How to Create Your Own Signature Cocktail Recipe

If you're a daily reader of Celebrations.com, you know how much we love our cocktails. No party, special occasion or holiday is complete without a signature sip that embodies exactly what we're celebrating.

While the idea of creating a signature cocktail recipe on your own might seem intimidating, it's actually easier to do than you think. Celebrations.com Cocktail Experts Tracey Toomey and Leanne Shear have a few helpful tips and tricks up their sleeve to help you along.

When mixing up your own party potion, keep these helpful hints handy. You'll find it a lot easier to make a drink recipe that's all about your celebration super simple!

1. What kind of drink do you prefer? Look for ways to put a creative twist on it.

Does carbonation appeal to you? The subtle bubbly sweetness of a St. Germain cocktail blows a boring old vodka-and-club-soda away.

Are you typically a wine drinker? Maybe a delicious sangria will appeal to you. Do you like juices in your cocktails? A pomegranate martini might be just the thing for you.

2. The next step in choosing a signature drink is pairing flavors.

An easy rule of thumb is that you should avoid pairing two very strong flavors because they have a tendency of drowning each other out.

For example, though the standard is to pair tequila with heavy lime and orange juices to make a margarita, we prefer the much more delicate flavors of mixing high-end tequila on ice with a few squeezes of a lime and some club soda.

Also, if you're going to use fruit juices or other mixers, stick with one. Use Pomegranate juice in that martini, along with the subtle addition of citrus-flavored vodka, rather than any other juices.

3. Finally, and most importantly, whatever you like is what you should drink, but don't just keep your taste buds in mind!

You've heard the saying you eat with your eyes first? The rule for food is the same when it comes to special cocktails.

Don't just pour your signature sip into a boring old glass. Consider the colors, layers and other complexities of the cocktail you're making and show it off! You can use a martini glass even if you're not spiking a sip with vodka.

Get clever with how you garnish your drink, too. Don't just plop a lime wedge into your glass - get crazy! We've garnished drinks with everything from melons wrapped in bacon to mini s'mores on a stick.

And always, always keep in mind -- enjoyment and fun are the easiest rules to remember in making a signature drink!

*Image above of Coryanne Ettiene's Jolly Green Rancher cocktail. Get the recipe!