A bar cart full of souvenirs.
So, we had a dinner party last night. Just grown-ups, no kids. This is the first adult-only dinner party we’ve had in THIRTEEN YEARS. Crazy.
We paid our kids $10 each to hang out in the TV room and chill while we were entertaining our guests. This was an inspired idea which totally worked.
As for the dinner, on the whole, things went well. We made a pepper-glazed goat cheese gratin for an appetizer, then had short ribs with wine and cream, green beans gremolata, and roasted potatoes for dinner. For dessert, cookies from the best bakery in Berkeley.
We’re a little rusty on the dinner party front, so I would make some changes next time. The party got a little wild, so I think I would keep things a little more sedate. One idea I’m kind of excited about for my next dinner party is to ask guests to come ready to share their best story. Kind of like The Moth. (If you are a friend of mine and you are reading this, let me know if you want to be invited to that one!)
Anyway, as I was setting up the bar, I had a moment when I realized that lots of my alcohol has been imported (by me!) from other states or countries. I’ve got several bottles of tequila from Mexico, bourbon from Kentucky, handcrafted bitters from Atlanta, and whiskey from Oregon.
Every time I look at the bottles – and of course when I drink what’s inside – I remember my trips to those places. I never thought about the “bar as souvenir” concept before, but I like it a lot.
How about you? Anyone else have a bar full of trip memories? And has anyone thrown an awesome dinner party recently? I’d love to hear about it!
Like the bar souvenir idea! Glad to see you’re posting again =)
Ang – Hi!!! And thanks! 🙂
I’m down……….sad, happy, insane, irreverent………? Take your pick………
justSaying – I’m sure you have a TON of great stories. Now I just have to gather my strength for what promises to be an epic night.
That rogue whiskey is fantastic!!
David – YES!
What a fantastic idea!!! I have been missing you ☺
Sandy – I have missed you guys as well. So much! I love the community on my blog. 🙂
Funny thing, I was looking at the bottles that you had displayed and I wondered where they had come from. When I’m out of the country and I find something I like I always think can I get that here in America. And when I do find it, I tend to want to share with friends as you have done.
Derrick – That IS funny. And yes – I love sharing my finds with friends.
Sorry, I’m a bit late to the party, aka comments! Wanted to mention that my MIL keeps the bottles after the alcohol is gone and proudly displays them in her home office on top of a special wooden case. At first I thought it was nuts, but it’s actually kind of neat. There are all kinds of unique bottles on display, one from Santorini, one from Africa. They are like fridge magnets, but take a bit more space.