Mar 1

Liven Up The Monthly Company Meeting With These Sneaky (Yet Professional) Cocktail Ideas

Sunday 1 March 2020 12:02pm

Have you been dreading the monthly company meeting? We’ve all been there!

According to a recent survey by wireless presentation specialists, Barco, workers spend around eight hours per week in meetings… which equals about 11 weeks per year - No wonder we end up zoning out in meetings!

59% of workers feel less engaged in meetings due to the sheer number of corporate get-togethers each month. If you’ve noticed your team walking into the boardroom with slumped shoulders, yawning through the marketing update and looking barely conscious by the summary, it might be time to spice up the monthly company meeting.

You want the team to be excited about coming to the monthly staff meeting – and what gets people excited more than cocktails?!

In this article, we’re going to share our top six cocktail recipes which are both delicious and work-appropriate, so your team can look forward to the staff meeting and come skipping to the boardroom, geared up to take notes and down a couple of sweet treats.

#1. Sweet summer sangria

After a cocktail that can be made in bulk?

You’re going to love sangria! Sangria is a wine-based punch which originated in Spain but was popular in Greece and England. Made with red wine and sweet carbonated drinks like lemonade, sangria is the perfect cocktail to make in bulk and share amongst the team.

Serve up in large glass jugs with ice and summer fruits. Your team will be busting through the boardroom doors!

1 (750 ml) bottle red wine
1 litre lemonade
1 orange
2 limes
1 cup fresh pineapple – peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup cherries, pitted and halved

#2. Strawberry Pimms punch

Another bulk-cocktail solution, Pimms punch is the perfect summer cocktail for staff meetings.

For one, Pimms has a lower alcohol content than most cocktails. Second, Pimms punch is packed with strawberries, mixed summer fruits, cucumber and ice – there’s nothing more refreshing in a hot boardroom than a glass of Pimms!

500ml (2 cups) PIMM’S No. 1 Cup
750ml (3 cups) chilled dry ginger ale
750ml (3 cups) chilled lemonade\
8 cups ice cubes
1 punnet strawberries, thinly sliced
1 bunch fresh mint

#3. Turkish delight cocktails

It’s natural to wonder what’s for dessert after a corporate lunch. Rather than slipping into a food coma after sandwiches and tea, treat the team to some turkish delight cocktails!

An incredible mix of lollies, booze and class, turkish delight cocktails are a light alternative to dessert at the staff meeting. Make sure to finish the melted turkish delight with crushed pistachios and rose petals!

1 vanilla bean, split
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cranberry and pomegranate tea bags
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup finely chopped pistachio kernels (see notes)
1 lemon wedge
30g Turkish delight, cut into 1cm cubes
2 tablespoons dried rose tea flowers, plus extra, to serve (see notes)
1 cup vanilla vodka
3 cups chilled sparkling mineral water
1 1/2 tablespoons rosewater
1 pomegranate, seeds removed
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cups fresh mint sprigs
3 cups crushed ice

#4. Old fashioned cocktail

Okay, so turkish delight cocktails are a little complicated to make (as delicious as they are).

If you’re looking for something simpler and served in a crystal glass, you might want to consider an “old fashioned” cocktail. Made with bourbon, scotch or whiskey, “old fashioned” cocktails have few ingredients and pack a citrus punch with orange peels.

“Old fashioned” cocktails look great on boardroom tables… and they’ll make the marketing update look even better. Be warned, though – an “old fashioned” traditionally has two shots of spirits per serve, so you might want to limit the team to one each!

50ml Bourbon
2 teaspoons sugar
Dash of bitters
Slice of orange, to garnish
Maraschino cherry, to garnish
Ice

#5. Margaritas

Margaritas are another great choice for monthly company meetings. They can be made in bulk like Pimms punch and sangria, but have the added bonus of having a salt rim for an extra bite.

Set up a self-serve margarita stand complete with a tub of salt and slices of lime, then let the team help themselves throughout the session!

20g (1/4 cup) desiccated coconut
1 lime wedge
125ml (1/2 cup) fresh lime juice
80ml (1/3 cup) limoncello
80ml (1/3 cup) silver tequila
80ml (1/3 cup) Malibu coconut liqueur
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 egg white (leave this out for those with allergies)
2 cups crushed ice

#6. Raspberry, prosecco and mint cocktails

Looking for something with a bit of fizz to wake up the team? Consider making these sweet raspberry, prosecco and mint cocktails! The fresh berries and Italian champagne is sure to perk up the team, especially towards the end of your monthly company meeting.

Forget the 3PM snooze-fest with these exciting cocktails!

1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
125g punnet raspberries
1/4 cup (60ml) vodka
Handful mint leaves, half torn
Small pinch dried chilli flakes
1/2 cup (125ml) prosecco or Champagne

Did one of our cocktails catch your attention? Or how about the whole menu?

Cocktails are the perfect solution to long, boring corporate meetings. We all dread them and we spend far too much time per week at the boardroom table! Adding nibbles and cocktails will perk up the team tenfold – people will be exciting to come to the staff meeting and the team might actually pay attention!

Just make sure they don’t go too hard on the cocktails… otherwise they will be falling asleep all over again.

So, now you’ve got the cocktails, now you just need an eye-catching menu to make a good impression.

At McDonald Jones Stadium, we’ve got spacious, modern boardrooms complete with engaging, first class service from our team - We can provide the catering and the views of McDonald Jones Stadium.

Not bad for a corporate meeting - Get in touch with the team from McDonald Jones Stadium.

We’d love to host your monthly company meeting!