Tips for Choosing Your Event Bevvies + Emerging 2019 Trends
Drinks have the power to make or break your event, it’s crucial to understand the importance of choosing the correct alcoholic drinks in the planning stages. Keep reading to find our top 5 tips for perfectly paired event beverages!
1. Match your drinks to the weather
Research the weather for your event date and match your wines accordingly. Cold, wintery days call for heartier meals and rich, full-bodied wines to warm the soul such as Grenache. A hot summers day is perfect for champagne or riesling - anything dry with more apple and citrus flavours will leave your guests feeling light and refreshed.
2. Break the protein myth!
It’s a common mistake to pair your wine with the protein in your dishes. In reality, perfect pairings are made via matching your wine to the sauce in the dish. Cream sauces need richer wines like an oaky chardonnay or demi sec chenin blanc whilst herb sauce works well with sauvingnon blanc or cabernet franc; wines that naturally have a vegetal character.
3. Ask the question
Use your event venue Sommelier to your advantage. They are experts on wine and can offer the best advice on new, interesting and exciting choices and great deals. Our fave Sommelier Will Roser from Fraser’s Group is our go-to for all our wine needs, and now offers at-home wine masterclasses with Taste Wine Australia!
4. Don’t play it safe
People are bored of seeing the same two wines at every event. Whilst house favourites like sauvignon blanc and shiraz are always good to have on-hand, try something new and give your guests something to get excited about. We have been mixing it up lately with Chandon S as a zesty welcome drink, whilst Will’s new favourite is Delemare Pinot Noir paired with smoked duck and master stock.
5. Don’t cheap out on your ice
A good cocktail is ruined by cheap ice. Invest in high-quality, filtered ice which you can utilise for a stunning food theatre spectacular. Try shaped ice cubes for DIY cocktails for that extra WOW factor like we did for the La Lola Pizza & Pasta launch earlier this year. Find images of the de-constructed Negroni’s we whipped up here.
Emerging Food & Beverage Trends of 2019
Low-alcohol weekdays - With Perth’s huge urban-sprawl issues, many of us drive to work or drive halfway to the train, leaving little lee-way for after-work wines or midday catch-up drinks with friends. More and more of the public are opting to drink alcohol on weekends only.
Alcohol-free beverages - Not everyone is able or wants to consume alcohol in a social setting, and so we are seeing a big move towards alcohol free drinks this year. Alcohol-free gin is now readily available, alongside the healthier alternative, kombucha, making a huge wave in the drinks scene (Rok Kombucha is our fave!).
Bespoke ice cubes - A simple yet effective way to add that extra WOW factor to beverages is through bespoke ice cubes. The possibilities are endless for shapes and sizes, with event organisers (like us!) finding limitless ways to impress guests with ice. You can get these locally in Perth from the boys at Rocked Ice.
