Cocktail Party Fun

On Sunday, I decided to try throwing a mini-cocktail party: small glasses and only 3 guests, plus a greyhound. The dog, not the drink. Hah.

Possibly my first solo cocktail party ever. Excitement! The thrift store afforded me assorted cocktail glasses and bar utensils for about $1 per item, on average. I bought a less expensive bottle of rye, a bottle of dry gin, St. Germaine in mini, a variety of citrus fruits, and a quartet of fancy flavored sodas: grapefruit, tangerine, vanilla creme, and ginger.

I cleaned up around the house, shined glass surfaces and drinking vessels, and wrote out a "cocktail menu" for my guests. I prepared my "bar" on the kitchen counter, and pre-sliced all my citrus garnishes. In a fog of Let's Play Pretend delight, I refilled my ice trays.

If I had really thought ahead, I would have worn my white bow-tie, too.

Guests arrived bearing hot pizza, a jar of maraschino cherry garnishes, and boardgames, plus a giant ecstatic greyhound. Dog treats were exchanged. Then I took my first cocktail orders: an Old-Fashioned, a Manhattan, and an Elder Collins. Chop-chop.

Lacking a jigger measure, I made all my drinks quite strong. But tasty! The cherries were not as unpleasant as I had imagined. I was pleased to put the Collins in a Collins glass, the Manhattan in a cute cocktail glass, and the Old-Fashioned in...yes, you get it.

My decanting strainer thingie performed very well. I got it for a dollar! As a matched set of utensils! How I enjoy that.

Running out of fizzy Jamaican Lemonade, I improvised the next Collins: fancy tangerine soda, lime juice, elderflower, and gin. A hit. Hilarity and boardgames followed.

I see fancifully flavored sugar syrup, bison-grass vodka, and sparkling apple cider in my future.