Brownies
Photo By Condé Nast Digital Studio
Decorate the table with small pots of a variety of herbs from your local garden store.
Photo By Condé Nast Digital Studio
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In the spirit of WWD’s Cheap Week, we asked event experts for tips on reining in spending, from a casual dinner to a fancy gala, without sacrificing elegance.
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SEAN DRISCOLL, GLORIOUS FOOD
Summer Alfresco Entertaining
• No need to pass hors d’oeuvres. Put bowls of farm-stand sugar snap peas and heirloom cherry tomatoes with a small bowl of salt on a picnic table.
• Skip a full bar or a bartender. Instead, in a galvanized tub with ice, put bottled beer, waters, fruit sodas and pitchers of Cocktail Mystère, like my cranberry-ginger one.
Cocktail Mystère
4 cups vodka
2 cups ginger beer
1 1/2 cups cranberry juice from concentrate
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon ground ginger
Mix all ingredients and pour over ice into pitcher.
• Decorate the table with small pots of a variety of herbs from your local garden store. Mismatched china, linens, glassware, flatware and chairs are fun and save you from having to rent anything.
• Create a menu that can be placed on family-style platters on the table. Hire only one person to replenish food and bus dishes. Suggested menu: sliced peaches and figs with prosciutto and shaved Parmesan-Reggiano; paella of lobster, chicken and chorizo (the market price of lobster is low this season, so why not serve it to get more bang for your buck?), and baby arugula with aged balsamic vinaigrette.
• Finish with finger-food desserts such as brownies and homemade cookies. It gets people up from the table earlier to mingle.
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