Google defines entertain as providing someone with amusement or enjoyment or receiving someone as a guest & providing them with food & drink. For many of us, entertaining means opening our homes to friends & family & providing anything from BBQ sliders at the backyard picnic for 4th of July to a more elegant celebration with upscale cuisine. Let’s face it; food is one thing that unites us on all fronts. While we can tend to be on different sides of the fence on many particular hot topics from politics to religion to climate change, gather everyone around for some good cuisine & cocktails & before long you see happy, smiling faces & hear laughter filling the room.
Food can bring people of diverse backgrounds to a common ground very quickly. Whether you are the wall hugger at the company Christmas party or the one who never meets a stranger, you have to admit food can always be an easy ice breaker for a conversation starter. Eating together connects people on a much deeper level. When I gather friends around my table for an intimate dinner party, it’s always fun to gather people from all different walks of life & see where the conversation goes.
In today’s world where we are so technology oriented, it’s so fun to put aside those phones for the night at a party & actually engage in fun conversation & connect with one another. Pairing cocktails with your cuisine adds another element of fun. From talking about the taste of the cocktail itself to giving some of those wallflowers a little more courage to “join the party” a tasty cocktail can relax some people enough that they actually engage & interact more with the other guests. A great cocktail paired with a good meal brings around the table to connect on a much deeper level. And, connecting is so important as it opens so many doors both personally & professionally.
For those who don’t relish the idea of hosting, stay tuned for a future blog post on how to throw that simple yet elegant dinner party so you can mingle the night away and bring your guests together through cuisine, cocktails & connections!
Since Bourbon & bitters seem to be such popular cocktail items these days here’s a recipe from the highly touted Garden & Gun magazine for a summer classic: “The Old Fashioned”