A Petit Garden Party
I’ve been sitting on this post for so long! I’m very excited to finally put it together. Life has been pretty tough the last couple of years, I only posted once in 2021 and that was a very sacred/vulnerable share, as you may know if you caught it. I intend to write further about the growth I’ve experienced and the lessons I’ve learned — I feel more aligned with who I’m meant to be than ever, and that has come directly out of some deeply painful experiences. But, more to come another time!
Last year I put together a little gathering in my garden as the first party I’d hosted in our new home. We moved away from the Bay Area back to the Central Coast in order to heal and rest, which I am so grateful for. One of my favorite aspects of this house is our patio — this is the first time we’ve had a private outdoor space to retreat to! I also intend to write about putting this little oasis together and my foray into gardening…can you tell I’m feeling inspired??
Anyway, I invited a few of my girlfriends over for a casual but intentional get together in the garden with drinks and cake to celebrate summer, our new place and my birthday (all in one). I selfishly hoped that I could connect some of my dear friends from different circles, which totally happened :)
My hope in sharing these celebrations and event elements is to inspire intentionality. My goal is always to cultivate genuine connection and conversation in settings that evoke friendship and laughter. Read on for more details!
Inspiration
As soon as we moved back to the Central Coast, I beelined for Bodega Los Alamos, a place I’d seen pop up on my social feeds that looked like the wine garden of my dreams! Sure enough, it quickly became one of my favorite escapes when we have a free weekend. Their decor heavily influenced my patio furniture purchases (last time we were there, my husband looked around and announced wow, this looks just like our house - which of course made my day)!
Their greenhouse is such a vibe — it’s the best simple pleasure to drink a glass of crisp, cold wine standing near sweet smelling honeysuckle as dappled sunlight streams in. If only I had room for this many plants in my own space! But, there are definitely ways to create this feeling at home.
My one birthday wish was for a sunny day to gather dear friends for refreshments, I’m so pleased to say that I got it. In fact, we all had to wear my floppy sunhat collection so that we didn’t burn!
YOU’RE INVITED
I love sending a simple, digital invite via text to make things a little fancier! I’ve noticed over the years that a group text just doesn’t get the same response as sending an individual message. So, an image makes it easy to send out en masse (or, just copying and pasting the info to each person). The design and photos set the tone and give guests an idea of the vibe!
The Elements
Garden Inspired Sips
Lemon Poppyseed Cake
CHEESE & FRUIT
FRESH HERBS & Florals
When the gathering is simple and focuses on food and drink, I like to make those elements really shine! One of my favorite hosting tricks is to get the guests involved to I don’t have to spend the whole time in the kitchen.
I dragged some furniture outside to create a garden mini bar, filled with fresh flowers, herbs, and fruit, plus all the components needed to make a variety of delicious cocktails.
To make things easy for guests, I prepped garnishes to guarantee a beautiful finish to each drink and put fresh juices and syrups into bottles with spouts. Clean garden shears near the lavender meant the girls could snip some stems for their drink if desired!
The Botanist gin was the star (I did double check with those invited to be sure everybody was a fan of gin/floral notes in general). And of course I had to have Fevertree, my favorite tonic water.
SHOPPING LIST
The Botanist gin
St. Germain
Mint / Thyme / Lavender
Grapefruit / Lemons / Limes
Fevertree tonic water
Fresh squeezed citrus juices
Honey lavender syrup
HERB MOJITO
2 oz white rum / 2 oz fresh grapefruit juice / 1/2 oz lime juice / 1 oz soda water / 1 tbsp sugar / sprig of thyme / basil leaves / mint leaves
Gently muddle herbs in a shaker. Add lime juice, sugar, and rum. Shake with ice and strain into a glass. Top with the soda water and stir. Garnish with more herbs, lime and grapefruit.
LAVENDER BEE’S KNEES
2 oz Botanist Gin / .75 oz fresh lemon juice / .75 oz honey lavender simple syrup
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake for 15 seconds and pour into glass. Garnish with lemon and a sprig of lavender.
GARDEN G&T
1.5 oz Botanist Gin / .5 oz elderflower liqueur / 2 dashes orange bitters / tonic water
Combine ingredients in a glass and fill with ice. Top with tonic water and garnish with grapefruit, lemon, blackberry, cucumber, a sprig of lavender & flowers
Is there anything better than a huge board of snacks? One of the easiest and prettiest ways to serve a group is to put together a cheese board. My favorite tricks are: 1. buy cheese in all the same color (no yellow allowed here!) 2. fill in gaps with nuts/other small items like dried fruit 3. make it feel fancy with fresh herbs tucked throughout.
SHOPPING LIST
Green plumcots
Cotton candy grapes
Honeycrisp apples
Marcona almonds
Syrah soaked toscano
Unexpected cheddar
Boursin
Honey chevre
Thyme / Basil
Crackers
As someone who does not usually care for cake, I surprised even myself by choosing to make a little tiered cake for my dessert — but oh WOW is this cake delicious! Lemon poppyseed muffins have always been one of my favorite treats so when I saw what looked like a muffin in cake form, I knew I had to to try it. Three layers of little 6-inch rounds make the perfect sized cake for a small party. The cake is filled with fresh lemon zest and juice + generous amounts of poppyseed. Each layer is topped with lemon curd and the whole thing is coated in tangy cream cheese buttercream. YUM.
In keeping with the garden theme, I opted to do a simple piped decoration to emulate a flower, following these directions. I love how it turned out!
SHOPPING LIST
FOR THE CAKE // All-purpose flour / baking powder / salt / baking soda / granulated sugar / unsalted butter, softened / vegetable oil / vanilla / eggs / milk / fresh lemon juice / lemon zest / poppy seeds / lemon curd
FOR THE FROSTING // cream cheese, softened / unsalted butter, softened / powdered sugar / fresh lemon juice / lemon zest / poppy seeds
You can’t go wrong with cool refreshments on a sunny day! Let me know if you try any of the recipes above. Now I can’t wait to host another little garden soireé!
— M