October 24, 2014

Planning a Halloween Party

One of the best parts of Halloween is dressing up and getting together with friends at a party. The gathering doesn’t have to be elaborate in order to be a frighteningly fun time. Here are a few entertainment and food ideas, along with a KORBEL recipe that’s sure to enchant all of your guests.

To encourage socialization, have guests play the scary-movie name game. As each guest arrives, tape a notecard on his or her back that has the name of a character from a scary movie. People must ask other guests for clues about their character until they guess correctly. The game is a great way to get people to mix and mingle.

As guests chat and ooh-and-aah over one another’s costumes, they can enjoy food from the buffet, including a couple of season-appropriate dishes.

A cheese ball is always a popular party snack. Make one even more festive by shaping it into a jack-o’-lantern. Simply make your favorite cheese ball, form vertical grooves with a knife to create the pumpkin’s ribbed skin, and top the ball with a “stem” made of a broccoli stalk. You can create the eyes, nose and mouth out of black olives or pepperoni slices that have been cut into triangles.

Another snack that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser is pumpkin peanut butter dip. Mix together one cup of smooth peanut butter, one cup of pureed pumpkin, ½ to ¾ cup of brown sugar (depending on desired level of sweetness) and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Serve with apples, celery, pretzels and graham crackers.

Of course, no party would be complete without KORBEL California Champagne! You can make a festive pumpkin ice bucket to chill the KORBEL for the party. Choose a pumpkin large enough to hold a bottle of KORBEL. Cut off the top third of the pumpkin and hollow out the pumpkin. Place a bowl or large zip-top bag in the pumpkin to prevent it from getting soggy, then fill the bowl or bag with ice.

Once the champagne is chilled, you can bewitch guests with this bubbly brew that features KORBEL Brut Rosé:

KORBEL Spell

  • 4 oz. KORBEL® Brut Rosé
  • 1 oz. Finlandia® Vodka
  • Cranberry juice
  • Dash Chambord® Black Raspberry Liqueur
  • Orange slice

In a tall glass, mix KORBEL, vodka and cranberry juice. Top with a dash of liqueur and an orange slice.