Old Timey Party w/Detroit Saloon League

Back in August, Mike D and I hosted an old timey themed soiree, which was the most glamorous party in the history of time.

I’m pretty sure.

And yeah, I’m a leeeetle late in posting this, but better late than never right?

As I’ve mentioned before, I was recently handed down an assortment of antique serveware, drinkware, and barware that originally belonged to my grandparents, so we decided it was a good excuse to throw a shindig and put all that great stuff to use.

Conveniently, two of our good friends, Dennis & Daniel, are craft cocktail extraordinaires so we hired them to provide the libations for the party.

Spoiler alert – THEY KILLED IT.

After sending them our budget and an estimated number of guests, they devised a proposal for 3 cocktail options and a punch. The proposal outlined all of the itemized expenses and detailed what they would be responsible for bringing the day of the party, which was almost everything- the booze, syrups, ingredients, glasses, and ice. The only things we needed to supply were clear punch cups, a punch bowl, cocktail straws, and space in the kitchen near the sink to set up their drink station. Also included in the proposal were several other options/recommendations with price breakdowns in case we wanted to increase or decrease the budget, which was very helpful. Once we finalized the plan over email, I designed the drink menu in photoshop.

I printed out several copies on 5 by 7 card stock, inked the edges to make them look aged, and dispersed them throughout the house for guests to peruse.

If anyone is wondering, the font I used is Bellerose which reminded me of silent film title cards.

The spirits, and believe me I tried them all, were OUTSTANDING. Dennis & Daniel truly have a passion for the art of craft cocktails and it shows in the quality of each and every drink. Everyone was pretty much gushing over the drinks all night.

No theme party is complete without a soundtrack, and long have I pined for a reason to make an old timey playlist. I have a huge collection of old music from the 1920’s through the 1960’s on vinyl, however a few days before the party I dropped my record player while rearranging the dining room. Drats! I broke the connector thingy that holds the electrical cord, and despite my efforts, I couldn’t fix it, nor did I have time to have it repaired before the party. So instead I put together an itunes playlist which included Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Patsy Cline, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Chuck Berry, The Andrews Sisters, The Count Basie Orchestra, Hank Williams, Glenn Miller, and much more. I wasn’t shooting for any specific decade as a theme, just an overall swingy old fashioned jazzy vibe. If you want to be technical, that is.

For the hors d’oeuvres I stuck to finger foods, because tiny food served on cocktail picks seems very nostalgic to me. That assumption is likely influenced by having watched both Edward Scissorhands & Mermaids 5,000 times during my childhood.

Sidebar: Does anyone else picture the opening scene of Mermaids (cue to 2:07 mark in that video) every time this song is played on American Horror Story?

EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. Get out of my head Winona!

These mini caprese bites are always a hit and I make them for almost every party. Just buy a package of marinated mozzarella balls, grape tomatoes, and fresh basil leaves. Thread each ingredient through a cocktail pick, drizzle with remaining oil from the container of mozzarella, and you’re done. Badaboom badabing.

Red pepper slices with dollops of hummus.

Italian sausage, spicy pepper jack cheese and green olives (I also made a tray in which I omitted the Italian sausage for my vegetarian friends).

I prepared mini “taco cups” by filling Tostito scoop chips with guacamole, cheese and black olives, but I forgot to take a picture. Here is a similar idea.

The ubiquitous lemon drop candies, which I personally find to be repugnant, but are pretty and remind me of old ladies.

When hosting an old timey party, one would be remiss in not including a tray of cigarettes, because we all know smoking wasn’t dangerous until the late 1970’s. In fact, even today, if you are smoking while pretending to exist in an era prior to 1975, the carcinogens actually have no negative effect on your body.

I hope my hyperbole was not lost on you.

Dennis & Daniel, craft cocktail BROFESSIONALS, in my kitchen doin’ their thang.

Here are some more shots of my extremely good looking friends, being jolly & gay.

Once again I failed at getting photos of half of our guests, the only photo of me is blurry, and I didn’t get a single shot of Mike D in his old timey getup which is a disaster in and of itself. He was very proud of his vest. One of these days I’ll get better, but this time I’ll blame it on the booze.

At least Eleanor Rigby had her shit together.

She entertained our guests with her adorable stage acts such as “watch how I remove all the fuzz from this tennis ball” and “watch me run away with this shoe”.

In summation, it was an incredibly fun night and our favorite party to date. If you’re looking for unique cocktail recipes for your next gathering or tips and techniques for perfecting your craft cocktail skillz, I highly recommend you check out Detroit Saloon League’s blog. Additionally, they can help you devise a unique drink menu for a party or event (hello wedding receptions!) and can even provide full service drink catering like they did for us if you’re located in the Detroit area.

Psst!

I finally made my way through all of the vintage goodness that I recently inherited, and I simply cannot keep it all.

[But I did keep a lot].

The items you see below, and more, are now for sale in my friend Heather’s booth inside The Rustbelt Market in Ferndale. There is much more than what I have pictured below, including some really pretty glass & milk glass decanters. Everyone needs a fancy bar setup in their house, amiright?! So go get you some! The Rustbelt Market is open every Saturday & Sunday from 11am to 7pm. Check their website for extended holiday hours as well. Heather’s booth, where my stuff is being sold, is called Painted Lady Trashions. She’ll take very good care of you.