It’s hot. It may take some time for the novelty to wear off, but it will. So, for when you don’t feel like budging from the aircon/fan/ice-bath nook you’ve established for yourself (let alone seeing other people), here are some tips for throwing a party that won’t provoke a completely overheated, dehydrated shutdown.
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Drinks
Portuguese wine doesn’t necessarily have the highest cachet, but vinho verde white wines from the country are a well-kept and refreshing secret. Meant to be consumed soon after bottling, vinho verde is light and verges on sparkling. Importantly, it offers a good balance between budget-friendly and palatable. A bottle of Quinta da Alaveda will only set you back $9.95 at the LCBO.
If alcohol isn’t the best idea, try some flavored San Pellegrino sodas. Grapefruit or blood orange soda isn’t overly sweet, and it’s far cheaper than you’d expect. Beyond that, browse the cold-drinks section at P.A.T. Central on Bloor and pick out whatever coconut water or Hawaiian ice coffee catch your eye.
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Food
If you make gazpacho, food can still follow a liquid theme. This chilled Spanish soup is open to interpretation, so combine ingredients like tomato, garlic, onions, cucumbers, and some slightly old bread with cold water, olive oil, and a touch of vinegar as you see fit. Depending on how you want it, the texture can range from smooth and blended to more diced and chunky. It doesn’t lead to a particularly good party, but the recipe in Pedro Almodóvar’s Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown offers good basic direction.
For something sweet that will keep you going, freeze some espresso granita. You’re better off getting advice from professionals, but in essence you’re just chilling espresso (or simply strong coffee), periodically removing it from the freezer and scraping to ensure it solidifies into small crystals rather than a solid block. An espresso popsicle wouldn’t be awful either though…
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Music
There are two options for music. You can either face the heat, and listen to music so energetic and sweaty it gives the temperature a run for its money, or try to create an artificial climate of morose cold. If you choose the first, you should probably listen to Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, whose endless, hyperactive funk jams consume everything around them. For the second option, seek out early 1980s French mixed-gender duos with thin-sounding synthesizers; with some of these tunes, you’ll need a sweater (or trenchcoat).
