The Ultimate Guide For Hosting A Rip-Roaring Twenties New Year's Eve Party
Me, doing what I do best- over-accessorizing and accidentally spending hours longer than planned insta-stalking all of the great @CattlebaroninCashmere recipes, home and gift picks on her feed. Photo Credit: @JuliaDags
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Hard to believe, but the year 2020 will be here in a blink -- and I have joined forces with one of my favorite Instragrammers- Alison, the Houston-based brains behind @Cattlebaronincashmere- to put together a a comprehensive, easy to execute, and accessible guide to throwing your own Roaring Twenties themed party. Together, Alison and I have your entire evening covered- so bookmark this post now (this way, you have all the shopping links handy for decor and such, as well as a TON of fashion and accessory ideas for women, men and kids too!), and consider your New Year’s Eve plan DONE.
Whether you're New Year's Eve celebration will entail a low key evening at home with just family or you're prepping to receive a hundred guests, we've got you covered on everything you'll need from food to fashion to decor to create a fete so fabulous that even Jay Gatsby would be compelled to say, "a spectacular sight, old sport!".
First up we cover the cocktails (of course!), then scroll down for the ultimate 20’s party style guide, complete with shoppable links so you can outfit every member of the family in a matter of minutes…errrr…clicks.
Cocktails
While alcohol consumption was outlawed by Prohibition almost a century ago, it did nothing to deter imbibing Americans from enjoying their favorite cocktails in Speakeasies or shrouded in secrecy behind the closed doors of their homes. Bootleggers were crafty enough that they could not only produce but stealthily distribute liquors such whiskey and gin -- so while pulling together a cocktail menu for you, we stuck to these as bases for each drink. And while many of the Prohibition era cocktails contained "bathtub gin" that required heavy flavoring to overpower, we recommend sparing yourself from the displeasure and going with tried and true spirits such as Beefeater and a nice Johnny Walker (or Dalmore, if you're game!).
"The East Egg"
Ingredients: Ice / 2 ounces Beefeater gin / 3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice / 1/2 ounce honey simple syrup / extra lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions: In a shaker with ice, combine the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup / Pour though the shaker strainer into a chilled cocktail glass / Garnish with a lemon wedge and serve!
"The Colony's Mint Julep"
Ingredients: 3 ounces of your favorite Bourbon / 6 leaves of spearmint / 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
extra spearmint sprigs for garnish
Instructions: Place 5 to 6 spearmint leaves in the bottom of a pre-chilled, dry silver cup. Atop the mint leaves, add the sugar and crush together in the bottom of the cup with a muddler. / Pack the glass with finely crushed ice, then pour a generous 3 ounces of Bourbon over the ice. / Stir together briskly with a fork until the exterior of the cup begins to frost. / Add more a heaping tablespoon more of crushed ice and stir again briskly with a fork before serving. / Garnish with a few sprigs of mint and serve!
"The Daisy"
Ingredients: 1 1/2 ounces Beefeater Gin / 1/2 ounce Maraschino Liqueur / 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice / 1/2 ounce Creme de Violette / Maraschino cherries for garnish
Instructions: Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously / Through your shaker's strainer, pour into martini glasses / Garnish with two to three Maraschino cherries in each glass and serve
Fashion
Now- for my forté: the fashion. Funny enough, in the past year two of my closest friends had 1920’s theme 40th birthday parties, so I happen to be quite knowledgeable on the best finds at every price for dressing like a flapper right out of the era. Below are some of my favorite picks- and the best part is that most of them can be worn over and over and over again- because sequins, fringe and feathers happen to be pretty timeless. It is all about how you style it- post-party, take that flouncy fringe top and pair it with jeans, or layer a cream cashmere sweater or a distressed crop jean jacket over a beaded dress, etc.
1: Fringe Top / 2: Fringe Jacket / 3: Long Sleeve Fringe Top / 4: Something Navy Sequin Top / 5: Fringe Shift 6: Sequin Kimono Maxi / 7-9: Beaded Fringe Dress / 10: Sequin Midi Dress / 11: Cinq a Sept Sequin and Feather / 12: Linear Beaded Mini Dress / 13: Girls Best Fringe Dress / 14: Sequin Jumpsuit / 15: High Neck Velvet Mini / 16: Sequin Skirt / 17: Sequin and Feather Shift / 18: Halogen Skirt /19: Kids Fringe Sweater Dress / 20-21: Feather Headpiece / 22: Pearl Headband / 23: Rhinestone Headpiece / 24: Pearl Strand Necklace / 25: Vintage Drop Earrings / 26: Pearl Fringe Crawlers / 27: Men's Accessory Set / 28: Gold Fringe Bag / 29: Dress and Accessory Set
NOTE: Coming tomorrow, a step-by-step guide to build a champagne tower, and menu suggestions to serve at your party. When I said we have you covered, I meant it!
Oh, and shop all of Alison’s top picks for hosting and more on her Amazon shop HERE.