“Summertime
And the living is easy
Fish are jumping
The cotton is high…”
When George Gershwin penned those words so many years ago, do you suppose he knew we’d still appreciate them today?
Summertime is all about living with ease and simplicity, particularly when we entertain. It is hot, backyards and pools call out to us and the last thing we want is to be tied down to a stuffy kitchen.
Make things easy on yourself when you entertain by making it easy for your guests to self-serve.
One really simple thing you can do is create an outdoor beverage station.
Start with the one thing you will need in outrageously plentiful amounts – ice. I can’t stress this enough, but have twice as much ice as you think you will need. Running out of ice is like a death sentence to your gathering. No one wants to sit around and drink luke-warm or hot beverages when it is 90 degrees outside. So buy ice, lots of it!
Have a party bucket or container that you can fill with ice and put in individual-sized bottles, like pop, water or juice, or keep larger bottles chilled.
For a pre-mixed beverage, serve it in a pretty glass beverage server so guests can see of what delicious drink they are about to partake.
Always, always, always have water available. Serve it in icy cold pitchers or have individual bottles, but make sure you have it out and available.
Set up an area at the station with glasses. If you have a variety of different drinks that require a variety of glasses, set the glassware next to the beverage. If it is one-size-fits-all, place all glasses together. Offer charms or cute little stickers to put on glasses so each person’s glass is easily identified.
A tray set with fun little extras like fruit or olive accents on picks, little umbrellas, swizzle sticks and more can add a fun finish to most any beverage.
Remember to relax and have fun and connect with your guests. That is what savvy entertaining is truly all about!
Happy Entertaining!
Shanna
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