Unless you are invited to a fancy soirée with passed canapés and expensive Champagne, New Year's Eve parties are usually overrated. At home, you're watching Ryan Seacrest interview shivering, under-dressed celebrities while eating an assortment of weird appetizers. And if you manage to go out, everything is more expensive. There are obscene cover charge for "all you can drink" without enough bartenders to actually drink your $150 worth, and in bigger cities, an Uber home could cost half your paycheck. Maybe I'm jaded from many lackluster New Year's Eves in New York City, but I think it's time to pick a better way to ring in the new year.
So here's my proposal: Hold off on partying until January 1 has had a little time to ripen—throw a New Year's Day party instead.
I know what you're thinking. Yes, this is a hard task to pull off if you've been drinking the night before, and half of your friends will bail if they're hungover. Don't worry, I have solutions. First off, make the decision that you're staying in on New Year's Eve and having your fun the next day. Secondly, force all of your friends to do that, too. Don't have that much control over your squad? Get a new one. Just kidding—you can prep all of your NYD (yes, I'm making that a thing) food in advance, and we've narrowed it down to simple pairings of food and drinks that you could still make when hungover.
Still not sold? Geez, you're hard to please. Any of these party ideas can be done in pajamas, so invite all of your friends to a big PJ party and enjoy one last hooray before you try to tackle your 2017 resolutions.
Raising the Bar: DIY Biscuits and Mimosas
Recently I hosted a brunch party with a biscuit bar, and it was the easiest, most impressive spread I've ever put out. Claire Saffitz's buttermilk biscuit recipe seems complicated, but it's really just about the technique of cutting and stacking the dough to get even. more. layers. It took me 10 minutes to prep these bad boys—super easy because you don't have to roll, cut, and re-roll since these are square biscuits—and while they baked, I spooned jam into cute serving bowls, mixed up honey butter, cut some cheeses, and cooked up some of BA's best breakfast sausage. The biscuit dough freezes well and can be made a month in advance, so if you think ahead, you'll barely have any work that morning. Alternatively, you could make sour cream and scallion drop biscuits that don't require rolling at all and buy frozen sausage. People will still be impressed by warm, buttery biscuits.
To go with the biscuits, ask all of your friends to bring a bottle of cheap Champagne or sparkling wine, blitz up some frozen-fruit syrups—I did peach, pineapple, and raspberry—and funnel into some squeeze bottles. (Feeling lazy? Just leave them in mason jars with a spoon, but put a towel underneath in case people get messy.) Suddenly you have an impressive mimosa bar and you don't have to mix up any drinks—your friends can be their own bartenders. I set out a bottle of Tito's vodka (my personal fave) to spike 'em, but they're a nice, light drink without the extra booze.
Apps and 'Zerts
Who loves finger food? Everyone. Tom Haverford would want you to treat yo'self to easy apps and 'zerts, like a massive baked Brie, customizable (yet simple) deviled eggs, surprisingly-quick brownies, extra-melty spinach-artichoke dip, bite-sized bacon lettuce boats, and one-bowl chocolate chip cookies. Any of those recipes can be prepared in advance—some just need a zap in the oven to melt cheese or to have freshly-baked goods—and can be eaten with any beer, wine, or liquor your friends choose to bring.
Too afraid to count on friends to bring the booze? Make a big bowl of pomegranate-Champagne punch that goes down real easy.
Frozen Food Fest
Really hungover? Let it go and just doctor up some frozen fare. Chefs told us how to make frozen pizza better with toppings like roasted vegetables, spicy honey, and chorizo, and those you can prep in half an hour at noon before the party without a problem. You could prep the toppings beforehand too and let people build their own French bread pizzas at the party while you kick back and relax. To keep the hangover theme going, throw some tater tots in the oven, melt some cheese over them, and make totchos—with our best nachos recipe, of course—or cheesify some fries and add homemade gravy for easy poutine.
For drinks, crack open some brews or make big pitches of margaritas. Bonus frozen points for making a blended version.
Or you could just make a ton of apps:
