5 Tips for entertaining
Entertaining is “a gift of love, a demonstration that you care enough to give of your time and energy to others… Simple food, prepared carefully and presented beautifully, is the best idea.” – Party Book by Marjorie Reed
A good party has a mix of groups. Invite someone new.
Seat guests next to one person they know and one person they don’t.
Have background music. Choose something lively but not distracting.
Don’t go overboard with complicated décor. Beautiful tablescapes are lovely to look at, but are not all that welcoming. You want your guests to feel relaxed and at home.
Place candles everywhere, even in the bathrooms. Guests look better and feel happier in candlelight.
5 Tips for dinner
Buy what is in season for food and flowers
Don't try to make everything, in the words of Ina Garten “make two or three things and buy or assemble the rest”
Don't make things that are hard or messy to eat. You don't want guests with poppy seeds in their teeth to feel embarrassed later.
If you are serving family style, do not do it at the table. If people don't know each other it can often be uncomfortable asking for things to be passed to them. Set up a serving bar.
Everyone loves an adventure here and there but strive for brilliance in the basics when it comes to the menu.
5 Tips for drinks:
Serve your nicest wine first, then switch to the less dear later. The more wine people drink, the less they taste it.
Buy more to drink than you think you will need. Have more to offer to people who don’t drink than water.
Drinking at parties is kind of “mob mentality”– for the most part the first person to arrive and get a drink sets the tone. So if s/he has a margarita, the next person will say “Oh that looks good” and have one too. Prepare for this when you consider what you will serve.
Water: make sure you don’t skip water glasses for everyone.
Don't rely on your refrigerator ice maker. Either buy ice in advance, freeze some in trays, or have an ice machine
In general consider:
3 drinks per person at a cocktail party
2 drinks per person before dinner
3 glasses of wine per person at dinner
2 after dinner cocktails per person
With that being said, note:
1 bottle of wine = about 6 glasses
1 fifth of liquor = about 15 drinks
1 quart of alcoholic punch or cocktail = about 10 servings (4oz a glass)
1 dash = 6 drops
3 teaspoons = ½ oz
1 jigger = 1½ oz
1 oversized jigger = 2 ounces
“The Bar Minimum” - Bar Must Haves:
Vodka
Tequila
Whiskey: either Bourbon or Scotch
Soda and Tonic, I recommend Fever-Tree
Citrus
Bar Terms
On the Rocks – Liquor served over ice in a lowball glass. Note that a mixed drink (liquor + mixer) is served in a highball glass.
Up – Shaken over ice and poured into a martini glass
Neat – A poured measured shot into a glass, served at room temperature in a low ball
With a Twist – Use a peeler or sharp knife and take off a section of just the peel, no pith and no fruit. Face the skin side of the peel a few inches away from the drink and squeeze or twist it to release the oil. Can be done with any citrus.
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*Sharing my secrets: Inspiration for hosting elevated events
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