Party Dishes: Cocktail Party

By Food & Wine
Updated March 08, 2017
These bite-sized dishes include mini burgers, classic cheese fondue, and a tangy beer-based sangria.
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Mai Tai

PHOTO © LUCY SCHAEFFER
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The origin of this classic rum cocktail is one of the great debates in tikidom. Both Ernest Beaumont-Gantt (a.k.a. "Donn Beach," the father of tiki culture) and Trader Vic founder Victor Bergeron lay claim to its invention. This version borrows from Beaumont-Gantt's recipe, which adds dashes of Pernod and Angostura bitters for complexity.

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Mojito

© Wendell T. Webber
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The oldest-known recipe for the mojito appeared as the Mojo de Ron in a 1929 Cuban guide called Libro de Cocktail (The Cocktail Book).

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Mini Burgers & Crispy Onion Rings

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These little burgers, listed as a side dish at Stand, are about half the size of the restaurant's standard ones. Like their larger counterparts, the mini burgers are extra juicy because they're made with a mixture of meats, including ground chuck and short rib. The accompanying onion rings are unbelievably crispy, thanks to the club soda in the batter.

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Seafood Tostada Bites

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Pair this dish with a light, nectariney Pinot Grigio.

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Chicken-Liver Crostini

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This is a simple, classic Florentine chicken-liver pâté, which can be prepared in a coarse or smooth style. To make the rustic recipe here more elegant, Marco Canora suggests processing the cooked livers until very smooth, spreading the pâté in ramekins and topping it with a layer of chicken fat.

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Grilled Merguez Sandwiches with Caramelized Red Onions

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A North-African lamb sausage flavored with the spicy pepper spread harissa, merguez is delicious in sandwiches like these (fresh Mexican chorizo or another spicy sausage will also work well in this recipe).

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Wine Bar Nut Mix

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This fantastic sweet-savory mix of pecans, almonds and walnuts from The Casual Vineyard Table, by Carolyn Wente and Kimball Jones, makes a great gift.

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Kill Devil Punch

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A block of raspberry ice releases berries into the bowl as it melts.

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Shrimp and Chorizo Flatbreads

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Store-bought pitas are topped with good-quality prepared hummus, fresh shrimp and spicy slices of chorizo.

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Marinated Olives

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These spicy olives are infused with fennel, a favorite flavoring of chef Trey Foshee.

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Classic Cheese Fondue

© Rob Howard
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Chef Ryan Hardy makes his luxurious fondue with two kinds of Swiss cheese (Emmentaler and Gruyère) and two kinds of spirits (white wine and Kirsch), all traditional ingredients. Some of the dipping items are also classic, like cubes of crusty bread and pickles, but some are unconventional, like slices of Hardy’s salami and other hearty house-cured charcuterie, which are all wonderful with the winey fondue.

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Brewsky Sangria

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This tangy beer-based sangria was inspired by a British customer's request for a shandy, a refreshing blend of lager beer and lemonade or soda.

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