Tapas is the new go-to choice for party-throwers looking for easy, tasty nibbles with a stylish twist. The best approach is to offer a selection of no-prep dishes like Kalamata olives, smoked almonds and figs, together with a cheese or charcuterie platter, salad and lots of sourdough.
If you want to keep drinks equally simple, you could serve well-chilled fino or manzanilla sherry, as well as Spanish beer and the odd bottle of albariño or rioja. Make up a jug of sangria or experiment with wine/soda combos like tinto de verano (red wine with lemonade) and rebujito (sherry with soda water) to provide refreshing options for warmer months. But classic cocktails have their place, too – here are some of our favourites.
Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary’s punchy blend of vodka and spiced tomato makes the perfect foil for cured and smoked meats, as well as for chips and dips – little wonder it’s a bona-fide brunch staple all over the world. You can make up a batch in advance and serve from a jug, adding celery sticks as a handy swizzle-stick-slash-snack combo.
Margarita
Tequila is always a good fit for spicier foods. A Margarita works brilliantly well with charcuterie and Spanish cheese like Manchego, the citrus notes and sharp lime tang offsetting the rich tastes and textures. Give Edmunds’ Kumquat Margarita a try if you want to experiment with a slightly subtler flavour – it’s a perfect accompaniment for seafood, too.
Cuba Libre
The simplest of cocktails, a Cuba Libre – a straightforward blend of rum and coke with a good squeeze of lime and lots of ice – can be whipped up in no time at all, thanks to the fact it incorporates the kind of bar basics most of us keep in the house. Despite (or, perhaps, because of) its simplicity, it’s perfect for hot summer days, making a good match for fragrant dishes – those with coriander, for example.
Mojito
A classic summer cocktail, the Mojito takes a handful of ingredients and turns them into a refreshing accompaniment to a variety of tapas. Muddle fresh lime slices with sugar syrup and mint leaves, add ice and rum, stirring before topping up with soda water and garnishing with mint. Or keep things even simpler and stock up on ready-to-serve Edmunds Mojito cocktail.
