Invitations

There are several ways you can send invitations, depending on the formality of the event and the budget. Custom printed invitations from a specialty store, like InvitationBox.com, are printed with designs that complement the “Stock The Bar” theme. You can see their full collection here, and some of our favorite designs below. You can order these invitations with the words custom printed, or blank for about ½ price of custom printed invitations, so you can print them yourself.

Another option is using an online invitation company, like Evite, to create a free or low cost online invitation. Not only is this option instant, with no need to address envelopes, use stamps or drop them off at the post office, but you can also easily manage the attendee list as RSVPs begin coming in. It’s easy to attach driving directions using MapQuest or Google Maps, and for this shower theme, even the couple’s favorite list of drinks or preferred liquor.

You can also make your own invitations, for a fraction of the cost of printed invitations. Some great invitation wordings for the Stock The Bar bridal shower:

A spirited chorus line
We will make
For our (soon to be married) dear friends
Susan and Jake
Bring your favorite brew, glasses or useful device
So their bar will be stocked really quite nice

The wedding date is not to far
So let’s “toast” the couple and stock the bar

Before they share the same last name
Let’s stock them up to entertain

Before Danielle and Jim
Tie the knot
Let’s make sure their bar is stocked

Soon Cherie & David
Will no longer be single
So let’s get together
To mix & mingle
Join us for a Stock the Bar Shower

You’ll want to ask the guests to bring their favorite bar accessories, alcoholic beverages, mixers and drink recipes to help the couple stock their bar. This includes stemware, decanters, ice buckets, cocktail napkins, martini shakers, stirrers, mixers and of course, the alcohol.

Setting The Mood

After you’ve decided on your invitations, think about how you will decorate and set the mood for the party. For the Stock The Bar shower, we suggest making a really great playlist, filled with fun, party music on your iPod and playing it during the event. Select music that’s not too overpowering but the music will be an essential element. You might want to consider this amazing playlist on iTunes in the iMix section, titled Stock The Bar Shower Mix.

Provide floor pillows and other comfortable seating options. Food and drinks should be placed in several locations around the house. Dim the lights, light some candles and create the perfect lounge in your house! Encourage guests to mingle and have fun.

If having a houseful of people and liquor isn’t your cup of tea, take the show on the road! Consider renting out a private room within a bar or, if you have many guests, the entire bar. There’s no need to decorate when hosting your party at a club or bar. And, you can still ask the bartender to play that awesome playlist!

Refreshments

Whether at home or at a bar, you’ll want to make sure guests have multiple food items to graze on during the course of the evening. Be sure to have both hot and cold selections, and try arranging areas with serving platters in several locations. This will help naturally move people around the event throughout the evening.

Consider serving one or two “signature” drinks, perhaps the couple’s favorite drinks if they have one, along with a selection of beer. Don’t feel like you have to have a fully stocked bar at the Stock The Bar shower! Often, a few well-executed and thought out drinks make a better impression than lots of random liquor bottles, mixers and fruit slices!

Here are a few cocktails that would make great signature drinks for this event, the French Martini and the Tequila Sunrise.

French Martini

What You Need
1 oz. citrus vodka
1 oz. pineapple juice
1/2 oz. Chambord
Lime wedge, for garnish

How To Make It
* Shake vodka, pineapple juice, and Chambord well with ice in a shaker
* Strain into a chilled martini glass
* Garnish with lime wedge

Tequila Sunrise

What You Need
1 1/2 oz. tequila
1 oz. orange juice
Splash of grenadine
Cherry or lime, for garnish

How To Make It
* Add tequila and orange juice to ice
* Top with grenadine and garnish with cherry or lime
* Serve on the rocks

Party Favors

Finally, you’ll want to send your guests home with a unique, fun party favor. One idea guests will love, is a creative display featuring miniature bottles of alcohol, personalized with the couple’s favorite drink recipes and their wedding date. You can use the little mini bottles of liquor, like the kind used on airplanes, or tiny bottles of wine or champagne. All of these selections are commonly found in grocery markets or specialty liquor stores. Tie each bottle with a ribbon and an appropriate drink recipe, and let guests take a handful on their way out.

This party will help your friends get a great start on stocking their bar. Have fun with this shower theme, it’s sure to be one of the couple’s favorite showers!

Nobody Turns Down A Chocolate Party!

When considering invitations, you’ll want to convey that it’s a dessert shower featuring chocolate. As obvious as that may sound, you don’t want to give off the impression that you are providing lunch or dinner if that’s not in the cards. This shower would be ideal for an evening time slot, maybe 7:00 until 8:30pm, if not later.

Under the “dessert” category, Evite.com has a few really cute electronic invitation designs. I especially liked the Chocolate Sprinkles and Dessert Table designs. Although not bridal-shower specific, you can personalize the text to make them your own!

For a more understated, modern look, you could simply go with the chocolate brown color for the actual invitation. I loved the “mochatini” colored paper found at weddingpaperdivas.com. Another contemporary choice, brown with baby blue accents, can be found at tinyprints.com.


With invitations in the mail, it’s time to consider the showstopper, the CHOCOLATE BAR MENU!

Piece De Resistance

For this type of menu - long on selections - you’ll probably want to “outsource” some of the cooking. What I mean is this: head over to your local bakery or specialty cooking store, check out their selection and place an order to complement your favorite homemade items. Some items to think about purchasing: chocolate petit fours and truffles. If these aren’t readily available nearby…try Dean and Deluca or Harry and David online. Although on the pricey side, Dean and Deluca has some fabulous “centerpiece” desserts like the Chocolate Fudge Cake from Dean and Deluca or their amazing Red Wine Truffles, and you might want to consider purchasing just one for a decadent touch at your special occasion. Harry and David’s cheesecake petit fours are delicious!

As you think about your menu, think about how you will display and serve each item. A dessert bar looks best along a countertop or on the dining room table - all together. And a lesson in aesthetics from the catering experts - your table display will look better when presented at different heights. Look for some serving dishes of various heights. Flat plates, tall cake stands, three-tiered dessert servers all work great. If the pickings are slim on your selection of “tall” pieces, use this trick: build height with small boxes, and place a tablecloth over the “stage”. Then, place your serving pieces on top. I would suggest putting all of your serving pieces out, then place a piece of paper on each containing the name of the dessert that will occupy the spot later on. This step will really help you visualize how your buffet will look and plan what you want to serve.

Some suggestions: petit fours, chocolate truffles, bite-size chocolate and raspberry cookies, and even fresh fruit served alongside a fondue pot. You can also have other interesting items available to dip into the fondue, like small pieces of pound cake, marshmallows, angel food cake pieces. Try this recipe for an amazing, easy-to-make Chocolate Hazelnut Torte, courtesy of Heather Carlucci. Delicious!

Chocolate Hazelnut Torte
1 cup hazelnuts
4 ounces semisweet chocolate (we recommend Cluizel Brand)
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
5 eggs
½ cup flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and parchment a 9-inch cake pan In the bowl of a food processor, grind chocolate and hazelnuts down to a fine paste. Add soft butter and sugar and pulse until thoroughly incorporated. Add eggs one at a time. Scrape down bowl carefully, then add the flour. Fill prepared cake pan with torte batter. Spread carefully to level and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until cake tester comes out clean.

Don’t Forget The Beverages!

Even a professed chocoholic like myself has to break down and say that serving hot cocoa is probably going overboard. For this evening, you’ll absolutely want to serve champagne and also some nice, fresh-ground coffee. Incorporate the “chocolate bar” concept into your coffee service, and offer up a rich variety of condiments for guests to add to their coffee. Consider cocoa powder, whipped cream, cinnamon powder, white and brown sugar, half and half, cinnamon sticks and orange zest. Flavored syrups, like the Torani or DaVinci syrups, are a perfect compliment to your coffee or cocktail bar for whipping up delicious chocolate flavored drinks. Some of our favorite chocolate cocktails and espresso drinks are the Cherry Kiss Mocha, Rocky Road Mocha and Mounds Bar Martini.

Cherry Kiss Mocha Recipe
3/4 oz of chocolate syrup
1/4 oz of cherry syrup
1 shot of expresso
Steamed milk

Combine all ingredients in a 12 oz. cup and mix well.

Rocky Road Mocha
1/3 oz toasted marshmallow syrup
1/3 oz macadamia nut syrup
1/3 oz chocolate syrup
1 shot of espresso
Steamed milk

Combine all ingredients in a 12 oz. cup and mix well.

Mounds Bar Martini
6 Tbsp vodka (80 proof)
1 packet Diet Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Mix
4 Tbsp Torani Sugar Free Coconut syrup
2 Tbsp whipped cream (in dispenser)
Crushed ice
Hot water

Fill a martini shaker halfway with crushed ice. Combine cocoa mix with 2 oz of hot water and mix well. Add 2 oz of cold water and pour the mixsture into the martini shaker. Add the vodka, syrup and whipped cream and cover the top of the shaker. Shake for about a minute or until the liquid is thoroughly chilled. Strain into 2 martini glasses and enjoy! This recipe was featured on the Torani website, which has many more flavored coffee and cocktail recipes for you to consider!

And For Party Favors!

You will enjoy planning your party favors almost as much as the menu itself! Many bridal sites advertise cute tins of mints or chocolates (or chocolate mints!) that can be personalized for your event. These can be a unique, affordable option. You could also look at buying regular old Hershey Bars and having the label custom-printed with the bride’s name…or wedding date…or the shower date. You could have a basket of these setting near the door to hand out as your guests leave for the night. These monogrammed gourmet chocolates make a wonderful favor, too—there are so many different ways you could go with this theme!

Start Setting The Theme With Invitations

Begin with a bang and select a great invitation. We found this cute sushi themed invitation at Madi and Company. It’s perfectly festive and features little rolls of sushi at the bottom. And, priced at only $46.00 for 20 invitations, it’s easy on the checkbook too. If you’re up for digital invitations, try Evite.com, where the invitations and postage are free! Evite had several cute ideas to go along with the sushi party theme. While their current selections are not designed specifically for a bridal shower, the overall design definitely communicates the sushi theme, and you convey shower details in the invitation copy. And if a themed invitation is a bit much for your tastes, a traditional shower invitation is always appropriate, and just add the event details!

Is There Special Sushi Music?

You bet! We found a neat playlist perfect for sushi parties at Imeem.com. Have this great playlist going in the background to add ambiance to the hip, urban feel of your shower. As far as decorating, colorful paper lanterns will look fabulous hanging throughout your house, across your deck or porch. There’s an amazing selection of affordable paper lanterns and accessories at AsianIdeas.com. Check out the site for lots of great decorating ideas incorporating an Asian theme!

Try Making Your Own Sushi!

My first inclination would be to order several beautiful sushi trays from my favorite restaurant. Sushi making seems like lots of work. After mulling it over a bit, I thought that with a little advance prep work on your part, maybe the girls would enjoy learning to make their own sushi rolls for dinner—kind of a shower activity in itself. Plus, you will be getting help in the kitchen without people feeling like they are working. Food Network provides some simple, basic sushi recipes, including the popular California Roll. This is one you should definitely plan on serving. Since it’s mainly cucumber, avacado and rice, it’s a great “starter” roll for novices! It’s not as threatening as some of the other offerings. One thing common to any sushi recipe is well-made Sushi Rice. Here’s one from Alton Brown:

2 cups sushi or short grain rice
2 cups water, plus extra for rinsing rice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt

Place the rice into a mixing bowl and cover with cool water. Swirl the rice in the water, pour off and repeat 2 to 3 times or until the water is clear. Place the rice and 2 cups of water into a medium saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.

Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl and heat in the microwave on high for 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer the rice into a large wooden or glass mixing bowl and add the vinegar mixture. Fold thoroughly to combine and coat each grain of rice with the mixture. Allow to cool to room temperature before using to make sushi or sashimi.

If you decide to make sushi-making part of the evening’s activities, have a designated hand-washing station for everyone to use. Make sure you have plenty of countertop or table space, since people will be actively rolling their dinners! Provide multiple plates of ingredients to choose from, grouped around each area where your guests will be assembling their sushi. You’ll also want to have dishes of pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce for dipping, when everyone is ready to eat.

Sake Anyone?

And, what would a sushi meal be without sake? Sake is a traditional - and potent - rice wine. You can purchase bottles of sake at most liquor stores. Glass or porcelain sake cups are usually 2 inches tall, and can be found at stores like the Cost Plus Market. Offer drink alternatives too, because not everyone will want sake, and it’s definitely not something that people will drink exclusively throughout the night! Pitchers of jasmine or other flavored iced tea might be a nice touch.

Typically, people enjoy a cup of hot green tea after a sushi meal. This is called agari in Japanese cuisine. You could have a pot of tea brewing and serve something cool and light for dessert. Fresh fruit and sorbet would be nice, and if you want to do a cake, consider a zesty lemon cake.

Gifting the Guests

This theme seems to be growing in popularity as evidenced by the many different kinds of favors available for purchase! I especially liked these individual Japanese incense kits. Apparently, others like them, too—they have recently been featured in both InStyle and Cosmopolitan. At $1.80 each, they are a great price point for a unique, trendy gift. You could also look into purchasing beautiful silk hand fans or even personalized sake cups for each guest to take home.

Egg Salad Pinwheel Sandwich Recipe

1 loaf sliced wheat bread
3 cups egg salad (your favorite or see recipe below)
1 small jar sliced green olives, drained
Butter, softened

Rolling Pin
Plastic Wrap

Unwrap the loaf of bread and set aside the end slices of the loaf (we won’t be using the end pieces in this recipe). Slice off the crusts from each slice of bread to form a long rectangle. You can stack several pieces together to make this faster!

Take one slice of bread and flatten it slightly, using a rolling pin. Lightly butter one side of the bread. Spread a thin layer of egg salad on the buttered side, spreading the egg salad almost to the edges.

Arrange a row of green olive slices along a short end of the bread slice. Role the bread slice like a jelly roll, continuing until you reach the other side. Wrap the roll snugly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 - 4 hours, or overnight. This helps the pinwheel sandwich maintain it’s shape. Continue with the remaining slices of bread.

Shortly before serving, remove the plastic wrap and using a serrated knife, slice the rolls into 1/2 inch thick sandwiches. You should be able to get 6 - 8 pinwheel sandwiches per roll. This recipe will make 24 - 32 elegant pinwheel sandwiches, perfect for your next brunch!

Our Favorite Egg Salad Recipe

1 dozen hard boiled eggs, shelled and finely diced
4 teaspoons of sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon mustard

Combine eggs, relish, celery, onion, salt and pepper and mix well. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and mustard to taste. Gradually add this mayonnaise mixture to the eggs, one tablespoon at a time. Stir frequently and stop adding mayonnaise when you have a moist, creamy egg salad. Refrigerate until ready you’re ready to assemble the Egg Salad Pinwheel Sandwiches.

Pinwheel sandwiches look so pretty on a bridal buffet. Here’s another one of our favorite pinwheel recipes:

Smoked Salmon Pinwheel Sandwiches

There’s no secrets to making good tea, but there are some proven steps to follow:

4 heaping teaspoons loose tea
4 cups water

Note: adjust this recipe appropriately for the size of teapot you are using. It is generally a one to one ratio.

First warm the teapot. You can do this by pouring in a quarter of a cup of water and microwaving it for one minute. If you’re not sure if the teapot should be microwaved (it’s an antique, etc), pour hot water into the teapot and let sit briefly.

Boil fresh water for the tea. When the water is boiling, pour out the heating water and put the loose tea leaves into a warmed tea kettle. Pour the heated water over the loose tea leaves and stir. Let the tea steep for 3 minutes. Black tea can steep a little bit longer, however leaving the tea leaves in for longer than the recommended times will make it bitter. Strain the tea and serve.

Have milk, honey and sugar available for your guests to personalize their tea with. Chilled milk should be placed into the teacup first, then the hot tea poured over it. Sugar can be added to taste. Consider having several kinds of sugar available for a decorative touch - white sugar, sugar cubes, sugar straws and sugar crystals!

Citrus Slush Punch

1 large pkg of lemon flavored jello
1 cup hot water
1 can frozen orange juice
1 can frozen lemonade
1 cup sugar
1 40 oz can of pineapple juice
1 quart ginger ale

Dissolve the jello in one cup of hot water. Mix the two cans of frozen juice with water according to directions on the cans. Combine the jello, orange juice, lemonade, pineapple juice and sugar together, stirring to dissolve. Transfer to a container safe for freezing and freeze overnight.

Remove frozen mixture from freezer 30 minutes before serving. Mash the melting juices to form a slush and add 1 quart of ginger ale.

Cucumber Tea Sandwich

1/2 seedless cucumber, peeled and very thinly sliced
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup watercress leaves, coarsely chopped
16 slices of white bread - use very good quality
salt
1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts

Cucumbers are full of a lot of water, so the first step is to remove some of the water so it doesn’t make the sandwiches soggy. Place the cucumber slices between layers of paper towels.

Combine the butter and watercress in a small bowl. Spread the butter mixture on the first eight slices of bread, then top with the cucumber slices. Sprinkle with salt and cover with the sprouts. Top the sandwiches with the remaining eight slices of bread.

Using a sharp knife, cut the crusts from the sandwiches. Then cut the sandwiches diagonally two times, so there are four mini sandwiches out of each large sandwich.

Tomato Sandwich

2 large tomatoes
Salt and pepper
8 slices of thinly sliced white or brown bread

Place tomatoes in a large bowl in the kitchen sink and cover with boiling water for one minute. Pour off the boiling water. Now rub your fingers over the skin on the tomatoes - it should slide right off! Pat dry with paper towels. Slice the tomatoes very thinly and set aside.

Butter all slices of the bread on one side. Place the tomatoe slices on the bread and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with another slice of bread and press down firmly.

Trim off the crusts with a sharp knife and either cut into triangles or use a cookie cutter to cut the sandwich into pretty little shapes.

Smoked Salmon Pinwheel Sandwiches

These sandwiches should be refrigerated overnight for best results or at least 2 hours.

6 slices of soft brown bread, crusts trimmed
1 tablespoon watercress, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, very finely chopped
6 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
Black pepper
1/2 lb smoked salmon, very thinly sliced

The first step is to stretch the bread - use a rolling pin to gently flatten and stretch the bread.

Mix together the crean cheese, lemon juice and pepper. Add parsley and watercress. Spread this mixture evenly over a slice of bread. Next, lay the salmon over the cream cheese mixture.

Now comes the fun part! Roll the piece of bread up firmly and wrap it in plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate overnight for best results. If you have less time, refrigerate for at least 2 hours to insure they chill well enough.

Take the rolls out of the refrigerator and remove the wrapping. Using a sharp knife, cut each roll into 5 or 6 pieces. Display on a serving plate and garnish with greens and lemon slices.

Goat Cheese and Watercress Sandwich

1 log of soft fresh goat cheese (like Montrachet) room temperature
1/2 cup watercress leaves, chopped
8 slices of cinnamon-raisin bread, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped
salt

Mix goat cheese and watercress together. Season with salt.

Spread the mixture evenly over 4 slices of bread. Butter the remaining 4 slices and sprinkle with the chopped pecans. Trim edges from the sandwiches and cut diagonally in half. Garnish with watercress.