The Art of La Soirée

Cointreau & The Everygirl Celebrate Classic Cocktails and The Art of La Soirée

Danielle Moss and Alaina Kaczmarski of The Everygirl 

(Photo credit: Jon Stars)

by Cathy Demetropoulos, Editor-at-Large, Chicago Bride Magazine

Aside from preparing for "the big day", brides-to-be, it seems, are constantly busy planning and hosting several other related celebrations, such as engagement parties, bridal showers and swanky bachelorette gatherings. We know this can be overwhelming, so we're here to offer some help!

At a recent event hosted on the stylish rooftop terrace of Celeste (www.celestechicago.com) premium orange liqueur brand, Cointreau teamed up with women lifestyle experts Danielle Moss and Alaina Kaczmarski of The Everygirl (www.theeverygirl.com) to showcase some classic handcrafted cocktails and "The Art of La Soirée".

The decor theme of the evening evoked the spirit of the roaring 1920’s meets modern day glamour. Beautiful floral bouquets were interspersed throughout the venue alongside gilded home decor accents such as geometric candleholders atop mirrored trays. 

The highlight of the event was an interactive mixology table, set up so that we (yes, we!) artfully mixed our own drinks - with the help of a mixologist, of course, standing by to explain the tools, beverages, cocktail accoutrements and techniques. But I'm telling you, if I could do this, you and your guests can, too! 

  

The Everygirl's Tips on Entertaining...

Art of Entertaining: There is nothing we love more than brining together our closest friends and family for an at-home soirée. Over the years, we’ve learned that there is an art to entertaining and believe what truly elevates a gathering is delicious cuisine, fresh crafted cocktails, tasteful décor and great company. For the holidays, we’ve been inspired by classic and effortless entertaining, with a twist of course—think Art-Deco circa 1920s meets modern day glam.

Bar Cart Essentials: Having a properly stocked and stylized bar cart is essential when entertaining at home. When styling our bar cart, especially for the holiday season we always stock it with festive glassware, seasonal flowers, the essential cocktail tools, and our must have spirits, like Cointreau—a key ingredient to our favorite classic cocktails.

Cocktails: No soirée is complete without handcrafted cocktails and with the holiday season upon us, we are focusing on creating classic cocktails with our own personal twists. Recently, we have been playing with a few of our favorite classics, the Sidecar and champagne to shake up a Sparkling Sidecar. It’s easy to create with just four simple ingredients: Cointreau, cognac, fresh lime juice and champagne.

Florals: We believe florals are an important element to bring life and a pop of color to your space when entertaining. Not only do they elevate your décor, but they act as the perfect prop for any Instagram photo! For the holidays, we love mixing a variety of greenery like eucalyptus stems with rich dahlias to create a stylish arrangement.

Serve with Style: Much like cocktails, your food should be served with style and ease. Since many of our girlfriends are vegetarians, we like to serve light and healthy meals that everyone can enjoy. For an easy starter, we like to serve a pear and goat cheese crostini—a three step guest favorite. Additionally, a pasta entrée is always a good idea since it allows you to add the vegetables (and meat, if you choose) all into one filling serving!

Personal Style: We aim to impress with our personal style even for an at-home soirée. When putting together our holiday entertaining look, we always tend to gravitate towards comfort with a little glam. We love a festive blouse a pair of leather leggings, a bold lip and to top it off, the perfect blowout.

Bar Cart Tabletop

(Photo credit: Jon Stars)

Want to set this up at your next event? This is how it's done:

Sparkling Sidecar (The Everygirl’s Signature – a twist on the classic Cointreau Sidecar)

·         1 oz. Cointreau

·         1 oz. Remy Martin VSOP

·         0.5 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

·         2 oz. Champagne

How to Make:

Combine all ingredients in a shaker tine and add ice. Shake all ingredients except sparkling and strain into a chilled champagne flute. Garnish with a sugar rim.

Sidecar

·         1 oz. Cointreau

·         2 oz. Remy Martin VSOP

·         1 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

How to Make:

Combine all ingredients in a shaker tine and add ice. Shake all ingredients and strain into a cocktail coupe glass. Garnish with a sugar rim and lemon twist.

White Lady

·         1 oz. Cointreau

·         2 oz. Botanist Gin 

·         1 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

How to Make:

Combine all ingredients in a shaker tine and add ice. Shake all ingredients and strain into a cocktail coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Cheers!