I hate surprise parties, but the difference between a good party and a great party is the element of surprise. If you think back to your own experience, the most memorable parties will be those where something unexpected happened or when you saw something you had never seen before. The trick to creating a memorable evening is to create the unexpected.
Recently, I hosted a small engagement party for my niece. I wanted a “wow” factor and decided to create after-dinner liqueur shots to serve with my desserts. I enlisted my friend Julie, who is a party planner, to help me buy some votive candle holders to serve the shots. I had no idea what was in store.
We went to the marketplace and quickly found the votives. “These will be perfect,” I told her.
She looked at them thoughtfully, then asked, “So, where are you going to put them?”
“On the table,” I told her.
“Just on the table?”
“Unless you have a better idea.”
She picked up a mirror, “You could put them on these,” she said. I took a few mirrors and added them to my cart. She looked again, “But do you want them just flat on the table?”
“Apparently not?”
Next thing I knew, not only were they not flat on the table, but they were glow-in-the-dark. The result was stunning.
At the party, I filled up my votives, topped them with whipped cream, and set them out on the table near the votives and flowers. I could hear the gasps as people came into the room for dessert. Within a few minutes, people were licking their lips and all of the shots were gone.
Perhaps no one was more surprised than me!
Below is the recipe for my homemade Irish Cream (which, incidentally, makes a fabulous holiday gift). My shots that evening consisted of the recipe below added to homemade Kahlua, Pearl Vodka’s new Wedding Cake Vodka, Godiva’s White Chocolate Liqueur, and Butterscotch Schnapps. I mixed different liqueurs into votives then topped with some milk and whipped cream. They all mix well together so you really can’t go wrong. For a white wedding cake shot, I mixed the Pearl Vodka and Godiva, then topped with whipped cream. It looked and tasted like a wedding cake.
Homemade Irish Cream
1 cup half and half
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 cups Irish Whiskey
1 tsp. instant coffee
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix together in a blender for about 30 seconds. Refrigerate in an airtight container. Shake well before serving.
