Host a Cider Tasting Party – VIDEO

August 5, 2017 No Comments A Well Crafted Party

Tasting parties are so fun to do as they give guests a bunch of different choices and allows everyone to really find something to their own liking. We’ve done a variety of tasting parties in the past including a whiskey tasting, wine tasting, ice cream tasting, and beer tasting. Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit KGW’s Portland Today to share tips on how to create a great cider tasting party featuring Julian Hard Cider. See the segment here:

Host a Cider Tasting Party

There are a variety of ways you can host a cider tasting party. I tend to start by picking out my ciders at the store. This cider tasting is tasting different varieties of the same brand, but you could also choose to taste different ciders across a variety of brands. Below are some tips for hosting your next cider party:

Do a blind tasting. Want to see which company makes the BEST cider? Try getting the same style of cider from around 5 different breweries. Wrap each one in a paper bag or with paper. Mark each bag with a different number. Put out tasting sheets so guests can write down what they like and disliked about each cider. At the very end, have everyone say their favorite number and find out which cider was the overall winner, and on.
Taste food too. Try pairing the ciders with foods that should go well with them. Look for foods with similar flavors that may be enhanced when trying the cider with it. Food is important for more than just pairing flavors, it will help keep your guests from becoming too inebriated.
Keep your samples small. This is also a safety thing… but, it also serves to allow guests to really get a good taste of each of the samples and then move on to drinking their favorite of the samples.

Free Cider Tasting Printables

Get your free Cider Tasting Printables below. Print and cut out per the directions on the printables.

I’ll be sharing the recipes for some of the pairings featured in the video above soon! Check back next week!

Have you ever been to a tasting party? What made the party fun? Comment below!

A Well Crafted Party

Host a Tasting Party

August 4, 2017 1 Comment A Well Crafted Party

I’ve always been the type of person that likes lots of choices. If you look in my fridge right now I have multiple choices for salad dressings, condiments, and even pickled items. If there is a “sampler” or “chef’s favorites” choice on a menu then you know what I’ll be having. This is why a tasting party is among my very favorite types of parties.

Host a Whiskey Tasting Party (Complete with free printables!)

Tips for hosting a whiskey party:

Tasting a multitude of whiskeys can get dangerous if you are not practicing responsible drinking practices. Help guests stay safe by offering the following items:

Start the tastings earlier in the day with plans for a full meal and plenty of time to sober up.
A bucket to pour out tasters that guests don’t desire to finish. (I know… it sounds painful to waste whiskey, but if they don’t like it then it is better to pour out then drink too much.)
Snacks and a meal— It is important to not drink on an empty stomach.
A measuring device. Really for a tasting of liquor you need no more than 1/2 oz to try. Small tasting cups (affiliate link) work really well for finding the type of whiskey you like before pouring a glass.
Provide pens and note pads (or the free tasting note printables below) for guests to write down their thoughts as they taste. This slows down the process and really gets them TASTING rather than just drinking.
Do not let people drive home! Use a ride share or designated driver.

Host a Wine and Cheese Tasting Party

When to break out the wine and cheese

Wine and cheese are pretty much staples at everything from dinner parties to the large scale events that I throw. However, I don’t know any better time to really break out a wine and cheese tasting than a birthday party! It is a great way to celebrate the wonderful things about aging by celebrating with other things that get better with age… like wine, cured meats, pickled items, aged cheeses, and wonderful friends.

Tapas Potluck & Wine Tasting (With Free Printable Potluck Cards)

Let others pitch in! Do a potluck-style tasting party.

Turn your tasting into a competition by having your guests bring taster sized portions of their favorite meal and hosting a tasting potluck! Tapas lend themselves perfectly for this type of tasting party as the portions are typically smaller or able to share easily. Have your guests write down the name and ingredients of the dish they brought and then have everyone in attendance vote on the best dish. Bring the tasting to the next level by pairing your food tastings with wine. If you are giving a theme to your party (such as tapas) you can select wines that typically go with those type of foods. We used Spanish wines to pair with our tapas tastings.

Have an ice cream tasting party (with free printables)

End a party on a sweet note with the ability to customize dessert

I love me some dessert, but my sweet tooth does have limits. Have a tasting style set-up for your desserts allow guests to try multiple yummy things within reason. At our wedding back in 2006 we had a dessert bar for guests to sample some of our favorite treats. Most recently we enjoyed an ice cream party to celebrate a birthday. The best part of the ice cream party? The toppings last for a LONG time so we can host another one on a whim!

Throw a Cider or Beer Tasting Party (Free Printables)

Ever want to figure out the best local IPA or see which type of cider is the cider for you? Host a tasting party allows you to test out a selection of beverages in a way that allows you to remember what you tried!

Tips for hosting a tasting party:

My number one rule for any tasting party is pick items that you LIKE! If all the websites everywhere says to pair blue cheese with the beverage you are trying but you and your guests HATE blue cheese… then, skip it! Find a different suggested pairing that is using something you know you’ll enjoy.
Make sure everything is labeled. You can do a blind tasting if you really want to try things without any bias, but make sure they are clearly labeled with numbers so you can keep track of which one you like.
Have something that allows your guests to write down their thoughts about what they are tasting. At the end of a tasting party they may not remember which food or beverage they liked the most, a small note page with their thoughts will help jog their memories!

Download the below printables to help bring your beer or cider tasting to the next level!

Hopefully all of these ideas give you some thoughts on how to create your own tasting party whether you are tasting 5 different types of chili to tasty frosty beverages.

A Well Crafted Party

Real Party: Tapas Potluck and Wine Tasting

August 23, 2013 3 Comments A Well Crafted Party

Tapas Potluck and Wine Tasting:

I love tapas. The Spanish small plates style of dish is one of my favorite ways to eat. Seriously, give me all the appetizers any day over a full meal. I like the option to try lots of different flavors and dishes without feeling like I need to be rolled out from under the table. So, after a recent wine tasting with some of my foodie friends I had the idea that we NEEDED to have a tapas party with the area food bloggers. (Anytime I can get someone to cook for ME I’m a happy girl.) After a bit of deliberation and collaboration the idea for a Tapas Competition and Spanish Wine tasting was born. Food bloggers brought dishes to the friendly competition, Whole Foods Market hosted a informative (and tasty) wine tasting, and several companies came together to award the winners with prizes! It was a grand time. Enough with the talk… onto the pictures! All the amazing photos are taken by food blogger extraordinaire (and my friend) Bee of The Spicy Bee.

Our evening started out with Justin from Whole Foods Market in Portland pouring and teaching about four Spanish wines. If you were going to recreate this at home you could use the wines listed and read a little information about each, or pick your favorite Spanish wines and try pairing them with cheeses. Wines we tried: Marques de Gelida Brut Reserva Cava 2009 (light and refreshing white wine); R Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Vinos Finos de Roja Vina Gravonia 2003 (I wouldn’t even try pronouncing that one, but it was amazing if you love a rich white wine); Dehesa La Grania 2006 (A tasty Tempranillo); and finally, a Manzanilla La Gitana Sherry.

Free Printable Tapas Potluck Cards

Download your free printable tapas potluck cards for your next party! These cards actually work for a variety of parties, but I loved the color scheme and how it went so well with the Tiny Prints printed suite.

Recipes Galore

You get food bloggers together and have them bring food items that they’ve made and then you suddenly also get a full deck of recipes that you’ve tried yourself. It is amazing and I will be utilizing this tactic in many more events. 😉 If you are drooling from the photos above then check out these recipes (I’ll add more as they are published):

Greek Crostini from Tossing the Script
Manchego Cheese Stuffed Spanish Meatballs from Urban Bliss Life
Aceitunas a la Sevillana and Homemade Bread from Cooking Catastrophe
Prosciutto Cantaloupe with a Chili Lime Sauce from Pechluck’s Food Adventures
Summer Skillet Fruit Crisp from The Spicy Bee
Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos with Cream Cheese & Pineapple from Margaritas in the Rain
Follow my Tapas Pinterest Board for more Tapas Recipes as I find them!

A gigantic thank you to…

A huge thank you goes out to all of the companies and people that made this shin-dig possible. Obviously, the Portland Food Bloggers group is awesome and I was so excited to be able to work with them on this project. Whole Foods Market is one of my favorite local companies because they continually make efforts to teach, interact, and just plain get-to-know their customers and local influencers. Tiny Prints provided the beautiful printed signs, thank you cards, and personalized napkins. Ulysses Press provided books for the winners of the Tapas Competition— You’ve got to check out their awesome titles. I’ll be reviewing one of their titles in the near future. Goodness Knows donated snack squares and coupons to the goodie bags and prizes— seriously tasty and handy sized snack squares for kids and adults alike. Black Rock Coffee provided gift cards for the gift bags. Pukka Herbs sent an array of teas for the blogger’s goodie bags— I’ve tried the “Love” blend and thought it was the perfect way to end an evening with my hubby. And, thank you to all the lovely bloggers who attended, brought food, and shared about the event.

Disclaimer: Companies donated products, event space, and services to help make this event happen. I was not financially compensated for working on or posting about this event. All opinions are honest and my own!