So, let’s mark the end of the old year and kick-off 2022 together with a fabulous evening of glitz and glamour. In fact, let’s not make it any old cocktail party …… let’s make it a Cocktail Tea Party!

Start planning early. Why? Spontaneity is fun, but remember, nothing is going to spoil your fabulous evening faster than realising at the last minute that you’ve forgotten something essential, like napkins or running out of nibbles. Or, heaven forbid, the bubbly for that all-important toast at midnight. Consider questions like will it be a sit-down meal or standing with nibbles? Which serving dishes and glasses will you use. Do you have enough glasses? If not can you borrow or hire some? We suggest a range of highball glasses, tumblers and champagne flutes. And plan to have non-alcoholic drinks available as alternatives for non-drinkers and designated drivers.

Invitations. Hand-delivered or posted invitations are a delightful touch. A handwritten invitation shows your guests that you have taken the time to make the event special for them because they are special to you. These days, though, you can also make someone’s day with beautiful online invitations too. A quick search is enough to find companies that offer free or paid themed invitations such as paperlesspost.com, greetingsisland.com and punchbowl.com. Are you going to have a theme? Your invitations can set the scene with a matching colour scheme or images.

Decorations: it’s party time, right? You don’t have to spend a fortune to add some glitz to the evening try some of these simple but stunning ideas that will add a real sparkle to your New Year’s Eve. Have fun coming up with ideas for themes, colours and decorations. Here are a few to get your creativity going:

• Make trays of ice cubes ahead of time but make them extra special with a drop or two of pink food colouring and edible glitter.
•  Gold and silver Christmas baubles are really inexpensive in the days after Christmas so pile them high in pretty glass bowls or champagne buckets.
• Luxurious edible tower decorated with Ferrero Rocher chocolates. A showstopping centrepiece for all special occasions.
• Dress up champagne and other glasses with bows tied with festive ribbons – silver and gold are always great for New Year’s Eve but black and white can add a formal, elegant touch.
• Music: try a suitable online party playlist – or why not create your own to go with your theme!
• Timing: the night’s big moment, of course, is the stroke of midnight so think ahead about how you will mark the countdown to New Year.
• Have a video or maybe the TV or radio set up ready to turn on a few minutes so your guests don’t miss the crucial moment.
• Last – but certainly not least – is your choice of food and drinks. Party food is wonderful fun
• Prepare, whether from a recipe book or a range of bought in platters and finger food. But for that touch of absolute elegance (not to mention convenience), we suggest one or two of our very own luxury Aimee Provence hampers. Each hamper is brimming with a stylish, selection of delicious favourites to make your party a breeze to host and a joy to attend. Just unpack, arrange and wait for the oohs and ahhh, what could be simpler or more fun! After all, we understand that you want to spend your night celebrating with your guests, not in the kitchen. Why not choose from our range of delectable hampers and let Aimee Provence do the hard work?

A Cocktail Tea Party gives your New Year the festive edge and you simply can’t host Cocktail Tea Party without tea and cocktails! We are proud to offer our very own luxury range of exquisite teas with which to tempt you as our guests and we’d love you to create an ultra-fashionable range of cocktails with them for your party guests too.

For example, spoil – and impress – your guests by updating the classic Long Island Iced Tea with a dash of gin, vodka, or white rum. For the non drinkers you can easily turn that into a mocktail with soda water or lemonade – it’s that easy and looks amazing in a tumbler with mint leaves or ice cubes.

And there are lots of websites with ideas for more fabulous tea-based cocktails and mocktails. Start with these sites. There are lots of recipes here to experiment with and choose from.

1. 8 Tea cocktails to try now
2. Cocktails every Tea lover should know
3. Various tea cocktail Recipes

All the team at Aimee Provence wishes you, your family, friends, and guests a simply wonderful New Year’s Eve and all the very best for 2022. However you see in the New Year, may it be filled with laughter and wonderful new memories to treasure into the future.