Be the host with the most… Pirates on ice and costumes scarier than Saw X.
Good food, good drink, good friends – at its essence, a party is a timeless combination of elements brought to life by the individual touch that hosts and guests contribute to the occasion. To help you pull off your best and most fun-filled gathering yet, our Dan’s Daily Blueprints tell you everything you need to host whatever event is next on your hit list.
Of all the holidays, Halloween is the most fun to host. It’s all lollies, sugar and those fake spiders suspended in red jelly. No real “food” is required and not cleaning your house only adds to the “haunted” effect. It also comes with lower expectations in Australia, where we didn’t grow up with parents going OTT on costumes. It’s also, strictly, a costume party that works two-fold for a host. Firstly, because your mates are more focused on their lewks and less on the quality of your efforts, and secondly, because costume parties, by definition, get freaky. Something about wearing a little bit of faux animal fur or some false teeth makes people loosen up, go with the flow and want to have a good time. No one’s worried about not getting their tax return in when they’re dressed as a werewolf, you know? And now, you have our Halloween party blueprint. Babe, you’re going to smash this event out of this world.
What to drink
1. A baddie beer
Pirates are classic bad guys and an OG Halloween costume. You can go all out à la Jack Sparrow or tie on a bandana, liquid eye-liner, some stubble, add a striped tee and be done with it. Pirate Life South Coast Pale Ale Cans might be named for seafaring villains but it more resembles the treasure they hunt. Made in South Australia, it has a golden tropical flavour, fluffy foam and a perfectly balanced bitter-to-sweet ratio. Plus, you can say you have an “esky full of pirates” to your guests.
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Click image to shop
2. A bloody good G&T
A blood-red Gin & Tonic could not be more suited to a Halloween bash, but mixing cocktails at your party can be a drag. The good people of Four Pillars are well aware of this, so they have released a canned Bloody Shiraz Gin & Tonic. They’ve also made each can one standard drink. So thoughtful. In short, they are the perfectly mixed G&T with that extra red-berry flavour (and colour) oomph from the Yarra Valley shiraz.
3. A ghostly (but great) white
This wine comes from Tassie’s Cradle Coast, which sounds like it could inspire the sequel to Picnic at Hanging Rock. Ghost Rock Cradle Pinot Gris has the respect of a Penguin Classic and the grandeur of a haunted mansion. The grapes it’s made from are harvested precisely at the end of April, soaked on skins for a brief and exact amount of time before a pristine fermentation. These BTS workings may not be what you’re thinking about while you’re sipping and bopping along to Gaga’s Monster, but you will clock that it’s sell-your-soul delicious.
Click image to shop
Click image to shop
4. Shady cocktail with a creepy prop
With its marbled crimson base, oozy foam float top and recommended garnish of lychee and blueberries (which, skewered a certain way, look creepily like eyeballs), the Side Eye cocktail couldn’t be more on theme. Even the name is nicely evil, in a Bravo-verse kinda way. Making it with Crystal Head Vodka will deliver a silky, clean drink, plus, the bottle doubles as spooky decor. The taste? Decidedly less evil. It’s low-key spring in a glass. Tropical, tart, refreshing. And given October in Australia is sunshine time, this is the ultimate Halloween cocktail for Down Under.
