Step outside of the box this December – the month filled with cheer, joy, holiday parties and eggnog galore – and throw a Chanukah Party too! Need a great idea? Throw a Vodka & Latke Party! That’s right we said it, a Vodka & Latke Chanukah Party. You might still find yourself spinning the dreidel and lighting candles for all eight wonderful nights of Chanukah, but we can guarantee the night you choose for the Vodka & Latke party will be a holiday party no one will ever forget!
Chanukah is known as the Festival of Lights. In the Jewish tradition, it’s common to celebrate each night by telling the story of Chanukah and lighting the Menorah with all of your guests!
You can also play a friendly game of spin the dreidel. Now let’s be honest. It’s a Vodka & Latke Party, so as you can imagine, there is bound to be a drinking game in there somewhere. Here are the traditional rules of the game. We’ll leave it up to you and your guests to figure out where the vodka comes in:
Start the game by providing all of your guests with a little “gelt” – gold covered chocolate coins available in most supermarkets around the holiday season. Next bust out the dreidel, have everyone put one piece of gelt into the pot and start spinning! There are four Hebrew letters on the dreidel and depending on what you land on will determine on your next move!
Nun – You Get Nothing!
Gimmel – Give Me All!
Hay – Take Half the Pot!
Shin – Put One In!
The Menu: Obviously, you can’t host a Vodka & Latke party without vodka and latkes. I mean it says it right there in the name of the party! Vodka? Choose your favorite. Latkes? Latke’s can be so much more than a simple potato pancake. You can enjoy sweet potato latkes, zucchini latkes, carrot latkes or gluten free latkes. Any which way you make them, they are bound to be a crowd pleaser. Traditional potato latkes are served on their own with a little crème fraiche (or sour cream right from the container) or with applesauce or with a little sugar sprinkled on top!
Next on the menu? A kugel! What is kugel, you might ask? Well, Kugel is a traditional Jewish dish most similar to a sweet dairy pudding with noodles. I promise, it won’t let you down!
You cannot have a Chanukah Party without bagels and schmear! Brunch party or dinner party, yum…you’re going to want to put out the fixings: bagels, cream cheese and maybe a little lox and whitefish for those who are feeling adventurous!
Lastly, don’t forget the babka and maybe some rugelach – more traditional, sweet, yummy Jewish pastries that honestly pair with any party any time of the year!
Try Melissa Clark’s excellent NYTimes.com Latke recipe. It’s just like grandma used to make!
Happy Chanukah from the Callunacrew!
xx
