—even in the winter, fall, and spring. Or, buy 50-ml bottles in bulk and send them home with your guests as favors (no tying of tulle pouches necessary). Here, the folks at Pallini Limoncello (Castle Brands, Inc., 122 E 42nd St, New York, NY 646-356-8140; castlebrandsinc.com/pallini.php) offer two recipes for the perfect wedding cocktail menu.

Pallini Limoncello Bellini
Pour 1 oz Pallini Limoncello in Champagne flute; top with Brut Champagne or Prosecco.

Frosty Lemon Martini
1 oz Pallini Limoncello
3 oz Boru Citrus Vodka
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 lemon wedge
Pour the sugar onto a plate. Rub the rims of the martini glass with a lemon wedge and roll the rims in the sugar. Add Boru Citrus, Pallini Limoncello, and lemon juice to ice in a shaker. Shake and strain into sugared martini glass. Garnish with a lemon peel.

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From “Ooh La La!” to “Whoopie!”

Move over, cupcakes. There’s an up-and-coming dessert in the wedding game: the macaron. No, we don’t mean those dense, sticky coconut macaroons. We’re talking about the airy, delicate, cream-filled Parisian confection. “They’re so light,” says David Shore of La Renaissance Pâtisserie in Scarsdale, which sells its macarons for $28 per pound. “They’re kosher, they have no flour, they’re gluten-free, and we make them year-round.” And, of course, they’re pretty tasty. La Renaissance makes macarons in chocolate, vanilla, raspberry, strawberry, lemon, and pistachio. For heartier appetites, there’s the macaron’s American cousin—the “whoopie pie”—which is also a cream-filled delight (think of a bigger, rounder Devil Dog). Special-order them from Lulu Cake Boutique in Scarsdale for $4 each in chocolate, chocolate-peanut butter, lemon, green tea, banana, and red velvet, or check out the pumpkin, maple, gingerbread, and other flavors ($24 per dozen) at wickedwhoopies.com.

Mad Men Cocktail

We asked one Westchester native—Peter Kelly of Xaviers Restaurant Group—to come up with a drink inspired by another (albeit fictional) Westchester native, Don Draper. Sure, the Drapers may not be the best model of a happy marriage—but man, did they know how to mix a cocktail. Inspired by the cool, mid-century motif of the show, couples have been concocting Mad Men-inspired signature drinks. At our request, Kelly consulted Xaviars wine director, Billy Rattner, and bartender Chris Kiers and came up with what he calls the Slogan Fizz. Mix up a pitcher of one—but you better lay off the cigarettes.

Slogan Fizz

(Courtesy of Peter Kelly, Billy Rattner, and Chris Kiers of Xaviars Restaurant Group)
2 oz Tanqueray Rangpur Gin
½ oz dry vermouth (preferably Dolin)
½ oz grenadine
2 oz sour mix (combine 2 oz fresh lime juice, 1 oz fresh lemon juice, ½ oz fresh orange juice, ¼ tsp egg white powder)
1 Tbsp superfine sugar
Mix ingredients in a shaker. Shake vigorously over ice and then pour into a chilled highball glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

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Keep on Truckin’

Partying into the wee hours? After the cake is down to its last crumbs, perhaps it’d be best to re-energize your guests with a late-night snack. Do what you always do when you’re hungry and out late: order delivery. A well-timed visit from a food truck can be a godsend. The A La Mode Ice Cream Truck (914-232-3778) can keep your wedding guests happy with old-fashioned Good Humor bars, Ben & Jerry’s products, and Häagen-Dazs ice cream. “Everybody flocks to the ice cream truck like they were little kids,” says co-owner Deb Hopkins. “Kids get excited, but I think the grown-ups get even more excited. People have told me they wouldn’t have done the Venetian table if they knew the ice cream truck was going to be the most popular.” For a warmer treat, Julie Bean Espresso Mobile Café’s truck (914-564-6792, facebook.com/JulieBeanEspressomobilecafe, thecoffeegirl@live.com) can roll up to your party to serve Coffee Labs Roasters coffee and local pastries. “I try to have a menu that works for all ages,” says Julie Gifford. Late-night food trucks stops don’t have to be limited to sweets—couples have also opted to serve burgers and fries, tacos, and even breakfast items—waffles!—to take care of all those after-party cravings.

Candy Land

Rather than settling on one dessert, candy buffets indulge every sweet tooth by offering a range of choices, from swirly lollipops to rich chocolates to tart gummies. Create one by filling apothecary jars with your favorite sweets and putting out cellophane bags for guests to fill at their leisure (or to take home as favors). Get your sweet supplies at Lollipop the Candy Shop in Tarrytown (914-332-0780), Rocnroe’s Pop Shop in Pleasantville (914-747-9797, rocnroespopshop.com), Sweet Teez in Larchmont (914-630-1744, sweetteezlarchmont.com), or Treat Station in Peekskill (914-788-4141, treatstation.com)—or go online to candyware house.com and bulkcandystore.com, where you can shop by color. Sweet Teez will set up and (depending on the venue) oversee a candy buffet, giving each guest a tin to fill that holds about 5 ounces of candy, with prices that start at $11 per guest (and goes up depending on how elaborate the setup). Lisa’s Candy Buffet (pictured here, 908-278-4810, lbcandybuffet.com) of New Brunswick, New Jersey, creates candy buffets for 50 to 300 guests starting at $4.75 per person, plus a fee for traveling to Westchester.

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