5 Tips on Hosting the Best New Year’s Eve Party
One of the things I remember as a kid was going to a New Year’s Eve Party at one of the family’s houses. Mum’s birthday is January 1st, so she always had a big fuss made of her just after the bell chimed midnight and there were party games, cheesy music and dancing. When we moved away, New Year’s Eve wasn’t quite the same. So I decided to live through you and help you plan your party for 31st December!
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Decide on the type of party
I’m not sure the parties we had when I was a kid ever had a type – everyone came around with food and drink, there was dancing and singing, and everyone wandered off around 1am (I was only about six or seven at the time). But if you are planning a New Year’s Eve party, you can definitely pick a party type.
The home based party is probably what we had. Everyone went to one person’s house, usually a different family member each year. This avoided the hectic nature of the pubs and made for a chance for everyone to catch up.
If you are looking for a bigger party with more people than a house comfortably holds, then see about hiring a venue. This can be popular if you haven’t had a big get together all year or there is a lot of people you want to invite.
Even if there is just you and the kids, you can have a party. A Pyjama party is perfect for the late night and the kids can even invite friends around with their parents to join in. Just make sure it is people you comfortable in your PJs around!
What will you eat and when?
The biggest question for any party is what to eat and when. The type of party will help you choose this.
Dinner party idea
The dinner party idea involves a more formal, sit down meal that is usually eaten in early evening right through to about 8pm. That way everyone can relax and have a drink after the meal while waiting for midnight to come around. It is ideal for smaller groups (unless you have a really big dining room table).
Buffet
We love a good buffet and will often buy party food and make a mini buffet just for the four of us, no guests invited. The idea here is that you can make a selection of smaller dishes and people can graze around the buffet table, eating what they want when. Menu ideas include:
Baked coconut shrimp
Traditionally this recipe calls for coconut flakes and panko breadcrumbs to coat the seafood, but you can switch to a healthier option with this recipe. The tangy avocado-lime dip adds a little flavour to the dish or you could use a nice orange marmalade in its place. This dish serves 4 people.
Ingredients:
- ½ c. almond (or coconut) flour
- 1 t. smoked paprika
- 1 t. ground cumin
- 1 t. garlic powder
- 1 t. onion powder
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 eggs
- 2 T. water
- ¾ c. shredded coconut, unsweetened
- 1 lb. shrimp (prawns), peeled and deveined, tails on
Avocado Lime Dip:
- 1 large ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
- 3 T. fresh cilantro, stems removed
- 2 T. fresh lime juice
- ¼ t. ground cumin
- ½ t. red pepper flakes
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (greaseproof paper). Set aside.
Combine almond flour, smoked paprika, ground cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder in a pie pan or shallow bowl. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and set aside.
In a second pie pan or shallow bowl, gently whisk the eggs and water until frothy. Season with salt and black pepper, as desired, and set aside.
Add shredded coconut to a third bowl and set aside.
Working one at a time, dredge each shrimp in the seasoned almond flour, then dip in the egg mixture. Allow excess egg to drip off before transferring shrimp to the bowl of shredded coconut. Turn to coat shrimp thoroughly before transferring to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining shrimp and season with additional salt and black pepper, if desired.
Place baking sheet in preheated oven and bake until golden-brown and crispy, around 12-15 minutes, turning once halfway through.
Meanwhile, add avocado, cilantro, lime juice, and cumin to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add a tablespoon or two of water, if necessary, to reach desired consistency. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Transfer to a small serving bowl and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Set aside.
Remove shrimp from oven and serve immediately with avocado-lime dip on the side. Enjoy!
Lemon pepper chicken wings
You can easily make these chicken wings for the buffet or even use chicken mini-fillets if you aren’t a wings fan (that’s me). Add the peppercorns carefully as they can be strong and not everyone likes their flavour.
Ingredients:
Lemon-Pepper Seasoning:
- 4-5 large organic lemons, zested
- 1 T. kosher salt
- 1 t. black peppercorns, crushed
Chicken Wings:
- 4 lbs. chicken wings, tips removed and patted dry
- 3 T. extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Position oven rack to centre position and preheat oven to warm (lowest setting).
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
To prepare the lemon-pepper seasoning, wash the lemons and pat dry. Remove zest from each lemon with a micro plane. While doing so, collect as much of the flavourful yellow outer layer as possible, while avoiding the more bitter white layer below.
Spread the zest in a thin layer on the parchment paper and place in the oven. After 20 minutes, remove pan from oven and shake to make sure zest is drying evenly. Return to oven until thoroughly dried, approximately 25-30 minutes.
Remove dried lemon zest from the oven and increase oven temperature to 425°F.
Add dried lemon zest to spice grinder or food processor along with salt and black peppercorns. Grind ingredients until desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust ratio of salt and pepper as desired.
In a large bowl, combine chicken wings with olive oil and 1 – 2 tablespoons of lemon-pepper seasoning and toss until evenly coated.
Arrange seasoned chicken wings in a single layer on rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Do not overcrowd. Place baking sheet on centre rack of preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove baking sheet from oven and turn each wing to ensure they cook evenly on all sides. Return to oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until wings are browned and crispy.
Remove from oven and serve immediately with sliced celery and blue cheese or ranch dressing, if desired.
Finger food for around midnight
If you don’t want to go into a full buffet or a sit-down meal, a few options for finger food to eat around midnight would be a great idea. Pick 4-5 small items that people will enjoy without being too strong or heavy for the time of night. A little something sweet will help people stay awake too.
Brie and dark cherry bites
Ingredients:
- 8 oz. Brie, rind removed and cut into 30 small cubes
- 6 oz. frozen dark cherries, thawed and cut into small pieces, reserve juice
- 3 T. real maple syrup
- 30 frozen phyllo cups
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place phyllo cups on sheet and add one piece of Brie to each cup. Top off each cup with an equal amount of chopped cherries and reserved juice.
Drizzle a little maple syrup over each up and place in preheated oven for 7 – 9 minutes, or until Brie is completely melted. While baking, make sure the phyllo cups do not burn.
Remove from oven and serve warm.
What will you drink?
Another important part of planning your New Year’s Eve Party is to consider the drinks. If you going to do the sit down meal, you will probably want to serve wine with it but then options are open.
Cocktails
I’m a cocktails fan which you might have guessed. One thing that people often forget is that you don’t need lots of complex ingredients and equipment to make simple cocktails – there are loads that need a few common ingredients and a little shake or stir. Some of the most popular groups of cocktails include:
You can always pick a theme for your party with a single base spirit such as rum then serve 2-3 different rum cocktails.
Champagne and prosecco
Champagne and its cousin Prosecco are traditional drinks for New Year’s Eve and they are also simple to serve in a nice champagne flute. You can also easily add colour and flavour to them with champagne cocktails and Prosecco cocktails that often add one or two ingredients to the mix. This adds flavour, colour and makes the drinks even more fun.
Mocktails
If you have people coming who don’t drink or are the designated driver, then there are plenty of drinks options for them. But so they don’t feel left out, why not offer mocktails? These have the look and flavours of a cocktail but no alcohol.
Cranberry Spritzer
This takes the classic Christmas flavour of cranberries and adds a little spice for a tasty mocktail. And if you want to create a version with alcohol, simply add half a cup of vodka to the mix which will serve 6.
Ingredients:
- 1 c. fresh or frozen cranberries
- ¼ c. honey
- ½ c. water
- 2 T whole cumin seeds
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 3 c. unsweetened cranberry juice
- 2 medium organic oranges, each cut into 8 wedges
- 3 c. sparkling water
Optional Garnish:
- Additional cinnamon sticks
- 6 long rosemary sprigs, lower leaves removed, and threaded with fresh cranberries
Directions:
Add cranberries, honey, water, cumin seeds, and cinnamon sticks to a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, or until the honey is melted and the spices are intensely fragrant.
Remove from heat and transfer to a large glass or other non-reactive bowl. Add cranberry juice, orange wedges, and vodka, if using. Refrigerate for several hours to overnight.
Once thoroughly chilled, remove from refrigerator and firmly squeeze each orange wedge into the bowl to capture the juice before discarding. Strain mixture with a fine-mesh strainer and discard the solids.
To serve, fill serving glasses with ice and add enough of the seasoned cranberry juice mixture to fill each glass about 1/3 full. Top off each glass with sparkling water and stir to combine. Taste and sweeten with additional honey, if desired. Garnish with cinnamon sticks and/or rosemary skewers and serve immediately.
Set up a bar
If you are planning on having drinks of different sorts and making a few cocktails, you can set up a bar in one corner of the room, maybe the living room or in the kitchen. You don’t need lots of things to set up a bar but if you are going to make cocktails, some basics would include:
- Cocktail shaker
- Bar spoon
- Muddler (for cocktails like mojitos)
- Different glasses
- Cocktail strainer
To decorate or not to decorate?
The final question for your party is to decide whether to decorate or not. There’s no right or wrong answer. For some, it is handled because their Christmas decorations are still in place and they can do the job.
Balloons and signage for the New Year are always good to add. Garlands and banners with the year and New Year’s sayings can be easily hung above the fireplace or on a wall. And anything metallic and shiny is always popular at new year. You may want to subject your guests to funky hats, but I wouldn’t condone that method of torture myself.
Lastly you can set up a wish jar. This is where people can write their wishes for the New Year and drop them in as midnight approaches.
Have a great New Year’s Eve Party!
A New Year’s Eve Party is both a celebration of the year gone by and a look forward to the new year. It is a fun occasion that you can style almost any way you want – so have fun and have a great New Year!
