what is your go to???
 

If inviting people over for drinks....what is your 'go to' to serve along with drinks? Be specific please;-)

dew = K I S S.........................two or three types of sliced cheeses, two types of crackers & a couple fresh fruits (easy to eat, with toothpick). If I'm wild and crazy, sliced sausage.

Ok we want to be more social in retirement but haven't invited anyone for drinks as we don't drink. Not against it just never got in the habit and now with meds it isn't recommended. I use to keep Ariel, wine with alcohol removed on hand to take when we went to dinner at someone's house so we could join in the toasts. I worked so many hours a week we never really learned how to socialize so need some suggestions.

What should we stock to serve for drinks if we are going to have people by.
Wine? Beer? vodka and OJ?

Just say come for wine and beer and snacks. Get some meatballs from the freezer case and heat a jar of grape jelly with a jar of chili sauce and heat it with the meatballs. Get some crackers and brie and you are in business.

Brownies wouldn't hurt. Don't forget pop...errr soda.

Sam Adams, Coors Light, a bottle of red and a bottle of white from Chile, ice tea, diet coke, seven up, club soda

blue cheese, brie, cheddar on a cutting board,
assorted olives,
hummus,
pepperoni,
assorted crackers

Brie, mozzarella and a cheese ball along with summer sausage and crackers. I also make a yummy crab & artichoke dip.

Tonic.

Great ideas, thanks!

Evans Prairie to listen to Lou Gatto

Win Schuler's spreadable cheese and Town House crackers, a bowl of grapes (I take them off the vine and wash and put them in a bowl), jalapeno cheese sliced, Vadalia onion dip (there is a vendor at Brownwood that sells all kinds of dip mixes) just add mayo and sour cream. Potato chips to go along with it. Sometimes sliced Hickory Farms sausage. I also make a great artichoke dip with parmesean cheese, mayo and oil packed artichoke hearts I bake in the oven.

Chips and salsa. Goes great w tequila!

Ice

Can't go wrong with these adult beverages:

Captain Morgan & Coke (Regular & Decaf Zero)
Absolute - Sprite, Club Soda, Cranberry
Gin - Tonic
Jack Daniels - Ginger Ale, Coke
Scotch
Some white & red wine
Coors Lite, Miller Lite & Yuengling
LOTS of ice, a couple of lemons, limes, & let them mix their own.

Crudités with ranch dressing, whatever cheese and cracker combo tickles my fancy at Aldi, grapes or other fruit in season, and a baguette with olive salad from the farmer's market. Usually our guests offer to bring something, too.

Depends on whether it is a true cocktail party with several guests coming, or just one or two couples.
For a small group, for drinks we usually have some beer, some wine, sometimes make margaritas and always have assorted Pepsi/Coke. For snacking, we usually have some fresh assorted nuts (a tin from Walgreens or Walmart), some grapes or strawberries, some chips and salsa, M&Ms, orange slices, and maybe some popcorn.
If a larger group, we add to the above.... sliced beef log, assorted cheeses, crackers. Sometimes I make guacamole and chips if we're serving margaritas. I will occasionally make deviled eggs. Oh, and I make a plate of brownies or cookies

Excellent suggestion list. OP wants to invite people over for drinks, never considered just wine and beer drinks.

Pusser's rum, pineapple and orange juices, cream of coconut to make painkillers. grate a little nutmeg on top.

Gracie,

I didn't realize that you called it pop in Ohio. I thought it was a western New York thing.

It's a Midwest thing. Michigan calls it pop also.

When I was a kid in New England they called all soda Tonic. You would see signs "Tonic and Grinders" ie soda and subs.

We always laughed when someone would ask for soda, we thought they wanted soda water. If they say pop, we say what kind. :)

We're non drinkers also. We have our friends trained so they bring their own drinks, they are happy to do so. We supply cheese, crax, fruit, veggies and dips. It's a beautiful thing!

Yes---I do that with my friends. My brother came down for a visit and commented how odd and wonderful it was that everyone had just what they wanted to drink with a minimum of fuss.

We were celebrating his retirement and I made an Italian Philly favorite they serve in Tony-Lukes. Roast pork, broccoli rob [rapinni down here], provolone and long hot pepper sandwiches with a couple of side dishes and vegetable soup.

It was pop in the Midwest (Kansas). Here in Georgia it is soda.

What a great thread. Keep those ideas coming!

We make a recipe that we learned from you wonderful folks! Google "Holiday Bourbon Whiskey Meatballs." They are so easy and delicious! I keep some in the freezer. If I have more time, I serve homemade roasted red peppers, eggplant caponata, asiago cheese and good crusty bread. Bob's favorite is an appetizer from our friend's wedding 20 years ago. Toasted thin slices of ital or French bread topped with a thin slice of grilled chicken, roasted red pepper, a basil (or spinach) leaf and fresh mozzarella. Heat in the oven and serve. People devour them.

Oh, I haven't had a Painkiller in soooooooo long! Where do you get the Pusser's rum around here?

caprese appetizer: One sheet of puff pastry (or two for a crowd). Cut into pieces the size you want. On each piece place a slice of roma tomato, put some basil on the tomato, drizzle a few drops of balsamic vinegar (optional), top with slice or cube of fresh mozzarella. Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes.

I sometimes also put a slice of pepperoni under the tomato.

I'm not sure but some of the liquor stores in Florida would have it. I only brought down from up north what I got from new hampshire's liquor stores. I've bought stuff from Pusser's on line store which I believes ships stuff out of south florida. Their website may actually list where their rum is sold. If you can't find it any blended dark rum can substitute. I actually hate to say there is a alternate for Pussers:a040:

How are things in guacamole. . .
 

If you want to serve guacamole, I suggest making a run to the Farmers Market here.

There you will find a vendor who is making the guacamole right there in front of you. They also make salsa and sell bags of chips to go with.

Their guacamole is really good. They sure know how to choose an avocado.

If you do this though, I would suggest serving it fairly quickly because it is fresh and can turn brown sooner than the stuff in those little tubs in the grocery, in the case with the hummus.

I have not been to the Farmers Market for a while, but I assume the guacamole people are still a part of it. The Brownwood market is on Saturday. There is also a Farmers Market on Thursday at Spanish Springs. I think they might be there, too. Maybe somebody here will know for sure.

You could make a pitcher of sangria to go with the guacamole and chips. There are lots of ways to do that. I soak fruit in Grand Marnier. -- I used to use brandy. -- After the fruit has soaked for a while, fill the pitcher with wine and gently mix. Give it a little time to blend all those flavors in that pitcher.

I serve the sangria in glasses not quite full and have the guests top their own drinks with a little club soda or 7 Up or both. That way they can adjust it to their own sweetness. Also by serving it that way, you don't lose that little bit of sparkle that gets lost if you put the club soda or pop in the pitcher. -- The sweetness of your sangria will, of course, vary by the wine choice, too. I used to use Lambrusco. But now I like a drier wine. You can make white wine sangria, too. White sangria can be pretty wonderful when fresh peaches are in season.

If you put a tablespoon of mayo in the guac, it will retain its color. Or do what is supposed to be the best method: cover the top with water. It doesn't mix with the guac but does keep the air off of it.

Thank you. I must remember this. The Farmers Market guac is so good. When it is just us, I am the one who really, really likes guac a lot. And I can't eat it all at once. . . Well, actually, I probably could, but. . .

I'm from western Ma and we always called it soda; no mater what the flavor. Never heard it called pop until I visited my son in Oregon.

I'm from New England. Western Ma and we always called it soda; all flavors.

In eastern MA it's called tonic.

POP is what we always called it in Western Pa.

:ho::ho::ho:

Pop or soda?
 

Somewhere out there in cyberspace, there is a map that shows what regions of the country say which -- pop or soda. (Actually, I think there is a thread deep in the TOTV archives that has that map in it.)

I like learning about regional dialect and colloquialisms.

I would try to find the map for those who are interested, too, but I am on my iPad and I have never learned how to link on my iPad.

So anyway, people have actually drawn a map of this pop or soda thing. It's out there somewhere.

Laurie Pop..............Laurie Pop, Laurie Pop, Ohhhhh, Laurie, Laurie, Laurie, Laurie Pop!

That's funny. But now I will be singing that song all day!