House Party Tips...

[JapanAlex01]

I'm having a house party on Friday. Any tips? Any 'must dos' or general revelations? I have a few bottles of spirits, beer, cider, wine, WKDs (not wmds, haha!), spliff and snacks. Tomorrow, I will clean around and make sure there are enough ash trays lying around, and will hoover, etc. I am locking away anything I don't want to get stolen in my wardrobe (yes, it sounds a little ott, but it would ruin the night if something was nicked). There are roughly 20 people confirmed, but I know that never pans out, so not sure how many will turn up! (Sometimes, when friends of friends come, there can be a lot more, but if that's not the case and some people drop out, it may just be a 'gathering' *shudder.) I recently broke my sub-woofer cable, so my friend is bringing some speakers. Fingers crossed they're loud enough (should be)!

 

[Quadcammer]

these are pretty basic, but however much booze you have, multiply by at least 1.5

clean your bloody bathrooms.

obviously take keys if people intend on getting blitzed without designated drivers.

 

[JapanAlex01]

The keys thing is a good idea! I don't know if anyone will get that drunk, but who knows?!

I am a clean-freak, so my bathroom is always clean!

I probably do need to get some moar alcohol. I have enough for general drinking, but not for waster-ism..!

 

[CouttsClient]

You may find some of the advice GQ published useful. Full set here: GQ HOSTS 1) Keep the Flow As soon as your guests walk in the door and take off their coats, make a round of drinks. But nothing too complicated—you're hosting, not playing mixologist. And make a house drink. Yes, you can set out a couple of bottles of bourbon and vodka, but serving a pitcher of drinks is both festive and easy. 2) Embrace Your Role as Host Make introductions, start conversations, get the night rolling. There's no shame in introducing X to Y by saying, "X, meet Y: Both of you have a dog." A corny intro is like a corny pickup line—as long as it works, everyone's happy. Manage your mood—always be gracious. If you're pissed o because of how the bouillabaisse is turning out, the dinner will never get its footing. Make jokes, enjoy yourself. And it sounds obvious, but be present. Your guests are coming over to eat, not to wait for you to emerge from the kitchen. Design a meal that you can handle, not one that handles you. 3) Put Your Party On Ice An ice bucket filled with bottles of white wine and champagne (or prosecco—we're still in a recession, after all) serves two purposes. First, it says, We're having a party, dammit. And second, it means you don't have to schlep to the fridge every time your guests need a refill. Just remember to fill the bucket with equal parts ice and water so the bottles are fully submerged and chilled to perfection. 4) Play DJ A good vibe is as important as good food. Create a playlist that will keep your guests happy throughout the night—and you from worrying about what CD to put on next. "Overprogram your playlist. If you think your party will go for four hours, make six hours of music. And don't ever repeat songs." 5) 3 Tips for the Table 1. Leave the Pellegrino bottles in the kitchen. Instead, fill up glass carafes or vintage bottles with sparkling water and place them on the table. 2. Not everything has to match. Got some chipped vintage Wedgwood servingware from Grandma? Use it. It adds character and reminds your guests that they're in someone's home. 3. You might think that flowers are only for the ladies. But your apartment needs something alive in it. Don't splurge on anything enormous or elaborate (or fragrant). Just pick up, say, a dozen or so tulips and place them in a simple vase. 6) Invite the Right People The most important part of a dinner party is the party, not the dinner. Dinner is important, but a year later you're going to remember everyone talking about the biggest lies they ever told, not how the roast turned out. Dinners are where the great conversations happen and where intimacy develops naturally. There's something sacramental about breaking bread. The best dinner parties are a mixture of people who know one another and people who don't. Making the guest list is part instinct and part logic. The instinct part is about speculative interpersonal chemistry—you suspect A might like B. The logic is in assembling a balanced group. It's almost like putting together a team for a pickup game. You want somebody who can shoot, somebody who can pass, and somebody who can clear the boards. At a dinner party, you want somebody who can be provocative, somebody who can enchant, and somebody who can get laughs. But of course, you don't want a fistfight. If a guest is part of a couple, you have to invite the other one. Unless you can figure out when he will be out of town. If you invite a single, let him bring a date. Sometimes that surprise guest will be a magical X factor. Do arrange a seating plan. Boy, girl, boy, girl. The host and hostess, or host and host, should sit at the head and foot and put the guests of honor at their rights. Put people who don't know each other together. Do not seat couples together. Couples are conversation killers, and the shy one will take the easy way out. If they try to sit together, stop them. In fact, separate them as far as possible. If a ballsy wife tries to corral her husband, seat him next to the cutest girl. Never let a guest subvert your plan, which is based on who should meet whom. The liveliest dinners are probably those where people who misunderstand or fear each other wind up lifelong pals or where love affairs are launched. "You're getting a divorce?" "Yeah, remember that dinner you gave last August...?" Excellent. 7) 5 Steps for an Ideal Meal 1. Decide on a meal plan that's not only doable but coherent. Start with one dish and use it as a guidepost. Say you really want to serve linguine with clams. Then keep the entire meal Italian and don't throw in some Asian-fusion appetizer you saw on the Food Network. Instead serve prosciutto and chunks of Parmesan with some breadsticks and olives during cocktails. A fennel-and-orange salad with the pasta. Sorbetto or gelato for dessert. In other words, let one dish lead to the next. It aids the planning of the evening and helps keep you focused. 2. Cook as much of the meal as you can ahead of time. You don't want to be the host stuck in the kitchen half the evening, sautÃ

ing day-boat scallops and aerating sweet-pea foam. It's not fun for you, and it's not fun for your guests. The evening should be relaxing; it should be social. It should not feel like you're running a restaurant. 3. Variety is key. You want a meat (or fish), a vegetable, a starch, a fruit, something spicy, something sweet. A meal should be balanced. If you're serving a heavy, creamy lasagna for a main course, think twice about that homemade tiramisu for dessert. 4. And give yourself plenty of time. The little things always take longer than you think, so if you can, shop a day ahead for the ingredients. Or at least do your prep work that morning or early afternoon. You want to be cool and calm for your dinner party, not stressed and frantic. 5. Trust us on this one: Clean as you cook. If your kitchen is a disaster when your guests arrive, everyone will settle in for a bumpy night. 8) Punch Up Your Party Someday, perhaps, the human race will evolve to a higher, enlightened plane in which it can reach a state of good spirits, communion with strangers, and late-night dirty dancing, all without the aid of alcohol. Until then, it's your job as host to get that alcohol into your guests as quickly and pleasantly as possible. Cocktails can be fussy and time-consuming; bottles of beer promote drink counting, which is the enemy of abandon; kegs are for kids. Instead: Let there be punch. Don't get hung up on the particulars: A simple combo of dark rum, lots of freshly squeezed lemon (or lime) juice, and a few tablespoons of superfine sugar works just fine. So does whiskey and lemonade. If you want to get moderately fancy, make a French 75 punch out of sparkling wine, lemon juice, and a cheapish Cognac. 9) If You're Not Having Fun, Your Guests Aren't Either I don't take cooking too seriously anymore. And it's made me a better cook. That might sound like watered-down Zen wisdom, but it's true. For several years, I worked as a private chef in New York, and when friends came over for dinner I pushed myself to my culinary limits, presenting course after course of restaurant-quality food. The problem was, it wasn't fun. Not for me: I was working hard in the kitchen, which I enjoyed, but I was so focused I couldn't snicker at a joke, let alone hold a conversation. And not for my guests: Every bang and clang sounding from the kitchen ratcheted up their anxiety. The better the food, the more uncomfortable the dinner. It was an inverse ratio, but I didn't care. Until I saw another chef break the cycle. She's one of the profession's top talents, and when she invited a few of us over for dinner, she served soup. Chicken soup. Out of a pot she put on the table. It was a nice soup, a rustic Italian take with lots of kale. So what if it wasn't mind-blowing? It wasn't trying to be. Instead, the dinner was about us, the people at the table, and we were having a ball. We opened one bottle of wine after another and ladled soup until the pot was empty, then mopped the bottom with bread. We ended up sitting on the floor when it was time to eat dessert, and we went home only when we saw how late it was. It took me a few years to detox. I went from eight courses to five to not thinking in courses at all. Now I cook family-style and serve everything on big platters and in tureens. It tastes great, it looks perfectly okay, and—more wisdom—it frees my mind. It also frees my hands. Now, when guests arrive and my wife mixes a round of cocktails before dinner, I'll have a drink, too, and catch up. A truly great cook is more than just a skilled technician; he's a good host.—OLIVER STRAND 10) Everyone Wants Dessert Even those who insist they only want a "tiny slice." But try serving your final course away from the dinner table. In other words, make your evening into a three-act play: cocktails in the living room, dinner at the table, dessert back at the sofa and coffee table, when you're all full and ready to sprawl out and relax. And if you're not an ass-kicking pastry chef, don't sweat it. Here are three simple solutions. 1. Do-it-yourself ice cream bar. Buy two or three flavors of high-quality gelato. Set them out with a scooper and a tray of toppings: amaretti cookies for crushing and sprinkling; chopped toasted nuts; fleur de sel; a jar of warmed dulce de leche; and if you own an espresso machine, why not a pitcher of espresso to pour over vanilla gelato for authentically Italian aogato? 2. Macerated fruit. One of the easiest desserts of all time is fresh, sliced fruit soaked in liquor or wine and a bit of sugar. For instance, take 1 1/2 cups of port and 1/4 cup of sugar. Simmer till reduced by half. Let it cool, then pour over a bowl of about 4 cups of cut-up strawberries. Steep, refrigerated, for an hour. Serve the syrupy treat in small bowls and top with whipped cream, crème fraÃ

che, or thick Greek yogurt, and a coarse grind of black pepper. 3. Homemade ice cream sandwiches. Not just for kids. What you'll need: gelato (vanilla is always good) and good cookies from a bakery (ginger ones are a smart choice). Assemble the ice cream cookies before dinner, wrap in wax paper, and place in the freezer. Five minutes or so before serving, set them out and let 'em soften up. Pile on a platter and bring 'em out. 11) Now Get The Hell Out! GQ's Alan Richman on the art of calling it an evening: Everybody knows how to throw parties. No one knows how to end them. This is an acute problem in New York, where people who give parties have plenty of room to entertain but those who attend them never want to return to the heartbreaking places they call home. They're desperate to spend evenings anywhere but in their wretchedly small apartments, often made more unbearable by visiting relatives sleeping on futons. I never had difficulty shutting down my parties. The moment my friends arrived, I would let them know when they would be leaving, and my closing time was as inflexible as lights-out on an army post. Nothing more subtle worked. I used to think playing my favorite albums as the evening waned would cause people to race for their coats, but in New York even B. Bumble and the Stingers can't empty a room of people who despise where they live. Closure was specific. I always made it 9:45 or 10:15, a time that meant business. Nobody takes a round number such as 10 p.m. seriously. I never served coffee at parties—you might as well give people amphetamines—although soporific Cognacs were available. Once the mood in my apartment approached that of an opium den, I knew I could move bodies toward the elevator. My ex-wife claims two friends, the food writer Dorie Greenspan and her husband, Michael, resented my antisocial attitude. When I asked Dorie, she said, "I didn't hate your must-leave time, and neither did Michael. He liked it so much he adopted your practice and has since alienated only a half-dozen friends." None of you may ever know the gratification that comes with being an acknowledged social revolutionary like me. However, all can experience the joy and tranquillity that comes when those dearest to you go home when you want them to.

 

[howbah]

10 tips:

1: don't even bother cooking. order pizza. lots of it.

2-10: if you're going to be in charge, you can't get drunk.

 

[JapanAlex01]

I know that GQ is used as a in-joke round here, so I wasn't really sure if it was meant that way, but some of those points were interesting. For example, making pitchers rather than leaving bottles around. I should make some mixes!

 

[CouttsClient]

Originally Posted by howbah

10 tips:

1: don't even bother cooking. order pizza. lots of it.

2-10: if you're going to be in charge, you can't get drunk.

1. No thank you. I already hate your parties

2. Wrong again.

 

[CouttsClient]

Originally Posted by JapanAlex01

I know that GQ is used as a in-joke round here, so I wasn't really sure if it was meant that way, but some of those points were interesting. For example, making pitchers rather than leaving bottles around. I should make some mixes!

Not a joke at all. Works wonders to lighten the mood and no need to keep making drinks. It is however a good idea to have some bottles should guests really want to mix something personally

 

[Stazy]

I can understand not wanting to cook but it's easy to do far better than just pizza.

 

[JapanAlex01]

Yeah, **** cooking!

 

[Master-Classter]

think of everything that can go wrong and prepare for it...

eg toilet clogs - make sure there's a plunger nearby
someone drinks too much and throws up - have a bucket and towel somewhere plus cab on speedial
people spill drinks on the sofa or clothes - have soda water, spare t-shirt, etc


see what I mean? just think ahead so you can relax when the time comes since you'll have everything covered.



my party tip, invite a few of your closer friends to come over earlier for dinner or something, that way when people start arriving for the party there's already a small crowd there. nobody wants to be the first person to show up and it's just you and them.

 

[CouttsClient]

Originally Posted by Master-Classter

think of everything that can go wrong and prepare for it...

eg toilet clogs - make sure there's a plunger nearby
someone drinks too much and throws up - have a bucket and towel somewhere plus cab on speedial
people spill drinks on the sofa or clothes - have soda water, spare t-shirt, etc


see what I mean? just think ahead so you can relax when the time comes since you'll have everything covered.



my party tip, invite a few of your closer friends to come over earlier for dinner or something, that way when people start arriving for the party there's already a small crowd there. nobody wants to be the first person to show up and it's just you and them.

Great idea

 

[ConcernedParent]

Good luck the day after.

 

[jstupple19]

An invaluable tip I learned from a friend is to notify your neighbours that you will be having a party, and give them your number so if they have any problems or anything happens they can call you instead of the police. I never thought of this before my friend mentioned it, but he's never had problems with his neighbours and he throws parties every weekend.

 

[acidboy]

if it gets out of hand or if you feel your house is getting trashed secretly call the cops and complain that "your neighbor's" party is getting too loud.