Tropical tastes, sounds and activities make the party enjoyable!
Tropical parties are entertaining, but they can get expensive very quickly. Catering the party yourself is a good way to keep costs down, but remember that catering involves more than just providing food. Catering means taking care of all the details of the party, which involves a lot of planning. Making decisions in advance saves time, money and energy. A big secret to a successful party is to do as much as possible ahead of time, so when party day comes everything runs smoothly. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Tropical Party
1. Decorate. Set up the tables, chairs and all the decorations the day before the party so that the day of the party is open for picking up food, cooking and other preparations. A tropical-themed party should have decor such as tropical flowers, bright colors and seashells. Start by using bright orange tablecloths. Use seashells or tropical fruit arrangements as centerpieces. Instead of using a linen skirt for the buffet table, use a fake grass skirt. If the party is outdoors, line the perimeter of the area with tiki torches. Set up the plates, silverware and glasses the day of the party.
2. Prepare the food. Cook at least one entree, two side dishes and one dessert. Entree choices for a tropical party include roasted pig, pork and pineapple shish kebabs or grilled mahimahi. Tropical fruit such as pineapple, guava and mangoes make an appropriate side dish, as do rice, kimchi or noodles. For dessert, offer coconut cake, rum cake or banana cake. In some instances, it's less expensive to buy prepared food than it is to make it from scratch. Do as much ahead of time as possible, so the only thing actually cooked during the party is the entree. Keep food warm during the party with the chafing dishes.
3. Make drinks. Blue Curacao and rum are the best-known tropical liquors and make excellent drink choices for a tropical party. Make a punchbowl of Blue Whales (half blue Curacao and half lemonade) and a pitcher of fruity daiquiris to get the party going once your guests have arrived. Not everyone likes mixed drinks, so you should also provide a tropical beer, such as Red Stripe. Lastly, have some nonalcoholic drink choices, such as tropical punch or soda pop, available for non-drinkers.
4. Set the tone. Great atmosphere, great food, great drinks, great fun! Turn up some calypso music to get the party going. Other music options include steel drum bands, reggae and ska. Turn up some Bob Marley, Ricky Martin or Harry Belafonte to set the tropical mood. Hand out leis as your guest arrive, and plan to have hula dance-offs and limbo contests. If the party is outdoors, light a bonfire to set the mood.
Tags: ahead time, choices tropical, choices tropical party, drink choices, during party