There’s a quote from the 1990s film Mermaids about cocktail food that never fails to makes me smile. Rachel Flax (played by Cher) is an unconventional, embarrassingly sexy single mother of two headstrong girls, living in a conservative Massachusetts town. Her teenage daughter, Charlotte (played by Winona Ryder) describes Mrs Flax like this to one of her mother’s potential boyfriends: “…..a word on Mrs. Flax and food, the word is hors d’oeuvres. Fun Finger Foods are her main source book and that’s all the woman cooks. Anything else, she says, is too much of a commitment.”
That may not be as crazy as it sounds. I get asked all the time if cocktail food is going to be enough to satisfy hungry guests, particularly when the function is in the late afternoon or evening and alcohol is being served. How many times have you attended a cocktail party when the trays of drinks are brought around more frequently than trays of food?
There are various subliminal signals an invited guest receives about whether or not there’ll be enough to eat – such as the timing of the event, for example. A 5.30 to 7.00pm timeframe definitely indicates that this is technically a ‘cocktail’ function with a drink or two and a nibble on offer, as opposed to a meal. You’d expect that guests would heed that signal and limit their alcohol intake at such a function, knowing there won’t be too much in the way of food. But how often does that not turn out to be the case?
My view as a gourmet caterer is that if you are serving alcohol you need to vary your cocktail menu to include some substantial items in addition to the light nibbly pieces. This can be done very easily and cost effectively with items like:
- Cocktail sandwiches
- Chicken tandoori or vegetarian skewers with bocconcini, tomato, spinach leaves and olives
- Mini quiches or tartlets
- On the sweet side almond cake and ricotta cheesecake slices are light yet filling so guests are able to balance their food and alcohol intake.
You don’t have to put on a full meal for your guests just because you’re serving alcohol – a clever selection of light items and more substantial cocktail food will do the trick. You will have done your part as a responsible event host/hostess and no one will ever suspect that you may, like Mrs Flax, feel that a full meal is too much of a commitment.
Yours in good food and great events.
Kellee
Call Kellee : 0412 577 323
Email Kellee : kellee@thebreadboard.com.au
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