The Yachties of ‘Below Deck’ Share Their Best Advice for Throwing a Stress-Free Party
Set up space with a few “entertaining focal points,” such as an activity or a bar with snacks, said Olender, so people don’t get bored. Making drinks can also keep guests entertained, and serving a specialty batch cocktail helps streamline your bar setup. “Keep it to a maximum of three ingredients. If you’ve picked a good drink, you’d hope that people want to drink it all night,” he said.
Teaching your guests how to make the drink can be fun and interactive, and it allows them to customize their drink to their taste. Van Vliet loves a margarita, as anyone who has watched Below Deck Down Under season 2 knows. Olender, on the other hand, serves a classic cosmopolitan or an espresso martini, which means a good cocktail shaker and martini glasses are musts. Wirecutter’s top-pick shaker is the Cocktail Kingdom Usagi Cobbler Shaker.
Top pick
This all-in-one shaker and strainer is easy to use. Its components fit together snugly, so it has less of a tendency to leak than other cobbler-style shakers.
But what if your guests are getting a little too rowdy? “The go-to in yachting is to always provide a drink if it’s asked for. You don’t want them to ever feel like they’re in the wrong, so you continue giving them every single drink they’re asking for. But you’re bringing down the alcohol levels to a point where you’re all working towards a better outcome,” said Olender diplomatically.
Another important tip: Always have snacks at the bar so your guests are getting some food with their drink.
