It’s been a while since we’ve had a party, and we’re excited to have some friends over for an evening of jazz, chocolate fondue, and Tiki Lounge Conversations.
The hardest part about hosting a party is cleaning the house. We have a LOT of collectibles and furniture (What is the opposite of minimalist? Us). But we’ve cleaned and dusted from stem to stern. Out Tiki Bar is on the lanai, which is technically outside (although in Florida the line between inside your home and outside becomes very blurry, especially after the 3rd Mai Tai). So I had to dust off all the bottles, at least the ones that get the least amount of use, wipe everything down, and put everything in ‘party order’ (meaning vodka and tequila up front).
It’s 3pm, and everything is almost ready. The bar is set up. The house is clean. The party doesn’t start until 8:30, so we’ve got hours to rest before the guests arrive.
Tonight, the house will be lit low, the ceiling fan lights dimmed, red and blue mood lighting lit. A few apple-cinnamon scented candles will give a nice glow, but the atmosphere will be very intimate. The Tiki Bar will be lit in black light only; the Tiki masks and the bar itself are accented with ultraviolet paints, glowing green, magenta, yellow and blue. Behind the bar, rattan backdrops are painted with images of cocktails, palms, etc. in a very ’50s style, with the same UV paints. Five CDs of Jazz standards, mostly ’50s and ’60s recordings by Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Sonny Stitt, Oscar Peterson and others, will create the background trac to tonight’s swaree. A chocolate fondue fountain, with strawberries, bananas and pound cake to dip will serve as the main treats. Tonight’s featured Cocktail is the Banana Banshee…dark rum, creme de banana, creme de cocao, vanilla ice cream and coconut milk. Now all we need are the guests <:-}