There’s a sea of green on the TTC, scores of Guinness ads covering Yonge/Dundas Square, and the raucous sounds of Torontonians raising trouble in the streets. It can only mean one thing: It’s St. Paddy’s Day in the Six.
If you’re like most adults, you want to capture the freewheeling spirit of the day without all the messiness, tacky green beads and outdated leprechaun caricatures. The best way to do that is by hosting an upscale celebration – one that honours the true meaning of the Irish holiday as an occasion for togetherness and cultural celebration (and maybe a smidgen of mischief!).
In this article, we explore how to set the scene, prepare for guests, stock your home bar and cash in on your newfound good luck.
Green Is Unavoidable, But It Doesn’t Need to Take Over
Green is, and always will be, associated with the Emerald Isles. But it’s a relatively recent, and overwhelmingly North American concept, to make every possible Irish thing into a garish green decoration.
Sure, it’s fun, and we can’t fault anyone for leaning into the occasion. However, for an upscale St. Patrick’s Day home celebration, we recommend restraint. There are several other palettes that evoke Ireland: the mahogany of an aged tavern, the stone-grey of a rocky cliffside, or the shimmering gold of a Celtic cross. Balance your greens with these earth tones and metallic sheens for a more sophisticated colour scheme.
For high-end design inspiration, take a cue from our upscale luxury homes.
Start Your Menu Prep Early for the Best Chance at Success
Consider the most common St. Patrick’s Day menu item…the corned beef. While you can buy a pre-brined corned beef from most supermarkets, it won’t pack the same complexity and oomph as a homemade one. However, brining a large chunk of beef brisket is no fast procedure; the cut needs at least five days of cure before it’s sufficiently seasoned and tenderized. It’s a relatively hands-off process, involving some precisely measured curing salt and spices, but it’s wise to start the prep early.
Likewise, other St. Paddy’s classics either need time or can withstand some waiting around. Guinness and lamb stew benefits from an overnight rest in the fridge, allowing the flavours to mingle. And other staples like soda bread and colcannon can be made a day ahead to save time before the party.
Create a Signature Cocktail and Mocktail
Signature cocktails do just that – they put a “signature” on your event, a personal stamp of good taste. They leave guests with a tangible, idiosyncratic memory about the party.
To save yourself the sweat of shaking a hundred individual drinks (a waste of your social graces, at the very least!), consider batch-making a signature cocktail. Take your cue from Ireland, with its long tradition of whisky distillery and penchant for black stouts and cream liqueurs. Disregarding the first point on our list, go ahead and make the cocktail green – your festive statement can and should lean into the occasion.
Likewise, consider batching a mocktail, too. With more people going “sober curious,” offering a thoughtful mocktail is a warm, inclusive gesture. (Any kids on the guest list will also appreciate it!).
Consider the Keg
If the last time you bought a keg was sophomore year university, this might seem like an odd idea. Hear us out. St. Patrick’s Day is a time of shared conviviality, and few drink services capture that sociable spirit better than a communal keg.
To keep it in line with your upscale theme, order from one of the many local craft beer breweries. Ontario is spoiled for high-end, high-quality quaffs that balance big flavours with understated sophistication. For the quintessential St. Paddy’s experience, consider a stout or porter.
Apply a Stager’s Eye to Your Home
At Harvey Kalles Real Estate, we can’t help but think like professional realtors – it’s in our DNA. And so, when the time comes to clean for a party, we apply the same stager’s eye to our homes as we do to the luxury homes in Toronto we sell.
Staging is all about providing guests a user-friendly experience; it aims for clear spaces, clean surfaces, unobstructed sightlines and an intuitive room-to-room “flow.” Before the big day, pack away any obstructive or unnecessary items that might get in the way of social traffic (i.e., mingling), and rearrange furniture for the same purpose. Declutter the space to make it as inviting and open as possible. And, of course, clean any and all surfaces your guests might interact with.
Set the Tone with Pace, Service Style and Seating Style
As mentioned, St. Patrick’s Day festivities are sociable. Unlike, say, Thanksgiving, which tends to follow strict seating arrangements and etiquette, the Irish observance is a more freewheeling affair. People laugh together, recite songs and poetry, raise glasses, and share the Erin go bragh sentiments.
Consider a pace, service and seating style that encourage those qualities. Slow the pace to allow people time to mingle before, between and after courses. Choose a food service style like “buffet” or “family style” in keeping with the communal ethos of the occasion. And nix the strict seating arrangements in favour of a free-for-all, where people can co-mingle, switch seats, or even stand up as they please. Just because a party is upscale doesn’t mean it has to be buttoned up.
Cash in on Your Good Luck
Having thrown a fine donnybrook of a St. Paddy’s party, you’re the new recipient of some of that Irish luck. And what better way to leverage that luck than to make an investment in your future? Riding high from the success of your upscale home celebration, come chat with the best real estate company in Toronto, Harvey Kalles Real Estate. We’ll help you look toward the future, find a new dream home, and ensure that next year’s celebrations are even bigger and better.
Hopefully, the straightforward tips above help you throw a memorable St. Patrick’s Day party this year. From everyone here at Harvey Kalles Real Estate, a warm toast to you and yours.
