Menu Starters Marcona Almonds Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives Picholine Olives Herbs de Provence Cured Olives Celery with Trio of Dipping Sauces Sandwiches Harlequin Ham and Swiss Cucumber Blossom Sweets Tangerine Marmalade Scones Black Sesame Cookies Eclairs Meringues Drinks Black and Gold Tea French 75 Cocktail It certainly wouldn't be a celebration 20s style without a little giggle-water or jorum of skee. The French 75 is a classic cocktail that is quick, easy, and holds up well in a punch bowl. With gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and bubbly, the French 75 is quintessentially old-school but also refreshingly timeless. Serve it in cut crystal for a subtle nod to the midnight ball drop, and freeze lemon peel in ice rings to add a little extra drama. For youngsters and teetotalers, a black and gold tea blend is served from a vintage silver tea pot. Handleless teacups are a great way to recognize the heavy influence Chinese and Japanese designs had throughout the era. The tea itself is a mixture of Chinese Chrysanthemums, Chinese Golden Spring (a black tea that includes buds covered in golden down), and Lapsang Souchong. The chrysanthemums and Golden Spring are both fairly mild teas with delicate flavours. The Lapsang is there to provide just a little bit of a backbone to the others, and round out the floral notes with the barest hint of smoke.
The sweets are a healthy mix of French pastries (the moniker used on 1920s menus for desserts) and classic tea time treats. Tangerine marmalade scones, with jam in the dough as well as melted over the top, have the same sweet yet tangy brilliance as the French 75. Chocolate dipped eclairs get their glad rags on with a bit of gold deco, and meringues are the cat's meow in shimmering black fringe. Lemon scented cookies rolled in black sesame seeds find the right balance between rich and delicate. All in all the sweets are complementary to the bold starters, the punchy booze, and the mild mannered tea. The decorations are simple in black, gold, and silver, with crystal accents. The flapper inspired backdrop is constructed from wrapping paper that was fringed and layered. Simple white flowers and lemon slices fill a shallow bowl for an elegant but effortless centerpiece. Add a few floating votives to give even more depth and shine to your table. So put a little elbow grease into polishing the silver, gather your hotsy-totsy friends, and have a rollicking good time with this Bee's Knees New Years Eve Tea Party. From Bedford Cottage Tea House, I hope you have a swell end to 2018 and a keen beginning to 2019. That's berries, folks!
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