Dinner Party Cocktails - what would you bring/serve?

Hello all,

I'm a first-time poster but a LONG time lurker and hoping that the collective wisdom of this group can help me out (as it has in the past, just as a reader!)

For a pot-luck dinner party (12 people) this coming Friday, my role is "beverages." Main course is said to be lasagna, so I'm set with wine for that portion (but would always welcome suggestions!). Following the dinner, I have a bottle of Limoncello that has been waiting for just such an occasion.

My problem is the "appetizer" or "pre-dinner" portion of the evening. I have NO idea what will be presented as a first course , so I'm looking for something that will be generally appealing as a sipping beverage. (This is a group that gets together infrequently, so I anticipate a good hour and a half before we actually sit to eat.) The catch is that this is someone else's home; easy preparation is a key, as is a relatively limited quantity of ingredients (I don't want to have to stock a bar to create this drink.) Perhaps a couple of drinks I can prepare in separate pitchers relatively easily, perhaps a bartend-on-the-spot with limited ingredients (all of which I will need to bring.) I'm open to anything at this point.

Sangria was a thought, but I hesitate to follow sangria with quality wine at dinner. Beer was a thought, but I'm thinking I can be more creative...and thus I arrive at LTH, looking for inspiring ideas!

I've read the "pitcher at my cocktail party" thread, and while it helps for summer, it doesn't have an early-fall-cold-outside flavor. Thanks for any assistance!

- JTS

Easy answer:

White Lillet, served chilled on the rocks with a slice of orange.

Lillet is a fortified white wine aperitif from Bordeaux, some say a form of vermouth, slightly citrusy and tasting of spice (not entirely unlike Sangria, except white), with a reputation for sophistication belied by its fairly modest price ($16.99/bottle at Sam's). James Bond used it when he invented the Vesper martini in Casino Royale (the book as well as the movie), and Hannibal Lecter drank it too, or so Wikipedia claims.

Here's a slightly fancier variation:

http://www.gumbopages.com/food/beverage ... ktail.html

Gloria Ferrer, Blanc de Noirs would be my choice for pre-dinner drinks
that can play very nice with many first courses

a wonderful sparkling wine produced using the Methode Champenoise
Just don't call it Champagne! and it's not too spendy (around $12 to $16)

If you want to dress it up you can make a Kir Royale, with creme de cassis and Champagne use about 5 parts sparkling wine and one part creme de cassis

I agree with the recommendation of Gloria Ferrer. Another option, with the cool weather might be a mug of Glogg or warm cider to warm everyone up on their way in. I'd bring it over in a thermos and pour it into a crockpot for serving.

If your theme is Italian, you could also try the Prosecco sparkling wine.

PS After dinner, as a back up, you could try Moscato d'Asti instead of the Limoncello. Or give people a choice. The Moscato d'Asti wine always blows the socks off people who haven't had it yet. It's also lower in alcohol (only 5-6%) so you won't have people turn you down as they might with "shots" of limoncello. You know some people are.

mhill95149 wrote:If you want to dress it up you can make a Kir Royale, with creme de cassis and Champagne use about 5 parts sparkling wine and one part creme de cassis

I'll second the idea of a sparkling wine as a first course apperitiv.
But your post brings to mind a party I went to several years ago, when I brought a magnum of vintage Drappier Carte d'Or Brut. The host was excited to see it, and immediately offered everyone a Kir Royale, pouring creme de cassis into it as if it were a bottle of Andre or Totts. I passed on having the creme de cassis added to my glass, but I think I was the only one who did. And, of course, I never took a decent bottle of champagne to their house again.

nr706 wrote:

mhill95149 wrote:If you want to dress it up you can make a Kir Royale, with creme de cassis and Champagne use about 5 parts sparkling wine and one part creme de cassis

I'll second the idea of a sparkling wine as a first course apperitiv.
But your post brings to mind a party I went to several years ago, when I brought a magnum of vintage Drappier Carte d'Or Brut. The host was excited to see it, and immediately offered everyone a Kir Royale, pouring creme de cassis into it as if it were a bottle of Andre or Totts. I passed on having the creme de cassis added to my glass, but I think I was the only one who did. And, of course, I never took a decent bottle of champagne to their house again.

You must be much nicer than me.... I would have yanked the bottle of cassis
out of the hosts hands and dumped it down the drain....

I've been liking the Spanish "cava" sparklers. They are dirt cheap, but amazingly complex, with very distinct flavor profiles. I recently had the Cristalino Brut with a raw salmon appetizer. It was a surprisingly nice pairing, considering the wine is only $7 at Binnys.