5 Holiday Entertaining Tips from the Experts at Caribe Royale Resort Orlando

From curated cocktails to creating photo-worthy backdrops, experts share favorite tips for making your holiday event merry and bright!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! But if you’re planning a festive party or dinner, the holidays can become quite stressful. Don’t worry! Caribe Royale Orlando has you covered. Our event staff and catering team are experts in all things events. Here are our five favorite holiday entertaining tips for hosting an unforgettable soirée.

1. Infusion menus

Whether you’re hosting an intimate holiday dinner for 10 or throwing a well-deserved company party for 100, consider infusing your traditional holiday menu with some not-so-traditional holiday foods. Infusion menus are all about dishing up the expected with the unexpected. Here are a couple examples:

• An international charcuterie board – Start the evening with an oversized charcuterie board complete international meats and cheeses. You can also give your board an international “flare”, such as offering various Greek samplers, including tzatziki, tabbouleh, stuffed olives, or hummus. 

• Latin or Caribbean dishes – For dinner, consider adding some Latin or Caribbean flavors to compliment the holiday favorites of honey ham and green bean casserole. Dazzle your guests with a seafood paella, slow braise a pork shoulder and sofrito, or prepare a bone-in grill whole red snapper. 

2. Curated cocktails

The fun doesn’t stop with the food. Elevate your menu and party by creating a festive, hand-crafted cocktail (or two!). We recommend aligning your cocktails with the theme of your event and giving them fun names, such as a “Merry Mosa” champagne cocktail. We also recommend using homemade ingredients, serving the cocktails in a unique vessel, and completing the drink with a fun and fresh garnish. 

Here’s an example of a fun holiday cocktail from The Venetian Chop House at Caribe Royale Orlando:

The Bombardino – A handcrafted cocktail that is popular during the winter season in Italy. The cocktail is composed of Buffalo Trace Bourbon, orange juice, heavy cream, Demerara syrup, pasteurized egg, and Luxardo cherry juice. 

3. Virtual Secret Santa 

We learned this trick a few years ago! Gone are the days of drawing names out of a hat for Secret Santa, only for someone to forget who they picked, throwing off the entire gift exchange. Now there are apps that automatically draw names and track the assignments. These apps remind all the players who they drew and provide gift ideas for all budgets. We like using Elfster or Draw Names. And the best part? They are free!

4. Outdoor events

Mix it up this year by hosting your event outside. Afterall, 2022 was the year of virtual meetings and working remote in your pajamas. Consider planning a holiday dinner outside on your patio decorated with twinkling lights and candles. Or throw an outdoor family barbeque, complete with cornhole and roasting chestnuts on an open (literally!) fire. 

5. Selfie-worthy moments

Today is all about creating selfie-worthy moments that capture the fun and excitement of what you’re doing, eating, and drinking. As a host, create backdrops and shareable moments that you know your guests will love. For example, photo booths are a great, hassle-free option, especially because many now have the ability to instantly print photos and share the digitally. Some options that we love are Mirror Walls and 360 booths. 

Don’t have the resources to spend on rentals? Try building your own themed photo area complete with a backdrop and signage. Amazon now sells complete backdrop sets for a fraction of the cost of renting. Or, create Instagram-worthy moments through your food and beverages. A great place to start is with your curated cocktails. For example, The Bombardino from The Venetian Chop House is a very popular cocktail shared on social media.