How To Throw An Adult Party...

… in your 30s

- Anisha Rachel Oommen

In our 20s, in Bangalore, we used to throw parties at a moment’s notice, and all it took was hot chips and cold beer. Those kinds of parties were all about the music and the drinks. No one cared about food until it was the end of the night, when hunger struck, always unexpectedly – and even then, it was nothing that Empire’s basic ghee rice and radioactive butter chicken couldn’t take care of.

But we grew up, and without realising it, the parties evolved too – it was no longer enough to serve vegetarians a bag of Lay’s. Prep time got a bit longer, but the payoff was higher: The house didn’t look like a warzone, cleaning up was usually done before guests left and you could wake up to a clean home, hangover free. This is how we got there.

THE B

If you haven’t already kicked the habit of shopping at the cheapest section of the liquor store, stop now. No one’s saying you need to spring for the 30 Year Old oak-barrel-aged single malt, but a good bottle of vodka, a couple of well-chosen whiskies and a bottle of artisanal gin, if you can afford it, will take you a long way. Do it slowly: Pick up a few bottles from Duty Free whenever you travel, over a period of time. Also buy a mixer or two: Vermouth, Martini Rosso, Campari will help you put together a negroni or a martini that will instantly elevate the glamour quotient at any party.

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