- Hosting and entertaining expert Rosanna Falconer shares tips on creating a more grown-up Halloween celebration
- She looks to far-flung destinations for inspiration, and recommends not shying away from colour
- Plus: the perfect spiced gin cocktail to serve your guests, courtesy of OPIHR Spiced Gin
As the efforts celebs go to for Halloween parties like Heidi Klum’s annual bash goes to show, Halloween is definitely no longer just for kids. But if spending virtually an entire day applying make-up for the party isn’t for you, why not try a different approach for your ‘grown-up’ Halloween parties this autumn?
The default at Halloween is usually garish plastic pumpkins, faux cobwebs and novelty tablecloths. However, style expert Rosanna Falconer – who co-founded future of fashion community, FashMash – believes the season lends itself perfectly to rich tones and a touch of glamour that will make your parties the ones that friends will remember.
To celebrate the launch of its exotic Black Lemon flavour, OPIHR Spiced Gin has teamed up with Rosanna to give her five top tips on creating the perfect Halloween party for adults – with inspiration that can take you right through Spooky Season and into the chillier months.
Here are Rosanna’s five tips and imagery for throwing a not-so-gruesome grown-up get-together this Autumn.
- Far flung inspiration
Look further than jack o’lanterns and skeletons for your starting point. For me, Halloween coincides with longer nights when a chill sets in, so my mind turns to travels and warmer climes. For this table, I looked to the riads in Marrakech. I used to visit twice a year and my photo albums conjure up memories of rich jewel colours, zellige tiles and brass lanterns casting romantic light. Whether you look to Morocco like me or the flamboyance of Mexico’s Día de Muertos, don’t feel restricted to cliché.
2) Make the menu just as unique
Originality rules just as much for the menu as the table itself! Mezze and tagine are a must for an evening like this, as these flavourful warm dishes are perfect for sharing. For drinks, OPIHR Black Lemon G&Ts tie in perfectly. The Persian black lemon balances with timut pepper – mixed simply over ice with lemon tonic – it’s an easy cocktail to make for lots of guests that I find works beautifully with Middle Eastern cuisine like my Halloween menu. If you want to elevate your party, try the deep red OPIHR Black Lemon Widow Cocktail below.
3) Inspiration closer to home
The excess of Halloween – like any celebration – is half the fun! But I try to avoid irresponsible use of plastic or disposable, one-off pieces. Instead, there’s often so much already at home that can be adapted. These ceramic tiles were left from a DIY project and make the perfect runner, upgrading my usual white tablecloth for the theme. I often use this method for an easy way to theme a dinner – it works just as well with a table runner made from wrapping paper.
4) Colour
Colour has such power to change our mood. Try to keep the colour palette consistent across your theme – even if it’s just a focus on warm, rich tones versus cool tones. We all know the typical palette for this time of year: orange, rust, black, maybe a slime green for the children! But your guests’ eyes will be much more intrigued by a novel approach. A couple of years ago I painted pumpkins and crab apples in pastel shades – the antithesis of Halloween tradition! For this table, rich, spicy colours tied in with my Marrakech memories. From saffron yellow glasses and lanterns to ruby dahlias and candles, I echod the palette across the design.
5) Creepy craft
For this table, the nod to Halloween is pumpkins painted in antique gold. They’re one of the easiest ways to add a touch of the season without going full-on-fright-night! I love munchkin ones – the smaller the better. Scrub them well first with diluted vinegar so that the paint adheres. They also last the season that way too (usually a month). I use water-based paints so that they can be composted afterwards. Be sure to hollow out the big ones – roast the seeds for salads and as for the flesh, add to flavour a curry!
Serve with OPIHR’s Black Lemon Widow Halloween Cocktail:
Gin is a great option if you have lots of guests to serve – it’s a versatile spirit and can be paired with lots of unusual flavours. This Halloween-inspired serve using OPIHR’s delicious, new Black Lemon Gin, available from Tesco and from Sainsbury’s priced at £23, blends autumnal flavours to create a deep red cocktail with rich flavours of blackberry and ginger, creating the perfect finishing touch to any grown-up Halloween party.
OPIHR Black Lemon Widow
Ingredients:
- 35ml Opihr Black Lemon Gin
- 30ml Dubbonet, a sweet fortified wine
- 15ml Pomegranate syrup or Grenadine
- 2 Blackberries
- Ginger Beer
Method:
Muddle 2 x blackberry and then and then fine strain into a mixing glass. Add OPIHR Black Lemon, Dubonnet and Pomegranate syrup and stir over ice. Fine strain into a rocks or collins glass over ice. Top up with Ginger Beer. Finally garnish with a blackberry on a stick
Note: This cocktail contains 3 units of alcohol.
ENDS
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Quintessential Brands is an award-winning international spirits company, dedicated to distilling and crafting the world’s best alcohol brands for consumers and customers globally. Pioneering spirits of the industry, inspired since 1761 by their founder, Thomas Dakin, Quintessential Brands Group delivers a diverse portfolio of award-winning, best-selling spirits with unrivalled heritage and craftsmanship.
Founded in 2011 by Enzo Visone, former CEO of Gruppo Campari, and entrepreneur, Warren Scott, Quintessential Brands Group owns world-class manufacturing facilities across Europe, including G&J Distillers, the world’s oldest continuous gin distillers, in Cheshire, UK; L&L in France, a leading manufacturer of fruit spirits and liqueurs; Irish Cream artisan producers, First Ireland Spirits; and the Dublin Liberties Distillery, which opened in 2019. Renowned for its white spirits expertise at G&J Distillers, Quintessential Brands has won International Spirit Challenge Gin Producer of the Year three times and is fast winning a reputation as one of the most exciting new Irish whiskey producers to emerge on the scene.
Quintessential Brands’ award-winning premium brands portfolio includes Greenall’s The Original Handcrafted Gin, BLOOM London Dry Gin, Thomas Dakin Small Batch Gin, Berkeley Square London Dry Gin, and Opihr Gin. Its Irish brands include The Dubliner Irish Whiskey, The Dublin Liberties Irish Whiskey, The Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey, Feeney’s Irish Cream Liqueur and O’Mara’s Irish Country Cream. iqueurs in the portfolio include Alizé and Toussaint Coffee Rum Liqueur. The company is also a leader in contract bottling and own label & private label spirits, working with retail partners across the world to provide spirits solutions of unrivalled quality.
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