Mad Men junkies . . 2 hour premier tonight ! Are you ready to host your cocktail / dinner party 1960's style?
In the spirit . . .
Tips on Throwing a Man Men Style Diner Party . . .
1. Know your cocktails and devil your eggs.
2. Know your attire.
3. Polish your mother's silver.
Now . . I am not quite old enough to have attended such routine events, but I remember the prep work, then being sent to bed in my footy pj's. It was my Mother and Grandmother's hey-day. Both "stylish, event perfectionists. " The hors d'oeuvres were abundant, delicately placed on an excess of wedding present silver trays and 3-tier serving pieces. There was, of course, a stocked bar usually to the side .. on wheels - and funny, my Mom reminded me, the lack of wine back then.. only making a prevalent appearance in the 70's. It was all about the scotch and martini's, gimlets and "punch."
So, making a comeback . . the stylish bar.
Great storage bar chest and carts available at Lucy and Company
and a little vintage barware . . . it's out there in abundance at your local "junk" store. I use the term lightly as I live for "junk" stores.
My Charlotte connection for old glassware . . . Sleepy Poet, South Boulevard . .
Then there was the food . . . I love the deviled eggs served on an old ash tray . . . perfect.
Remember this . .
It's one of those dishes that was all the rage and which I do remember, but then all of a sudden, like everything else, poof, it was gone. I say we bring it back, along with the cold shrimp, stuffed celery and ambrosia - for the ladies that lunch or a sunday afternoon brunch. . but let's bring it back Rainbow Style - circa 2012 . .
Very Chic and courtesy of Lagusta . . and includes tomato powder, smoked Kauai guava wood sea salt, tomato essence and basil.
Also not your mother's Ambrosia . . .
recipe and picture courtesy of Whole Foods Market
I live in Plaza Midwood, a neighborhood in Charlotte known for it's oddities - odd stores, odd (but amazing) restaurants, odd people (including moi) . . We have all sorts of vintage clothing stores, furniture finds and restaurants with character . . (if you haven't been to the Diamond . . you are missing out..) Hong Kong Vintage is one of my favorites when it comes to mid-century goodies . . . perfect place to find your cocktail dress !
I am a silver junkie . . . have it, use it, love it, got gobs of it from Mom when she got sick of cleaning it. Tip - get yourself a good looking Silver Storage box for the flatware, and store all the serving trays in good ole ziploc baggies !!!
Sterling not your thing. . . I was recently in
Crate and Barrel and they had a great selectional of stainless
Mesa $24.95
Kyoto $39.95
For the perfect Dinner Party . . . dress the table with, of course, a white table cloth, and pull out the silver serving trays and "coffee" servers. To this day I (may loose the white table cloth) love pulling out the silver and coffee set I love . . .
Heavily ornate - not so much, but sleek and simple.
and a good decanter and ice bucket a must (these too are available through us)
and in closing . . .
The cocktail napkin . . .
all available on Etsy
Let's bring cocktail hour attire and decor back !
photo courtesy of flickr
Can't wait . . . 9:00
- Beth
