Does the mere thought of
inviting a couple dozen people over for
cocktails on your tab make you want to
crawl under the covers and hide? Don’t
despair – in the true spirit of the
holidays and ETFOFW, we’re going
to show you how to throw a cocktail soiree
that’s elegant, not extravagant.
First of all, get over your
sublimated (thus far) desire to really
be Martha Stewart and have everything
be just so professional. This is your
party, after all. Make it reflect your
personality and don’t worry about
your (and my) rather dubious abilities
to pipe shrimp mousse into individual
snow peas.
Second, remember this is
a small party. This gives you the ability
to concentrate on quality over quantity
and put together an imaginative elegant
"gift" to a couple of dozen
friends, without breaking the bank. The
trick here is to touch all the bases with
a sense of measured elegance.
Finally, don’t underestimate
the power of good manners and a bit of
charm in the presentation. Invitations,
party favors, attractive linens –
these things will go a long way toward
creating the kind of atmosphere you’re
looking for! With some careful planning
and shopping, you can come in at around
$20 per person, including the wine, so
around $480 for 24 people. Here’s
what to do:
Repeat after me. "This is not dinner."
"This is not dinner." It’s
a COCKTAIL party. Light, tasty foods that
are easy to handle are the goal here.
For the price and the effect, it’s
just hard to beat a pâté or a seafood
"butter." If you’ve never
made a chicken liver based pâté, you’ll
be amazed at just how easy it is. Here’s
one of our favorite
recipes. A seafood "butter"
is another consistent winner. Take about
a cup of freshly cooked and chilled shrimp
(lobster is a really good choice, too!)
and two sticks of good quality butter
and place it all in a food processor.
Process it until the mixture forms a paste
and then add your seasonings. We tend
to like a bit of curry powder or fresh
herbs (thyme is particularly nice), salt
and pepper. Pack it into small porcelain
terrines or other serving cups and chill.
When ready to serve, top each cup with
a spoonful of red salmon roe or black
caviar. Serve either the pate or seafood
butter with toast points or good quality
crackers.
An assortment of cheese
cookies are a terrific addition to your
party. You can make the dough ahead of
time, then slice and bake on the day of
your party. For one roll (about 2 dozen
cookies), use one stick of butter, one
cup of flour, one egg yolk, ¼ cup crumbled
Roquefort or grated Parmesan cheese, a
dash of salt, and freshly ground black
pepper. Mix to a dough in a food processor,
then roll up into a log one-inch in diameter.
Wrap in waxed paper and chill. Get creative
with the cheeses and spices! Add nutmeg
or curry or red pepper flakes. Make several
differently flavored logs, each with its
own flavor. To bake, slice thinly and
place on a baking sheet. Bake at 325F
for a few minutes, until just beginning
to color around the edges.
Put out a couple of bowls
of good quality olives that have been
jazzed up in your kitchen. Green picholine
olives are fantastic tossed with a little
olive oil and a pinch of cayenne. Nicoise
black olives perk up nicely with fennel
seeds added to the oil. Be sure to provide
small side bowls for the pits!
Get festive with champagne kirs and sherries.
Pick up a few bottles of non vintage sparkling
wine like Domaine Chandon, Domaine Ste.
Michelle, or Gloria Ferrer. You’ll
want a bunch of bottles – up to two
cases (this is going to be your biggest
expense!). Also buy several fruit flavored
liqueurs to tint and flavor the sparkling
wine. Fromboise, Crème de Casses, and
many others are widely available and not
terribly expensive. You’ll only need
a splash of the liqueur in the bottom
of each flute – this gives guests
a choice of drinks without a lot of bartending
effort!
For a non-sparkling choice,
we love the idea of good cocktail sherries,
slightly chilled. Select a dry fino, a
light manzanilla, a dry oloroso, and an
amontillado.
Don’t forget about
serving chilled sparkling water for the
non-drinkers. Eight bottles ought to do
the trick.
Invitations make the event
more special from the start. Pick out
vintage postcards and send them out in
envelopes. Or hand print a stack of nice,
blank note cards. Don’t be afraid
to ask people to dress up or have a theme!
Fresh flowers make a wonderful
statement, for less money than you might
think. Try a trick my mother taught me
– pick one color and stick with it.
Groups of all white (or all red, etc.)
flowers make more of a statement than
a hodgepodge mix of stems – especially
when money is an issue. For example, a
large bunch of white hydrangeas cut to
clear the top of a large vase, and then
topped with a dozen or so white spray
roses looks like a profusion of white
long-stemmed roses!
Iron those linens. Use your
"best" silver or flatware, polish
those brass trays. Have at least two "stations"
of food and drink.
Most of all, relax! Most
of this party can be done ahead of time,
leaving you time to take a hot shower
before your guests arrive. Have a drink.
Put on some music. By the time the doorbell
rings, you’ll be having as much fun
as any of your guests!
To everyone who has sent us an ETFOFW
suggestion -- you rock! As for the rest
of you, what's the dealio? Let us know
about your favorite ETFOFW. Just drop
us a line at editor@wineskinny.com.
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