10 Must-Haves for all Summer Hosts






  1. Havianas Flip-Flops - Brazil perfected a hot-weather standby, appropriate for all levels of parties provided one is dressed accordingly from the ankle up.


  2. New CDs - Cafe Drake needs a rotation of at least four new discs per summer month given our heavy entertaining schedule. This week we're wearing out Mika's Life in Cartoon Motion , Greatest Hits by Eartha Kitt, Nellie McKay's latest double-CD release Pretty Little Head, Feist's brand new The Reminder and the undisputed head female DJ of Planet Earth, Lisa Lashes' ‘Can’t Sleep’, written in homage to those ‘difficult’ hours of the early morning.


  3. A Collection of Rosé Wines - among those currently heaviest imbibed at Cafe Drake include 2004 "Femme Fatale" Bordeaux Rosé, Iron Horse 2006 Rosé de Pinot Noir Sonoma County, CA, and Pink Criquet 2006 Rosé Bordeaux Rosé, France .


  4. Blueberries and Raspberries (see our post below)


  5. Air Conditioning - No party is safe without it. On "High" please, at least 2 hours before guests arrive.


  6. Pet Hair Pick-Up - During this molting season the original design, a roller with double-wide masking tape, is still The Best and absolutely essential for all hosts living with four-legged friends. (And we hope that's most of you, for no houses are homes without an animal).

  7. Good Summer Reading - Because you need something to talk about at dinner . . . even if it's limited to Jackie Collins' plot synopses. Hint: equally light but less vapid are movie star biographies; pick ones with sordid lives (Klaus Kinski, Natalie Wood, Veronica Lake) for suitably piquant dinner anecdotes.

  8. Fresh Mint - From cocktails to iced tea to fruit salad to fresh peas, it says "Summer" to everyone and refreshes palettes languid from heat.


  9. Peonies - At least until early July a bouquet of the most beautiful of flowers is mandatory within your four walls.


  10. Yet A New Christina Ricci Film - Somehow one always discovers another movie featuring our greatest living visual inspiration, an unlikely star possessing Gothic sensibilities and channeling the ultimate cult star Barbara Steele, for whom she has been compared to as a "dead ringer."

Comments

Popular Posts