Create a Rum Bar

Thanks to Aladdin for providing the party inspiration and sponsoring this conversation.

Do you take the time to celebrate the weekend? Sure, it might just be a regular Saturday or Sunday to you, but our free time is precious. Plan a weekend get-together to focus on less stress and more togetherness. The Aladdin Mason Jar Collection (now available at Wal-Mart) has easy solutions for outfitting your home with springtime essentials designed to celebrate what matters most: your family and friends. This past weekend I had the opportunity to enjoy my friends and family with a “Hello, Spring?” pool party. The pool portion of the party may have been canceled due to a week of unseasonably low temperatures, and I'm not sure if spring is really here in Florida just yet. Either way, we opened the patio and backyard for fruity beverages, easy appetizers, and a lot of conversations.

Aladdin Mason Entertaining

Planning a party can be hectic, but finalizing the details is my favorite part of the process. Seeing everything come together makes it all feel worth it, and using Aladdin's Home Entertaining collection made it fast. Don't spend too long making things perfect. I set up this party in about fifteen minutes after preparing the drinks and creating a menu. Easy.

Plan Your Next Party With These Five Details

1. Have ice readily available. Sure, we could have made guests go inside to our ice machine to load up their glasses. However, it is a nice convenience to your guests to have everything in one place. Invest in an ice bucket (it doesn't have to be fancy!), and encourage guests to mix and mingle at the drink station.

2. Create a drink menu. Even if the drinks appear obvious (there's no mistaking that there is mint floating around in that dispenser!), but this is another easy way to make guests feel welcomed. It removes any uncertainty, and the hostess doesn't have to answer questions about the menu! Besides, they can look pretty when dressed up to match the table.

3. Decorate with fresh flowers. There is no need to go crazy on decor if fresh flowers are used to brighten up a room. Decorate tables with big blooms, and add smaller flowers to the bar and food table.

And, flowers just look pretty!

4. Don't lose your glass. Add a personalization station so guests can customize their drinks. We used painter's tape and a silver Sharpie to identify everyone's Aladdin tumblers.

5. Utilize seasonal fruit. Just like flowers are easy decor, fresh fruit makes for easy appetizers and drink garnishes. Infuse water with strawberries, lemons, and limes. Add kiwi to a daiquiri or try a key lime mojito.

Once all the details are set, enjoy the impromptu gathering with friends and family.

I set up the party so that drinks were customizable. We didn't add liquor to the drink dispensers so these mocktails were able to be enjoyed by all. If you wanted a spiked beverage, you could add your own rum. We had a variety of spiced, white, and mango rums along with a coconut liqueur.

Cheers!

Create a Rum Bar

We wanted to create a fresh fruit rum bar for everyone to enjoy. We collaborated on ideas to make each drink different (yet not too different that it would require way too many ingredients).

We settled on Key Lime Mojitos with fresh mint and key limes, Strawberry Kiwi Daiquiris, Pineapple Rum Punch, and Cherry Limeade. The recipes will be published here soon, but take a moment to appreciate the fruity deliciousness of these fast and easy cocktails:

Key Lime Mojito

Pineapple Rum Punch

Cherry Limeade

Strawberry Kiwi Daiquiri

The party hostess tried one of each and preferred the Key Lime Mojito. It was just sweet enough, but had a fresh mint taste. I loved it. I also cannot remember the last time I had fresh key limes, so it was a treat.

Besides sweet cocktails, guests were able to take home a few pieces from the Aladdin Mason Jar Collection. They can start to plan their own home parties using the fun colored drink dispensers and enjoy the insulated tumblers.

Thanks to Aladdin for providing the party inspiration and for helping me create special family memories.

What's your favorite party detail? Have you seen the Aladdin Mason Jar Collection at your local Wal-Mart?