Planned or unexpected, be prepared to enjoy friends with a spontaneous happy hour.
Although neither one of us were ever in Girl Scouts, we can appreciate needing to be prepared for everything. I think applying this mindset to the unexpected happy hour can make the difference between hostess insecurity and a fun, no stress cocktail hour with a friend. For example, imagine you just get home from work. Then, your neighbor asks if she can swing by to borrow a stick of butter. All of a sudden, you realize you haven’t had a chance to catch up in ages…so you are now engaging in deep conversation with the kids entertaining each other and you notice its 5:00- HAPPY HOUR! You must be ready!
Be Happy Hour Ready.
We had a saying back in our single days in Hermosa Beach… “you have your friends and then you have your WTW (willing to wine) friends”. This set us up for a happy hour mindset. The WTW friends swing by after work on occasion. So we began keeping a buttery California Chardonnay and a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc chilled and ready for any impromptu happy hours. In addition, keeping one to two hard and soft cheeses on hand as well as a stash of favorite grained crackers is a must. Toss these items on a plate with some fresh grapes or apple slices or even dried apricots, allows for a simple but sufficient happy hour snack.
Take out the Stress and Be Stocked for Each Season.
For those summer days, your unexpected happy hour may come after a long day on the beach, on the lake or attending outdoor kids’ sports events. For these occasions, have margarita fixings ready. (This includes fresh lemons and limes, favorite silver tequila, light agave nectar and Cointreau). Check out this recipe: Best Margarita
If you have these items stocked, then you will be ready for patio happy hours that invite the summer season. Have avocados, salsa, and tortilla chips at the ready as well!
Add Happy Hour Items to your Weekly Grocery List.
These items are staples of the grocery list once you are committed to be happy hour ready! You’ll always be prepared for taking time to enjoy friends if you shop with the WTW mindset.
Have 1-2 Go To Happy Hour Appetizers
If you want to up your game and be prepared for appetizer types of dishes vs. just cheeses, fruits and nuts, you could be mentally prepared with a few of your favorite go-to apps.
- For spontaneous happy hours: The simpler, the better. Some of our favorites include baguette with olive oil and balsamic vinegar; crackers with goat cheese, fig spread and prosciutto, and Caprese Salad.
- For more planned events: If you have prep time, you can add heartier appetizers to the spread. Some of our favorite noteworthy apps that will leave an impression include: Bacon & Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms; Bean Bruschetta; and Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus.
Be Spontaneous When you Can.
Life can quickly become busier than we expect. Kids’ activities and your own work commitments seem to take over. It can becomes a stressor to try to schedule out each free evening or weekend afternoon to satisfy all your social priorities. If an impromptu happy hour can occur, let it! Be flexible with that few hours after school/ work and before evening plans begin. It can be a social gift to yourself. Being prepared will take the stress out of the experience as well. If an unexpected happy hour occurs, you can put off your meal plan until the following night and order take out after socializing over happy hour snacks.
Take Happy Hour Outside.
Cherish these spontaneous times and enjoy the outdoors if it allows. I have two main motivations to move an impromptu happy hour to the back patio. Number one, if I didn’t know you were coming, I definitely didn’t clean beforehand. Number two, sunset with good wine, cheese and friends is my favorite way to wind down from a busy day and makes it easy to feel gratitude.
Be prepared to have fun by setting yourself up for successful happy hours! Do this and you can enjoy good friends and life even more!
CHEERS!
