Rip Roaring 20's Party Hosting Guide: DIY Champagne Tower, Wine Suggestions & Menu Shopping Lists
Madly in love with the giant bow on THIS DRESS by designer Rebecca Vallance, which I found on sale at Shopbop.
So excited to share the second post of my two part Rip Roaring Twenties Party Hosting Guide collaboration with @CattlebaronInCashmere, sharing a step by step tutorial to make your own champagne tower, a quick guide to bubbly at every price point, and food ideas with shopping lists for many national grocery chains- including Trader Joes, Costco and Whole Foods. This post is ALL Alison- when it comes to details like these, there is nobody better equipped to give you the most stylish shortcuts.
(Click HERE for Part 1 where we share cocktail and fashion ideas.)
Guest post courtesy of @CattlebaronInCashere
You can find Alison’s top product picks for this party and beyond on her Amazon shop HERE.
DIY Champagne Tower Tutorial
It really comes down to some basic math. Each level of the tower is a square, so add up the number of glasses you need for each level, then account for a few extras due to potential breakage. For example, if you're doing a 5x5 tower, you'll have (5x5) + (4x4) + (3x3) + (2x2) + (1x1) = 55 glasses in total. If you're entertaining this many guests (or possibly more!) and glassware is essential to you, we recommend renting for the evening or checking out our budget friendly Amazon option! If you're not a glassware devotee, plastic coupes are a fantastic option and will produce an equally stunning display! The main thing to remember is that your glass of choice must have a stem in order for the bubbles to flow, so no plastic "cups". Now is a good time, too, to note how many ounces your glass of choice holds for determining how much champagne you'll need later on.
Select a level, sturdy location to construct your tower and put your first square layer into place. It's important that each glass is touching its neighboring glass and as you build, from a birds eye view, you will see very symmetrical diamonds of empty space between each glass. For your second layer, which is also a square, start by placing the bottom center of each glass over the top of each diamond of negative space from the layer below. Keep in mind that the key to a successful, flowing fountain of bubbly is that the glasses on each layer are always touching their neighboring glass! Build out the rest of your layers (depending on how big you're going) until you have just one last diamond left... and that's where you'll add your last glass - the crowning glory!
Now, with a steady hand, pour your champagne from the top with a slow, steady hand. Don't rush. As the wine sparkles and fizzes and bubbles up with glee it will help to compel the liquid over the edges to the glasses on the layers below, so don't give it too heavy a hand. Continue pouring from the very top glass until all of your glasses are filled! It will be magnificent, to say the least - and if it's your first time pulling off this feat, we feel assured you'll have great success (but don't worry your pretty head if you need to top off a few of the glasses straight from the bottle!).
Note: A standard bottle of champagne will contain a smidge over 25 ounces, so keep that in mind when you jotted down the capacity of your glasses. For example, if the champagne coupe you select holds 4.5 ounces, and you'll have 55 glasses in your tower, you want to think along the lines of 248 ounces... which is right around ten bottles. We definitely recommend reserving an extra bottle for your champagne tower, though, because spills can happen -- and too much of a good thing is wonderful!
Wine & Champagne
Oh- and let's not forget the bubbly! If you want to be a purist in sticking with the Roaring Twenties theme, we recommend serving in glass coupes! And if you're really feeling ambitious and want to wow your guests, we LOVE a good champagne tower (read on for a simple "how to"). We've compiled a list of our favorite sparkling wines in several price categories for you. If you have a certain budget in mind for the evening, serve your best bottles first and then move on to the less expensive bottles as the evening progresses. We promise, no one will be the wiser!
$30 and Under
Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut
Tsarine Brut Premium Cuvee
Feuilatte Brut Blue Label
Pertois Moriset Cuvee
Paul Goerg Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs
$20 and Under
Lucien Albrecht Cremant d'Alsace Brut Rose
Umberto Bortolotti Prosecco
La Marca Prosecco
Segura Viudas Aria Estate Brut Cava
Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut
Chandon Blanc de Noirs
$10 and Under (and tasty, to boot!)Oriol Rossel Brut Rose
Cremant de Bourgogne NV (Lidl)
Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut Cava
Riondo Spago Nero Extra Dry Prosecco
Food
If we'd been a fly on the wall of any one of Gatsby's opulent affairs, we'd see an excess of appetizers and finger foods displayed on ornate silver platters -- and we recommend the same! Here's where you can save a lot of time (and even money!) by buying pre-prepared foods. Your guests will gobble them up with the same delight and never know you weren't slaving away in the kitchen all day... we won't tell if you don't!
If you leave near a Trader Joes, we recommend picking up the following:
Mushroom Turnovers
Chicken Parmesan Lollipops with satay sauce
Breaded Mozzarella Cheese Sticks with Rao's Marinara for dipping
Chicken Tikka Samosas
Mushroom and Black Truffle Flatbread -- cut into strips and stood upright in a mint julep!
Mac & Cheese Bites
Chicken Cilantro Mini Wontons
Pastry Bites with Feta Chesse and Caramelized Onions
Thai Vegetable Gyoza (for a vegeterian option!)
If you live near a Costco, add these to your shopping list:
BiBiGo Steamed Dumplings
Kirkland Panko Breaded Shrimp
Royal Asia Vegetable Spring Rolls
Kirkland Italian-style Meatballs
Cuisine Adventures Spanakopita (a vegetarian option!)
Garden Lites bite-sized Spinach and Egg Frittatas
Mediterranean Chicken Skewers
If Whole Foods is your store of choice, we've got you covered, too:
Whole Foods Market Potato & Pea Samosas
Tandoori Chicken Samosas
Spinach & Cheese Spanakopita
Royal Asia Boom Boom Shrimp with Sriracha Aiolo
Kim & Scott's Bavarian Soft Pretzels
Whole Foods Mini Quiche Trio
Buttery Artichoke, Kale, and Swiss Chard Bites
Feel Good Foods Gluten-free Chicken Egg Rolls
Potato & Pea Samosas
We also recommend setting out an assortment of olives and nuts -- Truffle Marcana Almonds, Spiced Pecans, and Candied Walnuts are fabulous choices -- along with a colorful crudites. Serve your crudites with hummus, pesto, and tzatziki -- or whip up a batch of our Aviator Dip! It comes together in a flash and is ohhhh, so good…
"Aviator Dip"
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the following ingredients:
2 cups of sour cream
1/2 cup freshly chopped parsley
3 tablespoons of chopped chives
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 of a lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
Once thoroughly combined, transfer to your serving bowl and chill for thirty minutes, then serve! You can pick up a veggie platter pre-prepared from your grocery store or create your own. If you're serving Aviator Dip, we recommend a melange of baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, raw broccoli, asparagus, sliced pepper, baby corn, and celery sticks.
If you want to go beyond finger foods to a main course for your New Year's Eve guests, a honey baked or smoked ham is very "on brand". If you're not having a seated meal, however, a Slider Bar is a great option, and people always find it fun to build their own! You might consider offering a second protein option such as roast beef or turkey -- but even such, keep it simple and pick up freshly sliced deli meats from your grocery store. Display your cold cuts on a silver platter folded "ribbon style", then set out several condiments such as Beaver's brand Deli Mustard, a horseradish mayo, and whipped cream cheese. An assortment of sliced cheeses such as Swiss and Cheddar, as well as tomato slices, Bibb lettuce, and dill pickles are the perfect accompaniment! For the slider buns, just about anything from croissants to Mrs. Bairds will do -- but we do have a love affair with King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls!
Where desserts are concerned, we recommend a tiered silver server with an array of pick-up sweets! Again, work smarter not harder. Pick up shortbread cookies from the grocery store, Trader Joe's Vanilla Ice Cream BonBons, and whip up a batch of the two-ingredient (and sinfully good!) Krusteaz Meyer Lemon Bar mix. Tate's Bake Shop makes wonderful Chocolate Chip Cookies (Target) and Pepperidge Farm Milano's never made anyone mad (we also love their Montauks!). The Moravian Cookies in Key Lime and Ginger Spice (Williams-Sonoma) are to die for, and the Reko Chocolate Pizelle Italian Waffle Cookies (Target) are not only yummy, but so pretty, too! If you live near a World Market -- or want to shop their online site -- they have a vast selection of ready made exotic desserts from around the globe that never disappoint!