Seasonal celebrations are so much fun to create! Some of the easiest are good old fashioned cocktail parties! Right now, with todayโs Vernal Equinox , Springtime IS more than a twinkle in Mother Natureโs eye, everything is beginning to bud and bloom and it's a perfect excuse to get outside and play! So many people I know still find entertaining intimidating, so I'd love to give you a few suggestions for making your next springtime cocktail party easy and fun!
First of all....Keep it simple! You don't need a full bar to throw an amazing party, you need one signature drink like a seasonally flavored martini, made of gin or vodka and laced with cucumber and mint, an aperitif like a Negroni or Aperol Spritz , red and white wine and a champagne cocktail or punch!
Donโt forget to have a fabulous mocktail for your guests. One of my new favorites is a mixture of tonic, honey syrup flavored with lemongrass and spearmint with a few drops of lavender bitters. You can make a version of this with any syrup, but my honey syrup is really easy to make. Just take 2 cups of boiling water and add 4 of your favorite herbal tea bags and a cup of honey. Let the tea steep for at least ten minutes and stir it all together. To make your drink just pour the tonic into a tall glass and stir in about 3 tablespoons of the syrup. Add ice and a gorgeous garnish! For this drink I love to add some blue berries, a lemon twist and a sprig of fresh spearmint. This is really so good that even your guests that drink alcohol will want to try it!
If you have a punch bowl sitting around in your attic, get it ready to use it! I've found that people still love a festive punch and one of the benefits of making one for a party like this is that it is a very easy and affordable way to serve a crowd of thirsty people! Making a delicious punch is really easy to do and hereโs my favorite recipe. Please feel free to change it up in any way you see fit. I start with a base of chilled champagne or Prosecco and a bottle of peach nectar, approximately two bottles of sparkling wine to one bottle of juice. Pour the bottles of sparkling wine into the punch bowl along with the nectar. Then I add quite a few shots of peach schnapps and Blackberry brandy and stir. I do this to taste. You donโt want to make it too strong, just strong enough. The last think I add to this is a cup of spearmint simple syrup that you can make easily by steeping about 8 handfuls of fresh spearmint in a quart size mason jar filled with boiling water and 3 cups of sugar. Strain the syrup after youโve chilled it and add it to the punch. Itโs just enough mint flavor to blend well with the blackberry and peach schnapps.
Now for the prettiest part. Take an old-fashioned ring mold , like your mothers and grandmothers used for jelled salads and fill it with a little bit of water mixed with fruit juice (white grape always works well!) and add all kinds of berries, edible flower and herbs. Put it into the freezer and let it set until partially frozen. At this time add more berries, fruits and herbs and more water to the top. Freeze completely. I tend to really load up on the fruit because as it melts it's just so pretty! At the time of serving, put the mold in a bit of hot water to loosen it and put the ring in the punch bowl. This is just beautiful and so easy to make!
The foods for a spring themed party are really very simple to create. Bruschetta, a simple Italian treat of small rounds of toast brushed with a touch of olive oil and garlic and topped with so many different variations is so easy to make. You can top Bruschetta with fresh mushroom pateโ or a mixture of creamy burrata cheese, pesto and micro-greens. You can make salad of shrimp, tomatoes, garlic and basil! What about topping the bread with thin slices of brie, fig jam and fresh basil? Thinly sliced cucumber, cream cheese, borage flowers and dill? Once you begin creating the possibilities are as endless as what is sitting in your refrigerator.
Also, because fresh asparagus is the very essence of springtime, you could easily steam some fresh spears, wrap them with fresh rosemary ham or porchetta, drizzle them with a bit of fine olive oil and parmesan. Put them under the broiler for about five minutes and serve. Another easy appetizer is a baby redskin or Yukon gold potato steamed and sliced in half with each half topped with a piece of smoked trout , some fresh dill and a dab of mascarpone cheese.
Deviled eggs are delicious and have made a really strong comeback over the last few years. Everyone has their own favorite recipe, but hereโs mine. Hard boil a dozen eggs, let them cool and cut them in half. Scoop the yolks into a bowl and add a bit of mustard, some curry powder, minced fresh chives, minced lemon balm, a handful of currants and some mayonnaise. mix with two forks until really smooth. Do this to taste and then fill the egg whites with it. One of the things I love to do for Easter is pickle the eggs in red beets first before I slice them so that the egg whites are purple. Once youโve filled the egg whites, put all of the deviled eggs on a lovely tray and top them with edible viola flowers. Set them out and wait for the compliments to begin!
Also, I usually make one larger thing, like a roasted pork tenderloin to slice and serve alongside of the cheese platter. This way, those who are craving something a bit more substantial are happy. Simply place a pork tenderloin in a roasting dish and cover it with salt , pepper, sliced onions and a can of sliced peaches in lite syrup. Bake according to your butcherโs directions, let cool and then slice it thin. Arrange the tenderloin on a platter of fresh arugula and rosemary and serve it with small sliced rolls, and a side sauce of honey mustard mixed with a bit of smoked chipotle pepper and mayonnaise.ย
To round everything out I make a simple charcuterie platter with fresh cheeses, nuts, dried fruits, grapes, apples, pears, fresh herbs, simple sausages and some fresh French bread rounds. Don't forget to have gluten free crackers available for those who can't eat wheat!
Make sure that you have enough cocktail napkins for everyone, and these days cloth ones are so easy to find. I love these wonderful printed cocktail napkins or if you can sew itโs really easy to make your own. Once you have cloth napkins, youโll have them forever. I still have all of my mothers and I use them regularly, saving lots of money and trees! I think that it would make her smile to see that her traditional ways have come back into style.
I always would prefer to use real plates for the food and glass for the drinkware. If you can find pretty melamine plates, they are worth the initial investment and they will serve you well for many years , but this is also a great time to break out your grandmothers or motherโs porcelain salad plates and crystal glasses that have been sitting unused in your basement for years. Donโt forget that if youโre serving any kind of soup, nothing is better for that than an old teacup!
You can find great stuff in vintage stores or just raid your motherโs attic. People really appreciate that small and elegant touch, especially right now when itโs been so long since weโve really had any opportunity for real celebration. As a side note, I've suggested finger food that really needs no cutlery, but you should have some forks and knives available just in case. The most important thing? Absolutely nothing needs to match! Mixing and matching beautiful colors and patterns is just a joy. I donโt think that Iโve set a truly formal table in years. Itโs not that the pieces I use arenโt formal, many of them are. I just like to lighten them up and make them more approachable. It gives beautiful old pieces of silver and porcelain a new life to use them this way, and itโs great for the planet as well. Your grandmaโs dishes are the ultimate recyclables.
Keep the flowers simple. A monochromatic arrangement in the French style is very pretty for this sort of party and very easy to create. Choose a color and work with several different flowers in the same color family. Keep the arrangement simple , compact and sophisticated and perhaps tie the bouquet with beautiful cloth ribbon. You could also arrange your flowers in a pretty basket, such a nice look for spring. You could simply gather up flowers and place them loosely in colored mason jars for a less formal look. Either way your flowers will accentuate your setting but not dominate, leaving the food that you've so lovingly prepared to be the star!ย
Then set everything up on a pretty patio table and make sure that your playlist is ready and plugged into some speakers that you've strategically placed outside. How about a little Gershwin....nothing sets the mood in the springtime like Gershwin!
If you have young children, let them pass the finger foods to your guests for a special touch, I discovered a long time ago that young kids do this well and it gives them a chance to interact with adults in a way that is structured and happy.
Then get ready! Self-care for the hostess is the most important part of staging a great party. Take a warm bath or shower, spray some delightful perfume and put on a terrific outfit. If you love lipstick, wear it! Youโre a really important party of making the night wonderful. My mother used to say that taking the time to relax and dress before a party was a way to really honor her guests, to let them know how much she valued their friendship and time. She didnโt want to be harried while they arrived, she wanted to feel relaxed and beautiful. Old fashioned maybe, but I still believe in that kind of etiquette. Put more simply? The most important thing is to enjoy yourself and your guests! I know that if Iโm having a good time, my guests will be too!
Now that you have everything set and ready, light the candles, place the flowers on the table and get ready to enjoy yourself. At this point, it's all done and youโre about to have a blast! Clean-up is the easy part!
Write me and share some of your favorite recipes and above all else....Have fun!
Happy Spring!
The Mocktail Picture isnโt mine, but I have no idea who to attribute it to! The outdoor tablesetting is from unsplash.