The last couple of years, Rich and I have had a joint party to celebrate our birthdays (only 3 days apart, though he is a year older!). This past weekend, we hosted a bourbon and bluegrass themed party to celebrate our birthdays. It was such a blast to hang out with our friends, try some new bourbons, and eat lots of brisket!
DRINKS
We stuck with Kentucky bourbons as Rich grew up in Lexington. We kept it to four bourbons for the tasting flight, so as not to overwhelm the taste buds, and also had a couple of other bourbons for cocktails. We hired a bartender to host the tasting and to make different cocktails for people. This worked out great, as I didn’t have to run around trying to make guests drinks or offer them water.
FOOD
Obviously, we had to order some southern inspired food to pair with all the bourbons! We ordered some beef brisket sliders, cornbread, mac and cheese from one of our favorite BBQ places in Seattle. We added some crab stuffed peppers and goat cheese toast from one of our favorite tapas restaurants to the table as well.
We had the cutest cupcakes in bourbon-chocolate and pink champagne flavors. There were cute little hats and horseshoes decorating the tops of the cupcakes.
DECOR AND MUSIC
I kept the color scheme of all the décor to blue and white (KY colors), gold, and of course pink (because I always need some pink!). We strung some lights on the ceilings, and had some balloons floating on the ceiling to add a festive feel to the room. We also repurposed our bar cart with the most amazing floral garland to hold water bottles and a water pitcher to help keep guests hydrated.
We used a Pandora bluegrass station as background music for the tasting and cocktails, but it would have been amazing to hire a banjo player or bluegrass musician.
SWEET GOODBYES
I found the most amazing bourbon truffle chocolates made in Louisville, KY from different Kentucky bourbons. I ordered the Four Roses single barrel (one of our cocktail bourbons), and the Willett Pot chocolates as party favors for guests when they left.
It was one of my favorite birthdays to date, a low key celebration with good friends and good bourbon. One of my favorite things about hosting parties in my own place is all the leftover food and florals! We have been eating brisket for 2 days now, and all the flowers are still holding on strong!
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