This Fourth of July, your party will be all fireworks with these tips.
With the Fourth of July at our doorsteps, it’s time to think out of the box when it comes to outdoor entertaining. This year, make your holiday party better, more delicious, and more noteworthy than ever before with exciting food ideas, upscale additions, and general hosting hacks that will make you the star of the season. From what to cook to how to serve your drinks (frozen, and not in the way that you’re expecting), here are our best tips for how to host the best holiday event this holiday.
If you’re considering throwing a big outdoor bash, you might also consider making some pre-holiday investments. Looking to extend your party well into evening? A fire pit might make the perfect party accoutrement. These days, smokeless pits are where it’s at, with manufacturers like Breeo and Solo stepping up their game when it comes to aesthetic and function. Solo’s Yukon fire pit, for instance, is a smokeless pit that comes in eight distinct colorways (one is the classic stainless steel) and that can be transported from spot to spot in your yard, should you decide that you want to move your fire pit from one location to another.
Although the grill is the traditional hot spot-on the Fourth of July, why not embrace another method of cooking this season: the traditional pizza oven. The backyard pizza craze may have started a few summers ago, but companies are just now starting to come into their own when it comes to technology. Ovens are easier than ever to operate and pizzas taste more and more like the kinds you might encounter on the streets of Napoli. If you don’t mind a splurge, definitely go for the Gozney Dome Dual-Fuel Pizza Oven, an outdoor set piece that will live on well beyond the Fourth. Powered by wood and by gas, this epic oven can cook pizzas up to 16-inches in size with precision and ease, meaning you can fire up enough for a crowd.
For a fun change of pace that embraces the hot weather, treat guests to popsicles — popsicle cocktails, that is. Cutwater makes pre-packaged frozen cocktails (available for sale at Michael’s Liquors, in Riverhead), in flavors like gin and melon, rum and cola, and tequila margarita. Having a cocktail and indulging in a sweet treat never felt so good, after all. Keep a sealable cooler like a Yeti outside, stocked full of ice and cocktail pops, and you’re good to go. No glassware required.
Treat guests, too, to oysters on the grill from Little Ram. The Southold Farmstand sells 25 oysters for $35, packaged in a burlap bag (you can purchase a knife for shucking for an additional $10). Open the bivalves, top them with a little butter, salt, pepper, and garlic, and grill them for five to eight minutes, until they’re bubbling and just cooked through. It’s a great seasonal way to feed a crowd and to honor the local purveyors. (Make sure to call Little Ram ahead of time for farmstand hours; their Automat, also in Southold, is open even when the farmstand is not.)