I may have just found the best summer party theme: Italian Night!
I hosted a fun dinner party out on the deck, full of our favorite things: Pasta, Mozzarella, Spritz, fresh herbs, and Italian decor.
There are so many thoughtful, elevated ways to bring the taste of Italy to your home. I’m excited to share a few of my favorites.
No Italian Party is complete without these
The Bar:
- My homemade tomato shrub (recipe below)
- Tomato ice cubes
- Tomato Shrub Tinis
- Italicus Spritz
If you’ve never tried Italicus before, you are in for a treat. It’s similar to Aperol, but made with rose and so very good!
The Grazing: We had a delicious charcuterie board, pasta with my favorite pasta sauce, and fresh tomatoes with mozzarella balls from Trader Joe’s; just use the herb oil to top this app.
The Decor: Hints of red, bright colors, stripes of all types, tomato cans, and planters full of fresh herbs ended summer in perfect Italian style.
Tomato Ice Cubes
Little details that brought my Italian bar to life were these tomato shrub ice cubes. To achieve these fun, multipurpose cubes:
1. Fill a silicone square mold with water
2. Add tomatoes on the vine in all sizes to your mold.
3. Freeze
4. Add Tomato Ice cubes to a large serving bowl full of your cocktail mixers.
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Make Tomato Shrub at Home
To make the tomato shrub:
- Blend tomatoes into a liquid, then add equal parts vinegar.
- Keep in the fridge for at least 48 hours before serving.
This is so good mixed with anything from mineral water to cocktails.
Tomato Shrub-Tini Recipe
- 1/4 cup shrub
- 2 Ounces gin (Malfy is my fav Italian Gin to use)
- Lime Juice
Mix with a spoon, add ice, and top with sparkling water, then garnish with fresh basil.
Italian Food Grazing Made Simple (but elevated!)
Our Italian food of choice consisted of Charcuterie and grazing boards with ingredients like green olives, beautifully torn loaves of bread, fresh tomatoes, and various cured meats.
A Quick, Simple Tomato Side Dish…
We raved about this tomato dish all night long, and it took 5 minutes to make.
1. Slice the freshest tomatoes you can find
2. Add a container of Trader Joe’s Mozzarella balls and fresh basil to top
3. Simply add your sliced tomatoes to a serving tray, add the marinated mozzarella balls, gently mix together and serve!
Get the mini charcuterie boards right here; we tied ours with ribbon for a cute look.
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Easy Italian Party Decor
Using these striped cups for our bar, my reusable garland, and these adorable herb-filled tomato can planters were the finishing touches to the night.
Herb planters: favorite DIY hack of the night.
To achieve these fresh planters:
1. Simply empty the contents of a large can of crushed tomatoes. I loved these Cento cans for a fun pop of color and a rustic Italian feel.
2. Add your potted herb into each can. I opted for oregano, basil, and rosemary.
3. Add a farmers market-style cardboard box full of cherry tomatoes on the vine
4. Place these around your serving tables and bar.
Sharing fun reasons to celebrate makes me feel so much joy. Gathering your friends for a theme night is the perfect reason to toast!
For more party ideas, follow me on Instagram at @Pinkpopparty.
- Victoria