A Weekend's Worth Of Cocktail Party Ideas

Catch up with friends over homemade beer from Brooklyn Brew Shop’s amazingly easy DIY beer kits. 

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: Brooklyn Brew Shop)

Kors d’Oeuvres is a line of dips and spreads handmade by Korey Provencher. The Brooklyn punster whips up creamy concoctions like white bean and roasted olive; and roasted pumpkin, butternut squash, and goat cheese.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: Kors d'Oeuvres)

A clever alternative to awkward hors d’oeuvring, Handful of Plates fits securely in the palm of the hand. Easy to hold and maneuver, the curved dishes allow mingling without spillage and come in sets of three with different designs and bends.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: Greenergrassdesign)

We love the party-time feeling of DFC’s folding fruits — gigantic handmade paper decorations reminiscent of fiestas, David LaChapelle photo shoots, and taqueria ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: Marco Ovando / Courtesy of DFC)

With its all-natural libations made with real fruit juices and pure grain spirits, the British brand West Eleven Cocktails is giving the common bevvie a stylish makeover. All are ready-mixed; drink chilled from the bottle or pour over ice.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: Rob Lawson / Courtesy of West Eleven Cocktails)

We’ve really melted for Névé Ice, hand-cut cubes made for improved imbibing. The size, shape, unique H2O formulation, and top-secret freezing temps add up to chillers that keep cocktails cold without watering them down.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: Sidney McMullen / Courtesy of Névé Ice)

Couture adult versions (not in a perverted way) of the party game usually reserved for kiddies, Confettisystem pinatas are geometrically shaped, covered in either Mylar (metallic silver, gold) or tissue paper (gray, cantaloupe), and hang from a black sash cord.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: AMC)

Occasion: Saturday night wine and cheese party.
Why: Sophistication is your middle name.
Where: Your friend’s grown-up apartment.
How: Research the perfect pairings online, add a spread of gourmet hors d’oeuvres, and prepare your wittiest conversation starters.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: AMC)

Greg Fischer, owner of Chicago’s Wild Blossom Meadery & Winery, crafts ecofriendly mead from honey harvested via beehives on the city’s rooftops and lakefront. Varietals include hibiscus, pom nectar, hot apple cin, wild organic mulberry, raspberry peach, blueberry, and coffee.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: John Morgan / Flickr)

The swanky goblets from Silodesign are thin and lightweight with hollow stems that create the illusion of floating liquid. They’re made in part with silicone and have a double-walled design that keeps wine chilled longer than a normal glass would. Serve them at your next soiree, and guests will do double takes when you pour.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: Unicahome)

Candle No. 1 looks like a traditional candle and an ornate candleholder, but it’s actually an all-in-one piece made of molded wax. Use it to add a little humor (and a shot of hip) to a regulation china-silver-crystal table setting.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: Charles & Marie)

Still putting peonies in pop cans and pate on paper plates? Get a dose of grown-up with Up in the Air Somewhere ceramics, functional home designs made by Susan Dwyer. 

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: Ben Syverson / Courtesy of Up in the Air Somewhere)

Secret Stash Sea Salts take on multiple flavors, including pineapple cumin chili, nicoise olive, vanilla, or coconut garam masala. Use them to season salads and hors d’oeuvres or for other culinary experimentation.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: Harley Lever / Courtesy of Secret Stash Sea Salts)

Sandra Jordan’s line of serving pieces (which are totally affordable) are rustic yet stunning and sure to evoke oohs and ahhs at the table. 

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: Sandra Jordan Collection)

Leave the matchmaking to Cheese Cupid, a beverage and cheese pairing connoisseur, who makes taste buds fly every time. Based in Wisconsin, it knows cheeses and believes there are multiple good matches for all types.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: Artnbarb / Flickr)

The folks who own The Accidental Wine Company scoop up bottles whose labels have been damaged, stained, or outdated and offer them to you for 20 to 40 percent less than their unblemished counterparts.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: The Accidental Wine Company)

Occasion: Sunday movie night.

Why: Staying in is the new going out.

Where: Your living room.

How: Clean off your everyday dishes, make a batch of homemade nuts, and rent your favorite ’80s cinema on Netflix.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: The Accidental Wine Company)

This recipe for Sol’s Nuts comes from Aunt Minnie. Diabetic though she was, the lady liked some sugar. Whip up a batch and try to eat just two.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: Avlxyz / Flickr)

Ceramicist May Luk, a former illustrator, works with white stoneware and porcelain clay, then silk-screens or transfer-prints images for a dreamy effect. And though the pieces are decidedly feminine, they’re also durable and totally functional.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: May Luk/Take Me Homeware)

Experiment with creamy mozzarella and ricotta, paneer and queso blanco, or fresh goat cheese. Each Urban Cheesecraft  kit comes with straightforward instructions and all the simple tools needed to make ten batches (fine cheesecloth, thermometer, cheese salt, and citric acid or rennet); all you must track down is the milk.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: Melissa Carmel / Courtesy of Urban Cheesecraft)

HalfWitWines, an online shop that vends solely half bottles of booze, stocks more than 1,000 from all over the world, and it’s easy to navigate by region and varietal, especially with the option to peek at the label.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: HalfWitWines)

Each unbreakable GoVino wine glass holds up to sixteen ounces and has a convenient indention for gripping your libation. Plus, at $2.50 apiece, you can stock up without breaking the bank.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: Harper Willat / Courtesy of GoVino)

Screen-printed by hand with water-based inks on organic linen, Natsumi place mats, napkins, and coasters define contemporary elegance. There’s one simple design in three colors — perfect for fostering a less-is-more approach to cocktail party tableware.

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: Natsumi)

Northern India native Julia Leaphart pours and packages embossed and distressed Himalayan Trading Post candles in her Conyers studio. The pint-size, fair trade votives brim with 50-plus hours of scent. 

By DailyCandy (Photo Credit: Himalayan Trading Post)