After hosting a little soirée in my tiny NYC apartment for all of my friends, I wanted to share my three ESSENTIALS for creating the perfect party atmosphere
MULTIPLE SPACES MULTIPLIES YOUR PLACES
I had several flat-surfaced areas like my main dining room table, a small coffee table, and the island of my kitchen to use as different “spaces”. Each space had separate foods and places to sit alongside the space. The coffee table held the main charcuterie board, my dining room table was set as the bar which included a pre-made cocktail and a variety of garnishes, and the island held sweets. I also made sure to put small snacks like cups of olives and bowls of strawberries all around the nooks and shelves of my apartment.
EASY AND BEAUTIFUL AND DELICIOUS BATCH COCKTAIL
I made my go-to crowd pleasing cocktail, which is light and refreshing and looks as good as it tastes.
I started by muddling ¼ cup of mint springs and throwing that into the bottom of a pitcher. Next I added 1.5 cups of spirits; I prefer vodka and I used the Valentine Small Batch Vodka from Valentine Distilling for its smooth taste. Valentine Distilling derives their vodka from a blend of corn, wheat, and barley and are one of the few distilleries in the world to craft vodka from a blend of grains.
Then I added 3 cups of sparkling water, chopped up 1 cup of cucumber rounds and added them into the pitcher along with two handfuls of blueberries. A squeeze of one whole lemon into the pitcher and the cocktail is done! I poured this cocktail into my Modo Glass from Fortessa Tableware Solutions for a luxe aesthetic, and garnished with a lemon.
I prefer my cocktails unsweetened, but for a sweeter take on this cocktail simple syrup can be added or replace the sparkling water with sparkling lemonade.
DIVINE SENSE
Your guests should have all five senses activated within 15 minutes of being at your soirée; taste, touch, view, sound, and smell. They should be able to have a taste of something delicious, kiss a friend on the cheek, see a space decorated with purpose, hear buzzing from conversation, and in my opinion the most important sense; to smell something lovely – every party must have a scent! I chose to have the English Garden Scented Soy Candle from Fernweh lit upon the arrival of my guests. My guests were greeted with the lovely scents of gentle floral notes of lilac, rose, and jasmine.
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