The Glamour of Old Havana at Ballinacurra
It is fair to say that for the majority of weddings, the planning element is much more enjoyed by the bride. But since the addition of our Havana Club Cuban Cocktail bar, this has changed somewhat! We’ve seen a fair few grooms who sit their day dreaming, as their bride-to-be talks through colour schemes, favour ideas, decorations etc. And then we mention the Cuban Bar – They sit up and take notice…. and before you know it, they want to get bang, smack into the details of the day.
In line with our cosmopolitan style house theming, we brought the Cuban Bar back from Havana in 2013 as well as some original objects de art items (that we like to call them ‘baraphenalia’), to give it a more authentic Cuban feel. It’s the perfect Rum Shack for Havana Club based Mojitos, Cuba Libras, Daiquiris and more in our converted woodshed. At every event that has the Cuban bar opened, it is always the debate among our staff whether it will be taken over by the guys attending (who may make it the ‘Man Cave’) or by the ladies who want to sip martinis in there (and make it more of a ‘She-Shed’!). Either way, it definitely brings out the more playful and fun side of any group, no matter how reserved they are on arrival!
It’s an atmospheric add on for any special event and is manned by specially trained Havana Club cocktail bar staff. There are a number of ways to incorporate this into your wedding celebration. For example, some couples have based their cocktail receptions around the theme of the Glamour of Old Havana where people can listen to Cuban music to put them in the party mood and set the unique tone of the day by starting with something a little different. Others have savoured it as a little after dinner surprise. This is a time when people can start to flounder and fade, right after dinner. But when planned right, this is actually the time to encourage guests to kick in up a notch, and keep the momentum going in anticipation for the main band.
We think, however, that the best time to kick off the Cuban cocktails is actually for the ‘Recovery Day’ that follows the wedding day. We’ve seen guests who were, shall we say, – on the fence – the day after the wedding and not sure if they feel a little delicate or ready for round two or not sure whether to take it easy or let the good times roll. We like to advise couples to let their guests have a lazy morning, then take a nice stroll around the estate mid morning, taking in the breath taking views from our private Jetty. Then tease their guests back to gather as a group in the afternoon and let them sip cocktails and chat about the antics of the night before. Some soulful recovery food then in the early evening will round the weekend off nicely with a good acoustic musician and a sing song.
One wedding last year totally went for it, in terms of theming the Recovery Day of their wedding. They had an authentic Havana 2-piece band come in to play in the early evening and the sound of the Double Bass really got people in the mood. Guests told stories of the fun and frolics of the night before. Then they served an authentic Cuban/Caribbean style casual meal. After dinner, a Salsa dance troop came and performed for guests. 2 or 3 cocktails later and the guests were soon learning to salsa themselves with the dance instructors. As their guests said on checkout, it was a wedding they will never, ever forget for all the right reasons! Memories that will be cherished in years to come.
At Ballinacurra, if couples decide to include the Cuban bar, they get to choose 3 cocktails that they can serve. Here is a list of the more popular ones…
- Original Mojito
- Raspberry Gin Collins
- Espresso Martinis
- Apple Martinis
Much fun to be had too around the naming of the Cocktails and many couples either create a signature drink to serve or else they rename an old favourite after themselves. It’s a creative way to incorporate any given theme into the day. Some couples bring props into the Cuban bar too and this always tends to get the crowd going and snapping a few selfies along the way.
More inspiration over on our Pinterest Page where we created a whole board on the wedding theme of ‘The Glamour of Old Havana’
Follow Ballinacurra’s board Glamour of Old Havana – at Ballinacurra House on Pinterest.