Since I don’t have a Hannibal Finale party of my own to throw/attend this next week, I thought I’d share some of my party ideas with all of you lovely fannibals in case any of you were seeking inspiration. You guys are all wonderful and I want to hear about your finale celebrations! Think of it as pre-Halloween, or maybe prep for that time when you totally lose your mind and decide to do a series marathon party. Let’s go!

Punch

So, you decided to throw an elaborate dinner party. Your kholodets are setting in the fridge and you still need to sear those lungs-of-some-jerk - you simply do not have TIME to make individual drinks! As yes, my friend, that is why punch was invented. One option, of course, is the previously discussed Green-Eyed Monster.

The Monster is a good punch for making ahead of time. Just keep the punch bowl in the fridge and the sliced cucumber ready to be added.

Looking for something with a punchy flavor, but more on the individual level? Try the Punch Romaine from the Florence story arc.



1 egg white

1 oz white rum

1 oz white wine

½ oz simple syrup

½ oz lemon juice

1 oz orange juice

2 oz champagne

orange peel for garnish

Remember, shake the ingredients (except champagne) without ice first to make the egg froth, then again with ice. Make a little mountain of shaved ice in the coupe glass and pour the mixture over it, topping off with the champagne. Garnish if desired. Be careful not to use too sweet a white wine - dessert wines like Moscato might make the drink too sugary.

Shooters

Okay, sure, punch is fine for when you sit down and watch the show, or for during the meal, but what about when you’re hanging out chit-chatting with oeur’doeurves at the beginning? Your guests can’t be fumbling with a big coupe of Punch Romaine while they try to decide just what is up with that claw foot thing you served them. How about some little one-sip shooters to get things started?

This week, I mentioned the Blood Sample cocktails.



Look at science supply stores or ThinkGeek for test tubes (or sometimes you can find a Chemistry Set-style cocktail set with test tubes) and fill some with Blood Samples or maybe Sassy Science Shooters. If you want to get really creative, you can make little labels for each one based on the episodes or characters.



I know what you’re thinking now. But what of the snails, WHAT OF THE SNAILS? Oh, I haven’t forgotten. On igourmet you can purchase empty escargot shells.



The idea, of course, being that if you buy escargot without shells, you might buy these for serving purposes. But I have a boozier better idea. There is a brand of vodka out of South Carolina called Firefly Vodka that makes sweet tea-infused vodka. Can’t find it where you are? Infuse some tea in plain vodka at home! (Seek instructions online based on to tea you choose.) Now, because the escargot shells are round, the presentation will make all the difference in serving these little firefly snail shots, these Nakama. I was thinking that if you fill a shallow dish with crushed ice, then you can nestle each little shell securing in the ice bed and as each guest comes over they can simply take one and shoot is back.

Presentation



Speaking of presentation, how best to show off your cocktail munchies? Well, if you want to get real cute with it, you can always use an inexpensive tackle box.

Do you hunt, or do you lure, Mr. Graham? You could treat it like a bento box, you could fill it with gummy worms (sour, just like your attitude, Mr. Graham), you could even get some stainless steel hoops at your local fabric-craft store and string some little bites up as though they were lures.

As for the table itself? I like the idea of something you or your guests can write on. Try something like these placemat pads:

Tear off sheets that have a nice look, but are just paper. It has a lovely border that could surround your oeur’doeurves, or you could decorate them with images thematic to the series. Imagine lifting up your cheese skewer and seeing Jack Crawford giving you the “IT’S PEOPLE” face. Perfection.

And, of course, flowers flowers flowers. Don’t forget the flowers when you decorate. As for antlers, here is an origami design for a deer head that I found online and like the look of. Find some origami paper or wrapping paper in black, floral, or a menswear print and fold a bunch of these to strew about the table.



Just have a ball with it, fannibals, go out there and have some fun! If you go with any of these ideas or ideas from a previous post, send me a pic and tell me how it went.





Oh, and don’t forget the Babybel.