Bring On The Giggle Water: A Great Gatsby Night

Over the past few years I have developed a major crush on the nineteen twenties. A huge fan of Downton Abbey (really, who isn’t?), I simply adore everything about the twenties- the clothes, the manners, and the overall culture. Give me a cloche hat, beads, and a tea dress anytime.

A willing participant in several twenties events over the last few years, I have constantly heard the name ‘Gatsby’, which has become synonymous with the roaring twenties. I hadn’t read the book until this summer, which I must say, I simply adored. The Great Gatsby was written during the twenties, and F. Scott Fitzgerald beautifully captures both the hardship and frivolity of the time. Most frequently cited are the roaring parties at the house (castle!) of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious young man with more money than anyone could possibly need, and with plenty of fancy shirts. I really enjoyed not only the description of Gatsby’s swingin’ parties, but also of the characters and their battle against (or towards) morality. After falling in love with the novel, I absolutely had to watch the new-ish Gatsby movie by Baz Luhrmann, and create a low-key twenties movie night for myself and a few friends. Dressing up was not required, but I still celebrated the occasion with some flashy sequinned attire. I just love themes!

The Great Gatsby makes several references to food, which I used to inspire the menu for my twenties night. Hors d’oeuvres including pastry pigs (fancy pigs in a blanket), stuffed peppers and mushrooms, peach melba, and plenty of champagne graced my table. Unfortunately, no champagne fountains... Maybe next time. Wanting to celebrate Gatsby in style, I chose a cocktail recipe featuring champagne! The following recipe is a slight adaptation on the Champagne Cobbler recipe from the book Gatsby Cocktails: Classic Cocktails from the Jazz Age. It is a really simple recipe for giggle water (alcohol) with stellar results!

 

Champagne Cobbler

Makes 1 Drink

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of simple syrup, made from 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar 
• 8 ounces of champagne 
• 2 tablespoons of pineapple juice 
• An orange slice 
• A pineapple slice 
• Crushed ice
• A mint sprig, to garnish

Instructions

1. To make the simple syrup, boil sugar and water until slightly thickened, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. This will take about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
2. Put the pineapple and orange slice in a glass, and slightly muddle. Add crushed ice, simple syrup, and pineapple juice. Depending on the level of sweetness of the champagne, and your preferred level of sugar, the simple syrup and pineapple juice measurements can be adjusted.
3. Fill the rest of the glass with champagne.
4. Stir and garnish with a mint sprig.

Bring on the giggle water!

How to Host a Tapas Party

On a backpacking trip a few years ago, I was introduced to the wonder that is tapas- bite sized foods common in many Spanish restaurants and bars. Tapas plays a significant role in Spanish culture- it feeds it, if you will. Drawing people out from their treasured siestas, eating tapas, or tapearing, is a traditional part of the Spanish lifestyle, granting people the opportunity to snack, drink, and catch up with friends and family.

On  a tour of Madrid, I learned that one of the origins of tapas culture originated with either King Alfonso XIII or King Fernando XVII, when they were presented with a glass of wine covered by a piece of cheese (also known as a tapadera) to protect their wine from bugs. Regardless, the King ate the cheese with his wine, spawning the culture of tapas known in Spain today. One for experiencing culture, I gladly participated in tapearing, resulting in large sums of pork and sangria being ingested during my stay.

Park Güell in Barcelona

I brought this idea of tapas back home where it has lingered in my mind since this time. Only recently I had a eureka moment- hosting a tapas party! From there it was easy for my planning, list-making, and Pinterest-loving self to turn this faint idea into a full-blown event. A large portion of this time was spent doing research- primarily food research, but also research into the history, music, and culture of Spain. Overall, planning a tapas party consisted of creating a playlist that would make a Spaniard proud, designing a colour palate for tableware and decorations, and creating a menu of mouth-watering dishes.

Setting The Mood
It didn't take long to realize that I would need an impressive playlist to conjure up images of Spain to create the right mood. This resulted in a significant amount of time researching Spanish music to assemble the playlist of all playlists. My boyfriend and I first started with the top 100 list in Spain and chose our favourite Spanish tunes, and then continued researching timeless classics. My only criteria was that the music had to feature Spanish lyrics - sorry, not sorry, Bieber. My playlist consisted of instrumental and lyric music, organized with slower music at the beginning, and gradually introducing mid and faster tempo music. I got really into the sculpting of the playlist and spent weeks arranging songs into what I deemed to be the best order- making sure each song had a proper transition into the next. I ended up with a 6 hour playlist featuring 78 songs. This became the Tapas Tunes playlist, which will be immortalized based on its sheer awesomeness.

Here are some of my favourite songs from this playlist:

1. Alone with You- Armik
2. Bésame Mucho- Consuelo Velázquez
3. Aranjuez- Enrique Lopez
4. Me Voy Contigo- Remedios Amaya
5. Todo Todo Todo- Daniela Romo
6. Punto de Referencia- Gloria Estefan
7. Bailando- Enrique Iglesias
8. Oye Como Va- Santana
9. El Porompompero- Los Paraguayos
10. Bamboléo- Gipsy Kings
11. Vivir Mi Vida- Marc Anthony
12. Como Te Atreves- Morat

Table Settings & Décor 

Another important component of tapas party planning was dressing up my space to enhance the tapas experience. This involved finding serving dishes and table ware that spiced up my table! I was lucky enough to find several matching, hand-painted Spanish ceramic dishes, featuring beautiful floral designs. I offset these blue ceramics with simple white dishes and glass drink dispensers dishes, and a blue floral tablecloth to finish the look.

Decorations were created with help from my best friend and faithful partner in crime design. We made paper flowers out of bright tissue paper for tables and to hang on the wall behind the main food table. We also used my DIY chalkboards and wrote out food-related Spanish sayings. Finally, I set out a few maps, brochures, and paintings I accumulated during my time in Madrid and Barcelona to create more authentic connections to Spain.

Food & Drink
When creating the menu for my party, I focused on tapas that was simple and flavourful, with the aim to create a varied table. Inspiration came from a variety of sources: my trip to Spain, the Internet, and Spanish recipe books. I asked guests to each bring their favourite tapas dish or beverage, and gave them examples to inspire their inner foodies. It was a really great way to get guests engaged in the tapas experience, and was a sure fire way to minimize hovering over a hot oven for days on end! Beverages included sangria, beer, wine, and non alcoholic drinks to please a wide crowd!

The tapas menu included:
Sherry Pork Meatballs
Ham Croquettes
Spanish Tortilla
Chorizo and Manchego Cheese plate
Ham Wrapped Cantaloupe with Red Pepper Lime Oil
Fried Peppers with Ham
Potatoes Bravas with Aioli Dip
Avocado Dip
Flan
Churros

Drinks:
White and Red Wine Sangria, and plenty of it
Spanish Cerveza (Beer)

Lemonade
Strawberry Water

Quiero Más Tapas (I want more tapas)!

My tapas party was a combination of these three elements- music, décor, and food and drink. Personally, I think that it is important to try and be as authentic as possible, in order to engage with another culture and to learn something new. Of course, it's also important to have fun! This party was by far the best one that I have hosted, and I will be sure to repeat it again! I hope this has inspired many of you to turn an ordinary day into something truly extraordinary!