Host a Charming Backyard Summer Party

Backyard Summer Party

As a busy society, we always on the “go go go”, and one of the things I’ve noticed is that we often promise to get together with friends yet these impromptu, casual gatherings are always the first to drop off our ever-growing to-do lists.  I’m guilty of this as well.

All of this to say that I want to show you a few tips for effortless summer entertaining with ideas you can pull together at the last-minute, no matter how busy you are.

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Creating a gorgeous backyard summer party is just a series of a few simple steps. You can easily design a beautiful presentation along with delicious drinks and food all without running dozens of errands. Let’s chat details! First up, I don’t know about you, but I always think about food and drinks when it comes to dinner parties.

One of my go-to suggestions is keeping your house stocked with a few fabulous beverages during the summer season. Bundaberg Ginger Beer is one of my new favorites not only because it’s the perfect cocktail mixer but also because it can be enjoyed on its own or in mocktails so all my guests are covered. Bundaberg Ginger Beer is a family recipe that’s been handed down from generation to generation and uses locally grown ginger and sugarcane; the subtropical soils of Queensland on Australia’s east coast are perfect for growing ginger and sugarcane. Bundaberg even has its own ginger farm, isn’t that neat? They carefully craft-brew their Bundaberg Ginger Beer over three days to achieve the perfect taste. Now, I think I need to take a little trip to Australia!

I’m sharing a delicious grapefruit ginger sparkler recipe made with Bundaberg Ginger Beer below. You can easily convert it to a mocktail by leaving out the rum.

Print Recipe

Grapefruit Ginger Sparkler

Prep Time

5 mins

Total Time

5 mins

 

 

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 4 ounces Bundaberg Ginger Beer
• 2 ounces rum
• 3 ounces ruby red grapefruit juice
• ice
• grapefruit garnish

Instructions

1. Fill a glass with ice. Pour in Bundaberg Ginger Beer, rum, and grapefruit juice. Stir to combine and garnish with a grapefruit slice. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Just a note to say that Bundaberg has some amazing flavors like peach, guava, and blood orange to try in addition to their ginger beer. There are 8 flavors in the full line in the US (Diet Ginger Beer, Root Beer, Lemon Lime & Bitters which uses real herbs and tropical spices, Blood Orange, Guava, Pink Grapefruit, and Peach which are brewed from real ingredients. You’ll spot them on my table (tip: use a pretty bowl as an impromptu ice bucket). All of the drinks are non-alcoholic, and they are perfect as a craft beverage or a premium craft mixer!

Next up is food. I love to serve dinner in casual “build your own” style because it simply requires me to plate all the meal elements (or fajitas, burgers, etc) and allow my guests build their own perfect dinner. Pull out your largest platters or serving dishes and line up little bowls of salsas, lettuce, cheeses, vegetables, meats, and garnishes. I love the family style feel to dinner and it always encourages guests to get to know each other.

To save time, I always pull out these serving dishes the night before my party and line it all up so it’s prepped and ready for food leading up to the party.

Creating a beautiful presentation is easier than you think with a few little tips and tricks. First of all, unless lots of little ones are present, don’t be afraid to use your “nice dishes” at your summer parties. We save them for special occasions and this is the perfect example of one so take them right outside on your outdoor dining table. If you don’t have an outdoor dining table, take a table from inside out, there are no rules! Next up, I love to layer a simple white salad plate atop a colorful dinner plate. Be on the lookout for bright, festive colors like coral and aqua.

Print off menus to give your party a fancy touch without much effort. You can simply create it online or in an editing software and print away on a cardstock paper. Tuck a little greenery beside each guest’s plate.  As for flowers, I grabbed a few from my grocery store while grabbing food and visiting one other florist for a few more. That’s just two stops to pull together everything I needed for this party. I used extra sliced fruit and florals to decorate my table and create a charming setting.

So set the table, grab your friends, and host a charming backyard summer party!

For more party ideas, check out these favorites below!

• 18 Healthy Appetizers for Your Next Party
• 5 Spicy Cocktails for the Summer
• Stuffed Mini Peppers

Thanks to Bundaberg Brewed Drinks for sponsoring this post.