Nothing warms up a winter wedding reception like some delicious hot alcoholic drinks for your guests. For eco-conscious couples, creating organic drinks is easy, as there are natural, Fair Trade and organic substitutions for almost all of the components your bartenders will need. Creating a signature organic hot drink is also a great DIY project if you are hosting a small reception the night before your wedding. Here are some ideas to get you started:

For fall or winter weddings, it is easy to find gallons of local, organic cider in most parts of the country and spicing it up is a cinch. All you need is organic spiced rum , some sliced organic apples for garnish and cinnamon. Add alcohol to cider in a 1/2 ratio (1oz of rum for every 2oz of cider) and spice to taste. This simple recipe is delicious and can be made ahead of time or on the fly as your guests drink it down.

Organic Gingerbread Toddy

This recipe from Prairie Organic Spirits is perfect for gin lovers and offers a great play on words - "gin"gerbread." You can make your own syrup in bulk and use it for your drinks and/or and bottle it and give small syrup bottles out with the drink recipe as a wedding favor for your guests to enjoy at home.

For the gingerbread syrup you will need to scale this recipe:

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a pan. Heat to boiling while whisking until all the powder substances dissolve. Boil for 2-3 minutes so syrup thickens.

For the drink you will need:

• 2 parts Prairie Organic Gin
• 1 part gingerbread syrup (made above)
• 1 part lemon or orange juice
• ¼ cup boiling water

Directions: Fill cup with hot water and stir until gingerbread syrup is dissolved. Garnish with an organic cinnamon stick .

Candy Cane Hot Cocoa Shots

If you have time and a passion for large DIY projects - this DIY candy cane shot glass tutorial from The Watering Mouth is a must try. Once complete, simply fill with Fair Trade hot cocoa by itself or with a dash of peppermint schnapps. These sweet drinks double as festive desserts!

If you love the taste of chai lattes, you'll delight in this grownup version. For a simple recipe that tastes a lot like the Starbucks' one, blend Organic Oregon Chai with organic milk and spiced rum. For a more gourmet take, you can follow this recipe from eatnorth.ca .

You will need to scale these ingredients up to meet your party size needs:

• 3 cups 10% organic half-and-half cream
• 8 ounces spiced rum
• 1/2 tsp grated organic nutmeg
• ground cinnamon for garnish

Directions: Place the first 4 ingredients in a medium pot over medium-high heat, and heat to just before a simmer (steam starting to come off the surface). Reduce heat to low, add remaining spices and aromatics, and steep for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle into mugs and garnish with ground cinnamon.

Nothing beats hot organic drinks for cold weather weddings! These simple green drink recipes make warming your guests bodies and spirits easy!

If you like this post, you might also like our green drinks board on Pinterest:

Follow Green Bride Guide's board Green Drinks on Pinterest.