By Kristina Sparkes
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Having just celebrated our 1st anniversary and with the festive time of the year upon us, VanierNow is in the party mood. We asked local event planner and girl-about-town Kristina Sparkes how she would put together a Vanier-inspired party (clearly, we`ll need to get started for our year two bash as soon as we can).
A Vanier party should evoke a 60s retro vibe with a hint of French style; it should be a showcase for an urban, cosmopolitan sensibility with laid back atmosphere and hopefully, a few fun surprises. Luckily, everything you will need to host a swingin’ cocktail party is available right here in Vanier.
First stop is Kabul Bakery (355 Montreal Road). Their fresh, baked in-store Afghan flat bread can be used as a pizza base or cut up and served with dip. It is $1.79, and at two and a half feet long, can probably serve 20 people. You can’t get much more bang for your party buck than that.
The Salvation Army Store (333 Montreal Road) has a great assortment of retro glasses and serving dishes - even a few fondue pots (five on my last visit) if you really want to work the retro theme. With a bit of digging, there are party-ready treasures to be found here – like a lovely pedestal milk glass bowl for just $1.99.
Beautifully coloured Macarons can be pre-ordered from Hearty Bakery and picked up at their studio on Jeanne-Mance Street. The space is not open to the public (they sell at markets and events all over the city) so you do need to place your order (via email, phone or facebook) about two days in advance. Some of their more interesting flavours include After Eight, Earl Grey and Chocolate Ganache, Chai Tea, Ginger, Chocolate Hazelnut and Salted Caramel.
Save some time in the kitchen by picking up freshly made hors d’oeuvres from Todrics on McArthur. They are available by the dozen starting at $12.95. I like the sound of the gorgonzola and onion marmalade bundles or the prune with ricotta and prosciutto. Again, they will need a few days notice to prepare your selections so give them a call to place your order.
Green Fresh Supermarket (29 Selkirk Street) has a huge variety of locally made dumplings in their freezer case – a bargain at $9.98 for three bags. You can steam and fry them and serve your guests these delicious pot stickers with Chinkiang black rice vinegar. You can also discover some interesting crunchy bites to put out in snack bowls like the dried peas, available in wasabi, garlic and spicy flavours. I also spotted bags of mini (ping pong ball sized!) mandarin oranges that, piled up in an attractive dish, would make cheerful, edible décor.
Naturally, make one last stop on Montreal Road at the LCBO.
Cocktails
Nothing makes a guest feel more welcomed than being handed a drink as they walk though your door. Have a large batch of your “signature cocktail” premixed so you can just pour it into glasses and garnish as people arrive. Here are a few popular drinks modified for our Vanier theme.
White Father – a cosmo but with white cranberry juice instead of red
Vanier Libre – Cherry cola and rum and a wedge of lime
Lavergne and Shirley – (mocktail) Orange juice and pomegranate juice with a splash of SanPellegrino Limonata.
Music
Download the Songza app and search for their ‘60s French Pop playlist. It is full of cool and sexy yé-yé hits like Stone’s L’antiquité and Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin’s Je T'aime… Moi Non Plus.
Décor
Grotto it up! Fill your rooms with rows of glowing blue and red votive candles. Full instructions on how to make your own using empty glass jars, food colouring and white glue can be found here.
In some neighbourhoods party hosts worry about overdoing the lawn ornaments and lights. Not here. You will never be the house on the street with the most gusto for outdoor embellishment. So for goodness sake, hang another string of lights!
…and with that, I think you have the makings of an amazing party. Enjoy, have (responsible) fun and happy hosting to all you Vanier guys and gals! Please comment below if you have our own Vanier party tips and ideas to share.
Photos: (top left) Macarons from Hearty Bakery; (top right) Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin by Jeanloup Sieff (1970); (bottom) Wine glasses and serving dishes from Salvation Army Thrift Store, Montreal Road, by Kristina Sparkes (2012)
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Having just celebrated our 1st anniversary and with the festive time of the year upon us, VanierNow is in the party mood. We asked local event planner and girl-about-town Kristina Sparkes how she would put together a Vanier-inspired party (clearly, we`ll need to get started for our year two bash as soon as we can).
A Vanier party should evoke a 60s retro vibe with a hint of French style; it should be a showcase for an urban, cosmopolitan sensibility with laid back atmosphere and hopefully, a few fun surprises. Luckily, everything you will need to host a swingin’ cocktail party is available right here in Vanier.
First stop is Kabul Bakery (355 Montreal Road). Their fresh, baked in-store Afghan flat bread can be used as a pizza base or cut up and served with dip. It is $1.79, and at two and a half feet long, can probably serve 20 people. You can’t get much more bang for your party buck than that.
The Salvation Army Store (333 Montreal Road) has a great assortment of retro glasses and serving dishes - even a few fondue pots (five on my last visit) if you really want to work the retro theme. With a bit of digging, there are party-ready treasures to be found here – like a lovely pedestal milk glass bowl for just $1.99.
Beautifully coloured Macarons can be pre-ordered from Hearty Bakery and picked up at their studio on Jeanne-Mance Street. The space is not open to the public (they sell at markets and events all over the city) so you do need to place your order (via email, phone or facebook) about two days in advance. Some of their more interesting flavours include After Eight, Earl Grey and Chocolate Ganache, Chai Tea, Ginger, Chocolate Hazelnut and Salted Caramel.
Save some time in the kitchen by picking up freshly made hors d’oeuvres from Todrics on McArthur. They are available by the dozen starting at $12.95. I like the sound of the gorgonzola and onion marmalade bundles or the prune with ricotta and prosciutto. Again, they will need a few days notice to prepare your selections so give them a call to place your order.
Green Fresh Supermarket (29 Selkirk Street) has a huge variety of locally made dumplings in their freezer case – a bargain at $9.98 for three bags. You can steam and fry them and serve your guests these delicious pot stickers with Chinkiang black rice vinegar. You can also discover some interesting crunchy bites to put out in snack bowls like the dried peas, available in wasabi, garlic and spicy flavours. I also spotted bags of mini (ping pong ball sized!) mandarin oranges that, piled up in an attractive dish, would make cheerful, edible décor.
Naturally, make one last stop on Montreal Road at the LCBO.
Cocktails
Nothing makes a guest feel more welcomed than being handed a drink as they walk though your door. Have a large batch of your “signature cocktail” premixed so you can just pour it into glasses and garnish as people arrive. Here are a few popular drinks modified for our Vanier theme.
White Father – a cosmo but with white cranberry juice instead of red
Vanier Libre – Cherry cola and rum and a wedge of lime
Lavergne and Shirley – (mocktail) Orange juice and pomegranate juice with a splash of SanPellegrino Limonata.
Music
Download the Songza app and search for their ‘60s French Pop playlist. It is full of cool and sexy yé-yé hits like Stone’s L’antiquité and Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin’s Je T'aime… Moi Non Plus.
Décor
Grotto it up! Fill your rooms with rows of glowing blue and red votive candles. Full instructions on how to make your own using empty glass jars, food colouring and white glue can be found here.
In some neighbourhoods party hosts worry about overdoing the lawn ornaments and lights. Not here. You will never be the house on the street with the most gusto for outdoor embellishment. So for goodness sake, hang another string of lights!
…and with that, I think you have the makings of an amazing party. Enjoy, have (responsible) fun and happy hosting to all you Vanier guys and gals! Please comment below if you have our own Vanier party tips and ideas to share.
Photos: (top left) Macarons from Hearty Bakery; (top right) Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin by Jeanloup Sieff (1970); (bottom) Wine glasses and serving dishes from Salvation Army Thrift Store, Montreal Road, by Kristina Sparkes (2012)
