The Party is the People
How to use your friends, in the best way possible,
to throw the most epic of holiday parties.
EDITED BY JANELLE ERLICHMAN DIAMOND
CREATIVE DIRECTION & STYLING BY JAMIE CAMPBELL BYNUM OF JUNIPER HOUSE STUDIO
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIE HOVE ANDERSEN
“I think the idea is that in our friends group, especially with old friends getting together for the holidays, we all bring something to the table. Because of recent events, the act of simply getting together is now a gift and a celebration.”
—Jamie Campbell Bynum, Juniper House Studio
The New Potluck
Consider it a curated tableau of The People’s Best. A joyful, collaborative fête that celebrates what your friends quite literally bring to the table (or bar). There is nothing lowbrow about throwing a party and assigning roles. The host becomes the curator—any well-executed project has a plan, and the host’s most important role is to identify and showcase the talents of others, to bring out the best in your guests, and to give them the opportunity to shine.
Be confident and inclusive with your requests. Brainstorm your guest list, their strengths, and your favorite things they do: your friend’s delicious baked bread, your sister’s passion for floral design, or your colleague’s family recipe for party punch. Ultimately, this approach removes any awkwardness by turning your “asks” into love notes. Gathering in person and reveling in each other.
–Kate Beck, The Scout Guide Baltimore
The Hosts
Jamie Campbell Bynum and Drury Bynum
The Guests
Megan Isennock, Dan Martinez, Colin Marshall, Hilton Carter, and Fiona Vismans
How to Properly Guest
Dish: For a shared meal, bring your food in a ready-to-serve dish—no Tupperware, along with the proper serving utensils.
Flowers: If you bring your hosts flowers, have them already prepped in a vessel. No one wants to be snipping stems and searching for a vase as guests arrive.
Wine: Make sure the bottle is ready to go at the appropriate temperature.
Ice: Bring a bag of ice; you always need more ice.
Toast: Toast your host, then keep an eye on their glass and offer to refill it when it seems low.
Clean-up: Offer to help clean up. The host will most likely say no, but the thought is there.
“I’m going for simplicity. No sweeping tablescapes. More like something we’d do for ourselves, but a little more elevated, a little foraged, a little found, with a stylish splash of a floral designer.”
The Meal and The Table Top
Meat board, John Brown General & Butchery; oysters, True Chesapeake Oyster Co.; Frenched prime rib roast and assorted cheeses, Eddie’s of Roland Park; roasted Brussels sprouts with pomegranate, smoked Gouda mashed potatoes, and shaved fennel and radicchio salad, Gundalow Gourmet; natural wines, Angels Ate Lemons; apple and lemon chess pies, Dangerously Delicious Pies; Maryland Mud and vanilla ice cream, The Charmery; espresso, Boyfriend Blend, Mom’s Organic Market; dried florals on table and mantle, Tilled Studio; ochre napkins, beaded napkin rings, small marble bowls, spoons, cheese knives, Becket Hitch; cocktail glasses, Ferm Champagne coups, espresso cups, Good Neighbor; gray water pitcher, small rust swirled ceramic bowl, Hedgerow; black tower, black candle holders, small round marble bowl with knife, brie warmer, clear pitcher, large swirled salad bowl, marble trivet rings, Ruxton Mercantile; various color wire trees, blue glass tea light holders, In Watermelon Sugar.
Dried Flowers Can Last the Whole Holiday Season
Dried flowers and fresh greens are a fun, easy way to dress a table or mantle that is season appropriate. Fresh greens in water will last a few weeks to a month if you replace the water—think Christmas trees. Combining various small vases and flower frogs—an apparatus used to construct floral arrangements and keep flowers in place—allows you to change up the table and host many different events. Dynamic tables with illumination and botanicals can go from drinks to dinner to dessert by moving things around, while keeping the vibe cozy and welcoming.
If you combine fresh and dry in the same container, cut the dry stems shorter so they stay out of water. Have fun. Be creative. Add or remove more elements as the season changes from fall to winter.
–Alyssa Zygmunt, Tilled Studio
Black Tuesday
By The Baltimore Spirits Company
- 2 oz. Epoch Rye
- 1 oz. Amaro Averna
- 3 shakes Black Walnut Bitters
Stir and strain over ice in a rocks glass. Express an orange over the top of the drink, and drop the orange peel in for garnish.
The Duchess of Earl Grey
By The Baltimore Spirits Company
- 25 oz. (1 bottle) Shot Tower Gin
- 25 oz. Earl Grey tea (fresh brewed)
- 6.5 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup coconut palm sugar
- 8 limes
- Fresh nutmeg, grated for garnish
Peel the limes. Try just to get the peel and not the white pith. Put the peels in a bowl with all the sugar. Mash the peels into the sugar for about 5 minutes. Let the peels sit in the sugar for 30 minutes to an hour. Pour all the sugar with the peels into a container with all the other ingredients and mix until the sugar is dissolved. Strain the mixture to remove the peels. Serve from a punch bowl over ice and grate fresh nutmeg on top.
Bring Fresh Oysters to Your Next Party. It’s Food and a Show.
Don’t be afraid: With a decent shucking knife and a kitchen towel or two, you can handle anything.
Buy great oysters: Oysters are sold alive and should be closed tight. A popped-open oyster is a dead oyster. We’re partial to Maryland-farmed ones, ourselves.
Keep ’em chill: Store them in your refrigerator by putting the net bag they come in inside of a bowl with a damp towel on top. Don’t put them in a sealed plastic bag.
Ice, ice, baby: Oysters don’t need extra ice in the fridge. But, when you take them out to shuck, put them on ice. Serve them on ice, too.
Garnish it: The toppings are part of the fun. Wedge a few lemons,
grab some good cocktail sauce, add a ramekin of horseradish, and try making a creative mignonette.
– Kathleen Tozzi, True Chesapeake Oyster Co.
“We wanted an approachable but elevated table and menu to show how to do this in a way that’s cool and high style, but doable.”
Hostess Gifts
Green/gold tray, Earl Gray tea candle, Ruxton Mercantile; Madhu chocolates, Good Neighbor; Bella Cucina aromatic salts, In Watermelon Sugar; Lord Jones gummies, Hedgerow; brie warmer, Ruxton Mercantile.
Mad About Magnums
A magnum bottle of wine, or party-size, as some would say, is just about the best thing you can bring to a gathering. At 1.5 liters, it’s the equivalent of two bottles of wine. Not only does the wine age better in magnum bottles, but pouring it in front of all your friends and family is cinematic. It is a true delight to share.
—Lane Harlan, Angels Ate Lemons
How to Make the Perfect Party Playlist
I like a mix of old and new songs that makes me happy, like Devandra Banhart, Beach House, and Leon Bridges; stuff that feels nostalgic, like Vince Guaraldi’s “Charlie Brown Christmas”; anything by Etta James and Nat King Cole; and music that makes me want to hang out till the wee hours, like Frank Ocean, Solange, and Future Islands.
–Jamie Campbell Bynum, Juniper House Studio
