"Blow" = 1920's for "Wild Party"

How to Throw a 1920's Speakeasy Themed Party

Big Spoon and I decided to throw a 1920's speakeasy themed New Year's Party.  We did our research and came up with the essentials of a 1920's "blow," which we also learned was 1920's slang for "wild party."

1. Alcohol

No, we did not have ice or gin in our bathtub.  But we carefully selected the cocktail menu.  And even made or own alcohol (sort of) in our pineapple-infused vodka. This is actually a lot easier than it sounds.

Pineapple Infused Vodka

1. Procure the vodka - we used Tito's because we thought it shared that "made at home" beginning.
2. Prepare the pineapple - cut off the top and bottom, then cut off the sides in strips. Then slice generously to fit into the container of your choice. I actually bought a beverage dispenser, which made infusing and straining the vodka very easy.
3. Let it sit for 4-7 days.

We used the pineapple infused vodka in the Pearl Harbor cocktail.  It doesn't call for pineapple vodka, but it was perfect!

The Pearl Harbor
1 oz. vodka (pineapple)
2/3 oz. melon liqueur
1 oz. pineapple juice

Shake the ingredients, then strain into a cocktail glass and serve.

The other two cocktails we served were:

The French 75
3/4 oz. gin
3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
dash simple syrup
dash grenadine
chilled champagne

Shake the first 4 ingredeients, then strain into a champagne flut, fill with champagne, garnish, and serve.

AND

The Singapore Sling
2 oz. gin
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1 tsp. superfine (caster) sugar
1 tsp. simple syrup
soda water
3/4 oz cherry Heering
lime wedge to garnish

Shake the first 5 ingredients, then strain into a highball glass.  Fill up with soda and float the Cherry Heering over the top. Garnish with lime and serve.

And of course we had a punch: The Krampus - a little late for the season, but a crowd pleaser.

The Krampus is basically a punch made of:

1 Part Peach Schnapps
2 Part Bourbon
2 Parts OJ
2 Parts (or 3 to taste) Ginger Ale
Learn more about the Krampus or for an even more fun experience, watch The League episode a Krampus Carol.

2. A Password

To make it more interesting, we gave each guest a personalized password (what speakeasy didn't have one?) and asked them to bring an ingredient for one of the above cocktails. The weekend before NYE, we sent curt emails/texts to the guests with their instructions.  For example, we instructed our Fightin' Irish friend that his password was "Roll Tide!" and he was to bring a bottle of Cointreau. Something to note:  if you expect any of your guests to be late or no-shows, give them something easy like champagne, or else you could be waiting a while for that last ingredient. One of our friends acted as bouncer to enforce the password only regulation.

 

3. "Exotic Food"

Back in the 1920's, the U.S. had recently experienced a huge surge of immigrants.  Surprisingly, the "new" and "exotic" foods were from Italy and Asia. To meet this requirement, we had a number of hors d'ouevres, including Taco Dip, a goat cheese log, pepperoni bread, apple upside-down cake, chicken tarragon, and many more.

The goat cheese log: Goat cheese rolled in olive oil,

crushed pistachios and craisins. Super simple yet very satisfying.

One of the most popular dishes was the pepperoni bread.  The recipe follows:

Pepperoni Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

3/4 package pepperoni slides per loaf

1/4 cup olive oil

1 pizza dough loaf (can be found in local grocery store freezer section with other ready-bake items)

Italian seasoning, such as oregano, basil, etc.

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Pour olive oil in a bowl and dip your fingers in it for handling the dough.

Roll out pizza dough into a circle or rectangle (depending on the brand you've bought)

Generously disperse shredded mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese and sliced pepperoni.

Season with Italian herbs and seasoning. *This is key for that "pizza" taste.

Roll like a jelly roll - the hardest part is getting it started.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the desired golden color and slice once slightly cooled.

The pepperoni bread before I rolled it.

4. Attire

We also asked guests to dress in black and white cocktail / deco 1920's garb - whatever that meant to them. Some people went very gangster.  Others just did all black.  While others wore 3-piece pinstripe suits with vests, hats, and guns. The main point is that people were happy and comfortable. I opted to wear a cocktail, a feather boa that shed everywhere, and fake eyelashes.

I will not be showing pictures as we had all been enjoyed requirement #1 too much and the pictures just didn't. . . turn out.

Notes:

Because we had so many cocktails and different foods available, I also made cards for each drink instructing guests on how to mix their drinks. Big Spoon and I could have served as the bar tenders, but that would have meant we were mixing all night and never enjoying - and where's the celebration in that?

Definitely be careful who you assign to what cocktail ingredient.  I cannot stress the importance of thinking through who will come through for you.  Also, some cocktail ingredients are harder to come by than others.  Cherry Heering was completely sold out in VA but MD residents were able to find it.


How did you celebrate New Year's or what did you do for your 1920's themed party?