party Archives

Fun New Year’s Eve Drink Recipes

Posted on December 19, 2022December 15, 2022 Lacey Spear

Four cocktails of different sizes in front of festive decorations. — Photo Courtesy of TasteMade

Although it’s fun to make cocktails (or mocktails) for any event, New Year’s garners a certain level of sophistication. Especially when you pair this holiday with the lake, you are in for a classy and cozy evening. You and your guests can cheers to the coming year in style with these fun New Year’s Eve drink recipes!

New Year’s Sparkler

Red drink in champagne flute with skewered raspberries. — Photo Courtesy of Tim Nusog | Liquor.com

The New Year’s Eve Sparkler brings the sizzle of the holiday season to your taste buds. Berry-infused vodka, sweet pomegranate juice, chilled Champagne, and succulent raspberries make every sip a special occasion.

Ingredients (for one cocktail):

1 ounce of berry-flavored vodka
1 1/2 ounces of pomegranate or cranberry juice
3 1/2 ounces of Champagne, chilled, to top
Garnish: skewered raspberries

Directions: Mix the vodka and juice in a chilled Champagne flute. Top with Champagne and garnish with raspberries. Cheers!

Tips: If you’re looking for berry-flavored vodka, Wild Roots, Ciroc, Finlandia, and Grey Goose are excellent options. Or, if you want to infuse your own, you can place berries in the liquor and store it in a cool, dark place for a day or two. And regarding the Champagne—you might want to save your expensive bottle for toasting since you will only be using it to top this cocktail. Just make sure to avoid the sweet varieties and buy dry Champagne.

Mocktail Version: To make a New Year’s Eve Sparkler Mocktail, you can leave out the vodka and include sparkling water—such as Perrier—instead of the Champagne.

For more details and recipes, visit Liquor.com

Hot Buttered Rum with Cider

Frothy buttered rum cocktails in mugs topped with cinnamon. — Photo Courtesy of The Roasted Root

If you want to keep warm by your lake home fire pit, this Hot Buttered Rum with Cider is the cocktail for you. Plus, it’s paleo-friendly, dairy-free, and sugar-free, so it’s perfect for those trying to stay healthy during the holidays. But don’t let all the freebies fool you—this cocktail is rich, creamy, and delicious!

Ingredients (for six cocktails):

3 cups unfiltered apple cider
4 tablespoons salted grass-fed butter or more to taste
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/4 cups dark golden rum
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)

Directions: Add the apple cider, butter, and cinnamon stick to a pot and bring to a boil. Whisk until frothy. Remove from the heat, add the rum, and serve hot.

Tips: If you want an extra frothy cocktail, add the liquid to a blender after combining all ingredients. Make sure to leave a small opening at the top of your blender to release heat.

Mocktail Version: To make the mocktail, leave out the rum. You can add molasses to maintain the flavor dark rum provides, but note that the cocktail will no longer be sugar-free.

For more information and healthy recipes, visit The Roasted Root.

French 77

Filled with sparkling goodness and biting lemon, the French 75 is a New Year’s Eve classic. But what if you want to try new things in the coming year? Out with the old, in with the new—this French 77 takes the 75 up a couple of notches.

Ingredients (for two cocktails):

3 ounces elderflower liqueur
1 ounce gin
1 ounce lemon juice
4 ounces sparkling wine

Directions: Combine elderflower liqueur, gin, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake for 30 seconds. Strain into two 6-ounce glasses. Top each glass with 2 ounces of sparkling wine, garnish with lemon, and enjoy!

Tips: The great thing about this recipe is that you can make the elderflower liqueur, gin, and lemon juice mix ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Then, when your guests arrive, all you have to do is shake it up and top it with sparkling wine.

Mocktail Version: Use elderflower syrup instead of elderflower liqueur and replace the gin and sparkling wine with tonic or sparkling water.

For more fun New Year’s Eve drink recipes, visit Cup of Zest.

Cranberry Martini

Crantinis beside sugared cranberries and orange slices. — Photo Courtesy of Taste of Homemade

It’s hard to imagine the holiday season without cranberries. Made with fresh juice, quality vodka, refreshing orange liqueur, and festive sugared cranberries, this Crantini pairs perfectly with a classy New Year’s evening. Plus, it’s super easy to prepare.

Ingredients (for two cocktails):

3 ounces Vodka
1 ounce Orange liqueur (Triple Sec or Cointreau)
1.5 ounces of simple syrup
3 ounces cranberry juice
6-7 ice cubes
Sugared cranberries for garnish, optional
Sugar, for glass rims

Directions: Fill the martini shaker with ice. Then pour the vodka, orange liqueur, simple syrup, and cranberry juice over the ice. Shake for 20-30 seconds and pour into martini glasses rimmed with sugar. Garnish with sugared cranberries or orange slices.

Tips: If you prefer gin, you can substitute it for vodka. Also, if you are short on time, you can make this cocktail in advance and simply shake it with ice before serving.

Mocktail Version: For the vodka, you can substitute non-alcoholic vodka, spicy ginger soda, or apple cider vinegar. Squeeze a slice of orange into the cocktail to replace the orange liqueur.

For more information and recipes, visit Taste of Homemade.

Coffee Old-Fashioned

The beloved Old-Fashioned adds an air of elegance to New Year’s Eve. By incorporating a kick of caffeine, this Coffee Old-Fashioned takes the standard cocktail up a notch. If you’re not a night person and need a boost on New Year’s Eve, this drink is for you.

Ingredients (for one cocktail):

2 ounces rye whiskey
1/2 ounce coffee liqueur
3-4 dashes of orange bitters
Orange peel for garnish

Directions: Add whiskey, coffee liqueur, and bitters to a glass with ice. Stir and mix until chilled. Squeeze oils from the orange peel before adding the peel to the glass.

Mocktail Version: You can replace the whiskey with non-alcoholic whiskey or strong-brewed barley tea. You can substitute the coffee liqueur for a non-alcoholic version.

We hope these fun New Year’s Eve drink recipes enhance your cozy evening at your lake home. Cheers to the lake, and Happy New Year from Lake Homes Lifestyles!

Tips for Hosting a New Year’s Eve Party at Your Lake House

Posted on December 16, 2022January 26, 2023 Lacey Spear

Fireworks over the lake at night as a crowd of people watch from the dock. — Photo Courtesy of Shutterstock | Danny Iacob

Contributing Author: Holly Dunn

With the new year comes the promise of hope, growth, and prosperity, it’s exciting to celebrate with your loved ones as the clock ticks toward midnight. Whether you’re looking for a laidback evening or an elegant cocktail hour, we’re here to give you the best tips for hosting your New Year’s Eve party. Featuring the picturesque backdrop of the lake, your celebration is sure to be remembered for years to come!

Setting the Scene

Table setting for a New Year's Eve party, complete with clock décor, gold cups, greenery, and silverware. — Photo Courtesy of Cottages & Bungalows

When you’re hosting a New Year’s party with a background as stunning as the lake, you want to think classy and chic. Although this holiday centers around time, your decor should emanate timelessness. To accomplish this ambiance, incorporate a few key items:

Silver and gold: These two colors rule New Year’s Eve decor. Opt for silver and gold plates, cups, centerpieces, balloons, and more. Plus, you can repurpose suitable Christmas decor. If you like leaving your tree up well into January, remove the red ornaments and integrate silver and gold embellishments.
Bar Cart: Your lake home may already have an at-home bar. But if not—or if you’re looking for an extra wow factor—purchase a bar cart. Make sure to select a cart with wheels so that you can move around the room to serve your guests their beverages.
Doorway Decor: Make an impression on your guests right when they enter your lake home. By adding a New Year’s banner or balloons to your entryway, you can enhance the festive spirit of the night.
Fire Pit and Blankets: A New Year’s Eve party at your lake home is not complete without watching fireworks over the lake. Make sure to have a fire crackling and plenty of warm blankets if you venture outside with your guests. Sparklers can also be a fun activity for the party’s outside portion.

Firepit by lake with a sunset in the background. — Photo Courtesy of Wolf Cove Inn

Cocktails and Mocktails

New Year's Eve cocktails on a festive plate with glittery sugar around the rims. — Photo Courtesy of The Effortless Chic

When you think of New Year’s Eve, you probably imagine fireworks, friends, and of course, drinks to toast the new year. In addition to Champagne, Chocolate Martinis, French 75s, Old-Fashioneds, Cranberry Mimosas, and Moscow Mules pair well with a New Year’s theme. Additionally, you can use unique ice molds to create circular, star, diamond, or large square cubes. If you want to add some extra flavor to these cubes, you can freeze fresh fruit and herbs inside.

Large holiday ice cubes with cranberries and rosemary frozen in them. — Photo Courtesy of KrazyKitchenMom.com

You might also want to have a few mocktails available. Vice President of Market Operations at Bellhop, Nick Valentino, suggests “offering non-alcoholic options for designated drivers and those who don’t drink” to make everyone feel included. Additionally, at events like this, it isn’t uncommon for a few guests to spill their beverage or crack the glassware entirely. To remedy this, we suggest using Gov i no’s shatterproof wine glasses. Whether you choose to offer these as a party favor or reuse them for celebrations yet to come, you won’t have to clean up the shattered glass at the end of the evening.

Festive Snacks and Hors D’oeuvres

And while everyone is sipping away at your delicious cocktails and mocktails, don’t forget to set out some delectable snacks and hors d’oeuvres. Although some may wish to prepare a formal dinner, many New Year’s Eve hosts prefer concocting an assortment of snacks. Appetizers and hors d’oeuvres grant an air of elegant convenience to your party—especially if your guests are moving between the indoor scene and the lakeside fire pit.

We also recommend preparing a mixture of sweet and savory snacks. Taste of Home‘s list of 40 New Year’s Eve appetizers features Swiss Sweet Potato Puffs, Mini Fruitcakes, Toasted Ravioli, Holiday Meringues, Mini Cheeseballs, and more. These snacks are rich and filling but also easy to grab and take to the patio of your lake home.

Photo Courtesy of Our Love Language is Food

You may also consider combining these snacks to craft a classy charcuterie board for your festive New Year’s evening. To add a special touch, you can even use fruit, cheese, crackers, and other items to spell out the coming year!

Three, Two, One…Happy New Year!

Hands clinking glasses of champagne together with sparklers in the frame. — Photo Courtesy of Living Tours

At Lake Homes Lifestyles, we believe that any celebration can be amplified by the lake lifestyle. With these tips, you can host a New Year’s Eve party that your guests will remember fondly in the years to come.

From our lake home to yours, Happy New Year!

How to Host the Perfect Dinner Party: Part I

Posted on August 17, 2018June 5, 2019 Staff

At first glance, the concept of a dinner party seems exciting: good food and drinks, great friends and even better conversation. However, there’s a lot of behind the scenes work required to make those fabulous evenings a reality.

It isn’t easy determining a budget, figuring out a guest list or designing invitations, all weeks in advance.

Putting together a picture-perfect dinner party at your lake home can be a daunting task for those who aren’t properly prepared. So we’ve created a 3-part series of easy-to-follow guides to help you achieve your most memorable, fun-filled soirée yet.

Here are some pro tips on preparation to make sure everything goes as smooth as possible.

The Preparation

Buy a fancy planner, set reminders in your phone, place sticky notes on every flat surface in your house–however you choose to go about it, planning and organization are the keys to a successful night.

Start early and finish often.

Make small steps toward preparation in the weeks leading up to your event, giving yourself plenty of time for each task. This will not only keep you on track, but save you from feeling overwhelmed at the last minute.

The Budget

This is a big deal. Before you get all excited and tunnel-visioned about what you want, it’s imperative to make sure it’s within the bounds of financial comfort.

Can you afford to feed 30 people steaks, shrimp and champagne? Are you planning on springing for live music, or doing cute little party favors for each guest?

A smart budget is a great place to start the planning process. Whether your cap is $200 or $2,000, knowing exactly how much you feel comfortable spending and planning everything around that number is essential.

The Guest List

Now that you know what you’re working with, determine a guest list.

A dinner party is a great way to acquaint new people and initiate lasting relationships. When figuring out who’ll receive an invitation, there are some things to consider:

How many people are you planning to invite, and is there enough room to comfortably seat everyone?
Are you able to prepare enough food for eight, 12 or 25 people?
Do your work associates have anything in common with your childhood best friends?

Perhaps more important than “how many”, who you allow to wine and dine with you can make or break the evening.

Is there anyone on your list who is notorious for causing problems? Who’s that one friend who can turn anything into an argument? Think about replacing them with the person who loves to make everyone laugh, and then sit the comedian next to the friend who never runs out of things to talk about.

The company you keep is a key ingredient for an awesome night.

The Invitations

Invitations mark the difference between a regular dinner and a dinner party.

You’ll want to send them out as soon as the guest list is done, so at least one month, but no later than two weeks, in advance of the date. This gives friends and family time to adjust their calendars and increases the chances of a good turnout.

A well-rounded invitation should include the following:

the time and date
location address
party theme or dress code (if there is one)
your phone number and/or email
the RSVP deadline, which should be at least one week before the event’s date.

It’s also nice to ask guests to include any dietary restrictions with their RSVP.

The invitation design should reflect the aesthetic of the evening (see How to Host the Perfect Dinner Party: Part II here) and the level of formality you’re hoping to achieve. If the vibe is more relaxed, e-vites, a Facebook event, or a descriptive text message will do just fine. For a formal evening, go for handwritten or printed invites via snail mail.

Taking the time out to send individual invitations is evidence of effort and shows a statement of intent. Your guests will appreciate it.

That wraps up the preparation phase.

Now that you know how much to spend and who to invite, we can move on to the fun part: planning the party! In Part II of the series, we will go over how to create your desired atmosphere and plan a stellar menu that guests will love.

5 Tips on Hosting for the Holidays

Posted on December 15, 2017June 6, 2019 Staff

Getting ready for the holidays can be fun, but it can also become stressful if you have too much on your mind.

Whether you plan to throw a family party, or just have the house become more festive for sporadic guests who tend to “pop in” to spread a little holiday cheer, there are some things you’ll want to consider when hosting for the holidays.

1. Look ahead and be prepared

If you are hosting the biggest holiday bash or waiting for friends and family to pop in, it’s best to get an idea of what to expect. For the more formal parties, make sure to create a guest list.

If you’re only expecting Aunt Peggy and Uncle Bob to make an appearance to your house, and maybe you heard that your long lost sister from the other side of the country is going to be in town, keep a running a list of all your “potentials”.

This will give you a running tally so you are more prepared. It’s better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.

2. Take inventory, buy items early, and stock up

Whether you are preparing for the entire family to come to the house or just a few people, begin buying the things you need early, especially specialty items. During the holiday season you’d be surprised how many people are looking for the same items you are. Get it early.

If you know many of your guests drink wine, order the bottles well in advance. There is no better feeling than knowing you have everything you need to enjoy the holidays before they actually happen. This includes buying your turkey early.

If you plan to do any cooking, make sure you have all the necessary pots and cutlery. Nothing worse than having to head to the store in the middle of the night so you can buy the proper size pan to cook that fancy dish.

3. Clear Clutter and Rearrange

Free up coat racks, closets, shoe racks, etc, so guests can have first dibs. It’s fine to keep your winter boots, a coat, hat, and scarf placed by the door but take all the extras that collected there over the past year to another closet. Last thing you want to do is be running around making room for guests to hang their winter stuff.

If you are planning a party, this will become even more important. You may need to designate an area to drape dozens of coats if it becomes a big group.

4. Prepare for seating

Of course this will be more important for hosting large numbers of guests, but even if you are expecting friends to occasionally pop-in, make sure there is enough seating that is comfortable.

Often times this is overlooked and it’s easy to make guests feel like they are intruding by making them stand while you shuffle clutter off the old sofa and shove everything in the back of a closet. If you are hosting a meal, make sure you have enough seats and eating spots.

5. Think safety

Lastly, think about safety issues. Again, hosting a large crowd can become a liability but it’s never a bad time to think about safety even if it’s just a few of you. For instance, keep cleaning products in the bathroom out of reach of children.

Keep glassware and fragile knickknacks safely pushed back from any edges and are away from harming anyone. It’s also pretty to show-off your festive candles but make sure they are situated in safe areas.

But most importantly, leave room to have fun!

For more tips about celebrating the holidays at your lake home, read our “Tips for Celebrating Christmas on the Lake” article.

Lake Home Parties – Tips for Creating an Unforgettable Experience

Posted on August 12, 2016June 6, 2019 Staff

A fun lake home party is not stressful when you organize, plan and prepare properly. Parties at the lake can create unforgettable memories for family and friend when you plan appropriately.

Prior to Party Prep

Pick a party theme that correlates with the special occasion or time of year. Set a date and time for your guests.

To ensure optimal attendance send out a ‘Save the Date’ message via text, Facebook, and/or email as soon as the date is set.

If you are having a birthday party pick an age appropriate theme that the guests of honor chooses.

If you are having a party for another occasion, do your best to pick a fun, colorful theme that correlates well with the dreamy lifestyle of lake home living.

Lake Home Party

Some parties require games and expensive rental equipment for guests entertainment.

A great lake home party will allow guests to enjoy swimming, boating, skiing, floating, paddling, sunning and any other sports the hosts already own equipment for.

Decoration Preparation

At lake home parties the main goals are spending time together and making memories while soaking in the sun and enjoying aquatic sports.

Keep decorations simple ~ the lake is picturesque enough. Take advantage of the view and let your lake home create the dream party.

Allow the scenery to naturally relax your guests and promote lake life conversations on the wonders of the lake.

Food Preparation

Unless you plan to spend your time maintaining food and refreshment areas be sure to prepare foods that take little to no attention after preparation.

One easy idea is a crock pot full of hot dogs. Simply add water, heat the dogs then turn the slow cooker to the keep warm setting when they are hot. Keep a cooler nearby with condiments for the dogs.

Single serving bags of chips and other easy single serving snacks will not consume your time during the party.

Have a few coolers with a variety of can drinks and make sure there is plenty of bottled water.

Be sure to have paper plates, napkins, plastic utensils and trash cans in a few places to decrease clean up time later.

On the Eve of the Party

Make sure to have everything you need so that you can start preparing for your guest arrival. If you have decorations, start hanging them the night before.

If you are making specialty drinks or foods make them the night before the party so you do not feel rushed the day of.

Do everything you can the night before so that you can spend time being a host to your guests rather than their cook or waitress.

Lake Home Parties Safety

To be sure everyone stays safe while having fun always have enough life vest and other required safety equipment. Lake Homes Realty has numerous safety articles you can read for more information on keeping your guests safe.

And if there’s a chance the party might last through the night, check out our “Lake Home Guests – Invite the Family for Extended Stays and Be Prepared” story for more advice!

Relax, have fun and take a lot of pictures to remember your lake home party fun!

Creating a Space for Entertaining in Your Basement

Posted on October 1, 2015June 6, 2019 Staff

Many times the basement is reserved purely for storage and keeping things that you don’t want seen- your boxes, old furniture, pictures and keepsakes.

It can be such a waste that a space with such potential is being misused in such a way. Read on for ways to use your basement as more than just an over blown closet!

What constitutes a basement?

This is not a five-by-five room at the bottom of a ladder you hide under the floorboards, this is an open area underneath your home that has a large amount of space.

The ceiling height is also important.

There’s often not enough ceiling space to really be worth your time in many basements, and those basements that are too small or claustrophobic aren’t worth the work to overhaul

If that’s the case, go ahead and have your extra storage space- there aren’t many better uses.

Alright, you have a spacious basement- now what?

Basement spaces are very good for use as other things than a storage space.

Gaming setups, advanced entertainment systems, pool tables and other such things that don’t really belong in more standard living room or study space can be incorporated in a basement entertaining area.

This extra room allows for more flexibility in entertainment choices.

Furthermore, often, you can place tables and chairs randomly about a basement, to help with serving food and drink, to add a better atmosphere and to provide seating.

A space that feels dedicated to relaxation and letting your hair down lends itself to parties much better- people feel comfortable and like this is a place where they more or less belong.

Maintenance and upkeep of your dedicated relaxation space.

It’s important to keep the place clean and put together.

Make sure that things stay relatively spaced out, so there’s room to move around and socialize, and also room to relax.

Keep the floor cleared up, and make sure that everything is clean.

Cleanliness is incredibly important to the feel of a place, the atmosphere a particular room has and the feel of a party.

And that’s really it! Stock it how you will, and ensure there’s plenty of room for your guests to have fun.