There are many uncomplicated ways to make a party original: with unusual food, fun decor, a luxurious evening in the style of a live casino online, or just sleeping pajamas. Here are 5 more non-boring and not too tedious options for inspiration in case you run out of ideas, but again there is an excuse to gather friends at home.
Buffet and Candy Bar
If you think a candy bar is only good for kids’ birthday parties and bohemian weddings, you’re probably underestimating it. First, everyone loves buffets. Second, everyone loves a sweet buffet. Third, a candy bar can consist not only of store-bought candy and beautifully scattered in candy boxes and shelves but also of various homemade pastries (cookies, cupcakes, donuts, brownies, eclairs, pasta cakes), homemade ice cream, fresh fruit and… alcoholic cocktails, since it’s a grown-up party.
To set up a buffet at home, you’ll need a table or a large enough bar (or better yet, both). For candy (chewy marmalade, lollipops, marshmallows, jelly beans, etc.), select different sizes and heights of transparent containers with lids and without. For baking – racks with caps protect against winding and drying out. Add a little exclusivity: ask your guests’ tastes in advance and prepare a few variations of homemade ice cream – classic cream and sorbets – and bake your own vanilla, cinnamon, or cardamom waffle cones in a waffle iron. Don’t forget to prepare sprinkles and toppings (cocoa, nuts, chocolate chips, fresh berries, and syrups) and special spoons for different flavors.
Amusement Park Party
Unlike the buffet idea for which you have to prepare almost everything in advance, a party with a popcorn machine, cotton candy machine, or chocolate fountain (separately or all at once!) requires minimal organizational effort but is guaranteed to ensure a festive mood. Popcorn corn, colored cotton candy sugar, and special chocolate for fountains can easily be found on marketplaces, so all you have to do is come up with a few serving chips.
For popcorn, it’s worth making some simple homemade sauces: for salty, you can mix garlic olive oil, grated parmesan, and some chopped fresh rosemary; for sweet, melt half a cup of brown sugar with 60 ml of corn syrup, a tablespoon of sorghum syrup and 60 g of butter over medium heat, and finally stir in a couple of tablespoons of scotch. This creates a thick and fragrant syrup that can be poured over plain popcorn without additives and then sprinkled on top with crunchy Maldon sea salt.
Wine and Fondue
Some personal hobbies can make a great excuse and topic for a get-together with friends or family. For example, if you love and collect wine, use everything you know about flavor, temperature, regions, and wine and food combinations for a tasting party that you can absolutely do better than most. And not to get too distracted from the main thing, organizing fondue is the easiest and most spectacular way to gather around the table and feed the company without spending too much time and effort on cooking.
For an authentic fondue, you need the traditional Swiss mountain cheeses of fontina, gruyere, and gouda – all three in equal proportions or at least one of them combined with less classic ones like conte, emmenthaler, or even cheddar. You should also add to the cheese mixture a good dry white wine with high acidity – sauvignon blanc, pinot gris or not aged chardonnay (about 250 ml per 500-600 gr of cheese plus a couple of tablespoons of starch for thickness and some ground nutmeg to taste). If you want to invest a little more in the preparation – bake homemade wheat bread with a crispy crust (you can also use a regular fresh baguette). Don’t forget grapes, sweet and sour apples, figs, salami, pickled vegetables, and other snacks. Champagne, Riesling, Muscat, Chassla and other wine for tasting – your expert choice.
Movie Party
A lifesaving idea for those who are tired of standing at the stove and endlessly setting tables. You’ll need: a good projector and screen and a soundbar compatible with the projector, an empty wall in a spacious room with blackout curtains if there’s bright light outside the windows, and a sofa and comfortable poufs or cushions. And, of course, the theme to which the viewing will be devoted. It may be a favorite TV series from youth or a documentary, a nostalgic romcom of the ’90s, or a horror movie: anything that will create the right atmosphere, but if you want, you can go a little further and invite the guests to choose movie characters from the film or a favorite era of cinema and come up with costumes – homemade or rented. You can even announce a contest with several nominations, voting, and chocolate “Oscars.”
And to avoid messing with the kitchen, order hot dogs or pizza and stock up on ice cream and snacks: corn nachos with tomato salsa and guacamole, vegetable and potato chips, caramelized and salted peanuts, and, of course, popcorn (another reason to get a popcorn machine). If you have a cappuccinatore, serve an iced latte, frappé (you’ll need chocolate syrup and ice) or frappuccino (quickly whip ice in a blender until crumbly) with caramel or almond liqueur; get some fresh croissants and champagne. And have a good time with your guests.
Games and Cocktails
How long ago did you play dominoes? Or cards? Or a foosball table? If you’re not afraid to add a little excitement to the atmosphere of the evening (and you know your guests’ temperament well), it makes sense to remember the undeservedly neglected board games that can still do something: from the simplest like Uno or a wooden tower like Jenga to classics like Monopoly or a house casino, where real money can be replaced by any fictional currency.
And to make sure the atmosphere doesn’t get too heated, set up a bar: plenty of ice, homemade lemonades and sodas, and some alcohol, like in some old-school movie about the mafia and undercover agents – after all, mojitos, Singapore sling, margaritas and all the other classics of cocktail cards are not at all difficult to make at home.
Let the plan not be too complicated: dry vermouth and gin, olives, lemon, and baccarat. Or: gin, grappa, orange bitters, and, of course, poker. For simpler games, you can stock up on beer, ginger ale, or root beer.
Ultimately, whatever you choose from the games and drinks, use the multi-layered sandwiches with pastrami, pickled and fresh vegetables, and French mustard (don’t forget to toast the bread!) and fries lightly drizzled with truffle olive oil – like a good gastropub.
