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copyright ©1999-2003
DigsMagazine.com.
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get
swanky
how to throw a swingin'
cocktail party: part II, planning food and drink
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continued from page 2
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In addition to the finger
foods and dips, you can further round out your munchie offerings with
bowls and platters of quick,
low-effort bites like nuts, olives, and cubed
cheese (spear the latter two with toothpicks). Make your own
roasted nuts and marinated olives ahead of time, or take the easy way
out and buy them ready-made.
marinated
black olives
8 oz. unpitted black
olives
3 fat cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
one small dried red chili pepper
¼ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp. dried basil
1 Tbsp. sweet paprika
10 black peppercorns
1 Tbsp fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried)
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Combine all the ingredients in
a mason jar (old spaghetti jar works fine), then add enough water to
completely cover the olives with marinade. Close the jar, give it all a
good shake, and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least a few days,
up to a few weeks. Bring the olives to room temp before serving.
how to play
bartender and
enjoy
your party too |
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Presented with a fully-stocked liquor cabinet, your average quasi-adult
will generally freeze in the face of so many options, so dazzled by the
possibilities that s/he will have a tendency to reach for the one thing
that seems most familiar. This, nine times out of time, will involve
tonic water and either vodka or gin. It took me quite a few parties to
realize that if I wanted to actually use all those pretty cocktail
glasses of mine, I was going to have to play bartender myself, because
the self-serve full bar alone just wasn’t working.
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what to stock at the
self-serve bar
fresh ice (pick up a few bags at the store to avoid running out)
cutting board
paring knife
lime
lemon
tequila
salt
tonic water
gin
vodka
assorted soda and juice for non-drinkers, and anyone who wants to get a
bit fancier – cranberry juice, orange juice, ginger ale and cola are
good choices
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Of course, setting up a
self-serve area is a smashing idea, as there are a wide array of very
simple drinks that most people can make for themselves just fine. But if
you want to up the swank factor, you’re going to have to add a little
work at the bar to your list of host/ess duties.
keep
on moseying for more
--------------------------->
lounge . nourish
.
host . laze
. home .
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