‘Tis the season for entertaining!
The holidays are a time for getting to spend quality time with friends and family, reflect on the end of yet another year, and celebrate new beginnings. For some people, that means a lot of relaxing and sitting by a fire, but for many of us, it means hosting duties are on full blast.
Regardless of whether you’re a seasoned holiday party planner or are trying your hand at it for the first time, there’s no denying that hosting can have its fair share of headaches. Between guest lists, decor, menu planning, entertainment… you get it. There’s a lot to be done, and seemingly very little time to do it.
For us, hosting is an aspect of the holiday season that we love (and love to hate), but it also means that we’re seasoned pros on the topic. After planning all the food, decor, entertainment… (see above) drinks often fall to the wayside, meaning that a few bottles of wine and some sparkling grape juice are as creative as it gets.
It may seem like a minute detail, but taking the extra step to have your libations match your party’s holiday spirit is like the cherry on top of a dark chocolate peppermint cake — the ultimate finishing touch. Below are some of our favorite festive ideas to help you cut down on some of that planning time (to make way for some of that relaxing time!)
Festive Shooters
Sweet, delicious, and a little dangerous, holiday shooters are perfect for keeping things playful at your get together. Mix a few large batches before people arrive for easy re-fills and serve shooters on your favorite platters (like passed appetizers, but boozy!)
Suggested recipes:
Cotton Candy Milkshake Shooters
A Martini for Everyone
Does anything feel fancier than sipping a cocktail out of a classic martini glass? Probably, but a good martini can be the difference between a good party and a great one (don’t quote us on that.) The best thing about martinis is that they can be as simple or as intricate as you want them to be. Keep a few shakers on hand to keep the mixing process going seamlessly!
Suggested recipes:
White Chocolate Peppermint Martini
Everyone loves a drink station
photo credit: darcymillerdesigns.com
We love a good DIY cocktail bar. They keep people occupied, give them the option to choose what goes into their drink, and, most importantly, take the bartender duties away from the host/hostess. Everybody wins!
No matter what you’re celebrating, champagne tends to be synonymous with all of the end of the year holidays. As the bubbly flows freely, sometimes guests could use the reminder that a holiday soiree is a marathon – not a race. Queue the party MVP: spritzers! Spritzers are a fun, fruity way to enjoy holiday bubbles without going overboard. Make a DIY spritzer bar for guests to play mixologist and craft their sparkling drinks of choice!
Here’s what you need:
- Champagne
- Sparkling white grape juice (if you have kiddos and guests who don’t drink)
- seltzer water
- 4-6 flavoring oils of choice (pick flavors that could complement each other if mixed)
- garnish (fruits, sprigs of herbs, edible flowers, candy, anything to jazz up a glass!)
- airtight bottles – we like to use these
The setup:
Divide seltzer water between your airtight bottles, adding one flavor per bottle. Put out some suggested flavor combinations to get your guests’ creative juices flowing and watch the cocktail station come alive!
Cheers and happy entertaining!
