We had our “I guess it’s now an annual tradition” create your own cocktail party this weekend and it was festive. Like, Mariah Carey festive.
The premise of a create your own cocktail party is that guests bring everything they need to make their drink of choice, as far as ingredients go. As the host, I provide the ice, the glassware (martini, cosmo, champagne flute, champagne coupe, hi ball, shot glasses etc.), shakers, and various tools of the mixology trade.
The cocktails should be festive, swanky, and delicious. Ergo, survivalist drinks that remind oneself of university days gone by such as the spleen-tormenting vodka cran, should be avoided at all costs.
If things go well, everyone will show off their mad shaker skillz, concoct something amazing, and…share!
Here’s Robert’s take on MY favourite drink – ‘The Last Mechanical Art”. In order to justify the fact that he had hijacked MY favourite drink, he renamed it “The Last Mechanical Science”. The crucial ingredients in here are mezcal, Campari, cynar, and vermouth. Boozy as heck, just the way I like it.
Boozy or bubbly. I can easily roll my cocktail caravan in either direction. I made a classic champagne cocktail with angostura bitters soaked sugar cubes, and then I tried one I’d never made before.
The name is lacking in glitter and swank, but nevertheless! With two forms of rhubarb (including the bitters) and two of elderflower (one being the St. Germain), this was highly festive! My only advice to you is to ensure that you do not accidentally confuse the St. Germain with the rhubarb bitters. GAH.
Don’t forget to have on offer a crapload of food or your guests may end up, as my young adult daughter tells me, turnt.
Naked vanilla cake from The Art of Cake. Soooo light and yum.
Absolutely stunning sugar cookies from Milk and Cookies Bakeshop. Oh my gosh. These were not only beautiful, they were also super delicious. Highly recommend!
I also ordered individually packaged sugar cookies in the shape of champagne coupes as guest favours and they were so lovely!
Guests brought a plethora of cocktail fixins – from Canadian Club to Moet & Chandon.
Of course, my true love, St. Germain himself, HAD to attend. He is truly the most sinful saint I know.
I am always a stickler for lighting and festive touches. Oh, how I TRIED to get my POP FIZZ CLINK idea going. It didn’t turn out to be the greatest ever. Lack of wall space and…
deflated N in CLINK, which Lord Andrew is handily hiding. Sigh.
No matter how cozy,
no matter how festive,
no matter how many dogs need petting,
people always end up in the kitchen.
In order to facilitate this, it’s important to include a guest list that is both diverse and festive. A mix of personalities and stories is vital in avoiding the dreaded AWKWARD LULL or worse, the dreaded HOSTESS LEFT HER OWN PARTY TO GO TO KARAOKE.
Here we have new soulmates, Chris and Kris. Chris has helped me avoid the pain and torture of Hades itself and in a different manner, so has Kris!
A renowned triathlete and styler of dapper hats attended.
Suzanne is an aspiring sugar cookie model.
Kris is flanked by, on the left, a rockstar, and on the right, an expert on rare and antique water heating systems that involve important valves.
No romances blossomed, but there WERE bromances galore.
And appearances by nobility in wearable works of esoteric art.
Scottish clan chiefs cheersed Russian dukes (and my Russian language advisor). Nazdarovya!
This was the only way I was getting a pic of me until someone took pity on me.
My swanky outfit actually turned out to be kind of Aunt Shirl-ish.
And then…..
the aftermath.
Ugh. Abhore cleaning up.
Thank goodness I have a husband who has certain obsessive tendencies when it comes to cleaning. I’ll leave him to it.
Love to you all! And goodnight!
