The Ultimate Festive Checklist To Stock Up On This Season
With the festive season approaching fast, it’s time to don the home hosting cap and come up with interesting themed gathering ideas that would be the talk of the town! And what a home host can curate for such parties is a couple of interesting festive cocktails, complementary food pairings, some festive party favours, and a home bar set-up for blending drinks, among other things. But putting all this together means one or the other thing might just be left out or forgotten in the party planning scramble.
Fret not, here is an ultimate festive checklist: complete with everything from spirits and mixers to gifting essentials and food combinations that you can cross-check your arrangements with the next time you are hosting a gathering at home. This guide will come in handy before you start planning the party, too, so you can make your own customised list, complete with all the different categories personalised only to the specific items you would need to put the gathering together.
Here’s your ultimate festive checklist — take a look and stock up on all the essentials required to put together a party this season:
Spirit And Mixer Line-Up For Festive Cocktails
Think cocktails that are bright, fresh, and appropriately luxe while hosting a festive gathering. Go for spirits like a good quality smooth blended whisky, a robust single malt, a citrus-forward gin, or a fruit-flavoured vodka for building versatile cocktails. Another great option to cut down on time, while also imparting an Indian touch is to explore flavoured spirits such as Smirnoff Minty Jamun, Mirchi Mango and Zesty Lime or other flavoured vodkas that help build interesting cocktail variations.
As for mixers, find interesting flavour accents including:
– sparkling mixers like soda water, tonic water, ginger ale
– still mixers like fresh fruit juices (orange, cranberry, pineapple), coconut water, chilled infused water
– colourful festive flourishes like grenadine syrup, maple-cinnamon syrup, saffron-infused honey for building luxe touches in signature cocktails
Fresh Garnishes And Seasonal Flavours
What would accentuate the signature house blends curated specifically for the festive season are garnishes and accents that brighten up cocktails. Think citrus like lemons, limes, and oranges for zesting and wedge garnishes. Fresh herbs like mint, rosemary, and thyme for adding a savoury effect into drinks and seasonal touches in the form of cranberries, pomegranate seeds, cinnamon sticks, and star anise that would build luxury and depth into festive cocktails.
Also Read: The Ultimate Guide to Indian Festive Platters: 5 Tips and Ideas for Every Celebration
Complementary Food Pairings
What would perfectly complement these festive cocktails are snacks and food pairings, including spiced nuts, chips, and assorted dips as bar munchies. Festive bites like chaklis and mathris, and even sweet bites such as chocolate truffles and ladoos, can also be part of the appetiser roster. Along with this, main course dishes and appetisers can include spicy tikkas marinated in vibrant masalas, biryani alternatives, and some delectable curries paired with rotis and naan. These sumptuous offerings would pair well with different cocktails, complete with slightly spicy, fruity, and citrusy flavours.
Festive Gift Hampers
What is a festive party without some gift hampers for guests to take home? Customised gift hampers, including festive glassware engraved with the date of the party, a DIY cocktail kit, artisanal gin coupled with customised chocolates, or gourmet syrup,s can be among the items to plan for while curating the festive gift hamper.
The Festive Home Bar
And one of the more interesting elements at such a gathering would be a home bar set-up where you can turn mixologist and curate festive drinks. Stock up on glassware like a rocks glass, a highball glass and a coupé and decorate the bar with twinkling lights and themed napkins that spell festivities. Also curate a playlist that would set the tone of the party and pair this vibe with a signature house cocktail complete with the festive flair.
Key Takeaways:
Planning a festive party? Here’s the checklist you would need:
– Spirits And Mixers: Gin, rum, vodka, tequila and whisky to craft cocktails containing 30 ml spirit per serve.
– Festive Munchies And Meals: Chaklis, mathris, chocolate truffles, tikkas and biryanis galore.
– Festive Gift Hampers: DIY cocktail kits, customised glassware and more.
– Home Bar Set-Up: Complete with a festive themed decor, a house cocktail and a festive playlist.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
