A Housewarming Cocktail Party with St-Germain

Today I’m super excited to kick off a new series on Oh So Beautiful Paper all about summer cocktail parties! Long summer days offer the perfect opportunity to invite a few friends over for a cool beverage, so we’ve teamed up with St-Germain to bring you a different party idea every month. I invited some of my favorite stationers and calligraphers to participate in the series, with inspiration for everything from invitations and paper details to floral ideas – and of course lots of cocktail recipes with our favorite liqueur. For the first installment, I drew inspiration from my own life: a cocktail housewarming party!

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I’ve been obsessed with these dip-dye cards from Fig. 2 Design Studio for well over a year now. Claudia and I used those cards as the inspiration for the party invitations, which feature a beautiful ombre effect in shades of light pink and lavender and bright pink text. We couldn’t resist including a small packet of confetti in fun colors for an added element of celebration.

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Cookies in the shape of a house as party favors – and the cutest favor bags ever with calligraphy from Meant to Be Calligraphy.

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We thought a cocktail and dessert party sounded like a fun idea, particularly for a housewarming party where people might be coming and going over the course of an afternoon and evening. We chose doughnuts and chocolate croissants (I can’t pass up a good doughnut these days), but you could easily include cupcakes, macarons, or any dessert of your choice.

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Dip dye menu cards by Fig. 2 Design Studio with calligraphy by Meant to Be Calligraphy

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Whenever possible, we recommend mixing a large batch of your cocktail recipe ahead of time and placing it in a pitcher for easy serving – otherwise you’ll be stuck at the bar all evening! For this recipe, which we’ll be sharing in full in just a bit, you can mix up the rosemary-infused strawberry gin a day or two in advance, then place seltzer or tonic water nearby for mixing into each individual drink just before serving.

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We used a flower petal as a garnish for this cocktail, but you could also garnish with a maraschino cherry or berries.

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For the flowers, I placed a single peony in antique decanters that previously belonged to my grandmother and great-grandmother. You can find similar styles at flea markets or on Etsy and ebay.

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Full cocktail recipes are coming up in just a bit!

Invitation Design + Dip-Dye Menu Cards: Fig. 2 Design Studio

Calligraphy: Meant to Be Calligraphy

Favor Bags: Poppies for Grace

Party Design: Oh So Beautiful Paper and Bellwether Events

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

This post is brought to you in collaboration with St-Germain. All content, photos, recipes, and words are our own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that help make Oh So Beautiful Paper possible!

  1. This is so great! It’s beautiful and fun and (almost) makes the hassle of moving completely worth it! 😉 Can’t wait for the full recipes and the next party idea!! Thank you!

  2. I love the idea of a signature cocktail party. We have a huge grapefruit tree in our back yard and at our last party we served Hemingway Daiquiris. They were a big hit!

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