Hosting an Italian French Soda Party

One of the nice things about owning your own home is the barbecue factor. You can pop the top on the grill and cook away whenever the mood takes you. However, if ordinary barbecues are starting to pall on you, why not host an Italian or French soda party? It's a great way to get to know your neighbors if you've recently moved and is a great excuse for a party with friends and family.

Italian sodas are made using club soda and flavored syrup. That's the bare bones of it, but as any Italian soda lover can tell you, Italian sodas look best when in a clear glass, so you can see the syrup swirling around, with chunks of ice and possibly a garnish of a cherry or citrus fruit. French soda lovers enjoy dairy, such as milk or whipped cream, with their soda and syrup. This is also known as an Italian Cremosa.

Decide whether this is an adult-oriented event or a kid-friendly event. You may wish to provide some games, activities and extra clean-up supplies for children if you are planning to have them at your party. On that note, the adults might enjoy a game or activity or two as well!

What's the theme? Since Italian sodas are light, bright and sparkling, a colorful summer theme is always appropriate. Think bright pink, blue, yellow, red, orange and purple. If you're going to decorate, consider reusable decorations that you can reuse for years.

Allow a couple of weeks at least from when you send out your invitations in order to gather your ingredients, make sure all equipment is in working order and arrange your set-up. Unless it is a strict invitation-only event, allow for the fact that some people might bring along a friend or two and purchase food accordingly. Decide if you want people to bring a dish themselves and, if so, be clear about what kind of a dish. If you are concerned about people bringing too much of the same thing, ask people individually to bring a specific dish.

Purchase as many ingredients as possible early in the week you are holding the party. This cuts down on last-minute trips and gives you more time to clean, arrange and cook. Any fresh ingredients should probably be purchased a day or two before and kept in the refrigerator or freezer. If you can prepare any dishes ahead of time, do so! Such popular barbecue foods as potato salad can be made some days before and be stored safely in the refrigerator.

Sometimes, you can buy 750 ml bottles of syrup online for as little as $5. In stores, they can range from $10-$20 per syrup. Fortunately, club soda is pretty cheap! Also, consider purchasing some of the environmentally friendly disposable plates, cups and cutlery available online today. Recycle whatever you possibly can!

Do a test run of the soda syrups to determine what the best ratio is for serving guests. A pump for your syrup bottles can help you easily fill drinks with soda. Pumps can be expensive, but if you rinse them well, a couple can serve for several bottles of syrup. If you have people with health issues that prohibit them from ingesting sugar, you might want to have separate pumps and rinse stations for sugared and sugar free syrups.

Clean your home two days before the event. This allows you to arrange things, do last-minute cooking/errands and set up the day before without worrying about cleaning. Also, do a yard/balcony/venue sweep to mow the lawn, pick up litter and remove dangerous objects and/or block off hazardous areas.

The day before the event, do a final check of your equipment and food list. Set up as much as possible outside and arrange things that cannot go outside so that they can be transported with the least amount of difficulty.

A few hours before the event is due to start, start setting up everything. Fire up the barbecue to make sure it is running well and fill coolers with ice and soda. Make sure all the soda bottles are open and provided with a syrup pump and a lid. If you don't have enough pumps for your syrups, keep the syrups tightly lidded to discourage insects and keep the pumps in a pitcher filled with water to rinse them off. Provide some containers for ice beside the syrup counter. Don't forget room for cups and straws!

Decide whether the Italian sodas are something you want your guests to serve themselves or if you want to serve them. If you decide that people will be serving themselves, you might want to post fun, brightly colored signs with serving suggestions and recipes. This will help prevent syrup wastage and help people who have never had an Italian soda to easily serve themselves a great-tasting drink.

An Italian soda party is a fun, up-beat event that is appropriate for all ages and adds some fun experimenting with different soda flavorings. With a little planning, you can have a barbecue that celebrates the best of summer.

Ingredient List:

- Flavored syrups (think Torani; however, there are other companies that make very fine syrups)

- Club soda

- Whipped cream

- Cherries, Limes, Lemons, Oranges, etc. for garnishes

- Your choice of barbecue food: hot dogs, hamburgers, etc and condiments.

- Ice for cooler and for drinks (separate, please!)

Equipment List

- Barbecue (!)

- Cooler for soda and drinks

- Table for Italian soda setup and food

- Serving platters

- Plates

- Soda Glasses

- Soda Straws

- Cutlery

- Chairs

- Any amusements that you plan to feature

- Garbage bags

- Recycling bags

- Clean up supplies




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