Borrowing ideas and cocktails from the official Oscar's After-Party, the Governors Ball

 

By Laura Medina

We are nearing the home stretch...the Oscars,the finishing line to Hollywood's High Society Season.

The grande dame, that sprung the Golden Globes, the Grammys, and the Emmys, and the Tony and  numerous other award shows honoring entertainment, is the most dignified and rarified of all televised award shows.  It set the standards for most of them.

The people in charge of throwing the Oscars' official after-party, the Governors Ball, are:   Cheryl Cecchetto, Governors Ball producer; Wolfgang Puck, master chef; Patrón and Ultimat Vodka, creating custom cocktails for the Oscars; Sterling Vineyards, the featured wine of the Oscars; and Thiénot, the exclusive champagne of the Oscars.

You really don't need these experts to throw your Oscars party.  You can throw your own Oscars viewing party this Sunday by glancing the menu.

After getting a sneak peek of what the nominees, the winners, and those lucky guests are going to nibble on, surprisingly, the treats are mini, nibble versions of home-comfort dishes, gussied up a little bit... chicken pot pie with shaved black truffles and mini Kobe burgers with aged cheddar and remoulade sauce.  To balance the heaviness, the chef and caterer to the official after-party, the Governors Ball, Chef Wolfgang Puck is going to serve: Japanese baby peach salad, steamed red snapper with Thai spice, and tuna Niçoise style with green olives, will add excitement, while diverse vegan dishes including kale salad with grilled artichoke and lemon vinaigrette, beluga lentils with cauliflower and baby vegetables, and farro with apple, beet and spiced walnut are a new focus.  

 

He'll even bring out the new Hollywood classic...his Smoked Salmon Oscars. Other delicacies are also considered foodie norm in Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and the hipster districts of Downtown L.A.,...Tuna Tartare in Sesame Miso Cones, Maine Lobster, Caviar, and a variety of sushi and sashimi.

For dessert, you don't need Chef Wolfgang Puck's right-hand pastry Chef Sherry Yard's signature gold-dusted chocolate Oscars.  Any box or tray of gold-dusted or sea-salt sprinkled chocolate caramels and truffles will do.

The ingredients used in these Oscar dishes and candies are no different from the produce section and the candy section at your neighborhood health food supermarket.

For refreshments, these Oscar-nominated cocktails are an updated twist on the classics...

Django's Old Fashioned

1.5 oz Belvedere Vodka

1.5 oz Coconut water

One bar spoon  Simple syrup

One bar spoon  Absinthe

1 inch zest of lemon

Muddle lemon and sugar in the base of a rocks glass.

Slowly fill glass with cubed ice and remaining ingredients (like an old fashioned) Stirring continuously

Garnish with a mint sprig.

Silver Linings Gimlet

2 oz Belvedere Citrus

¾ oz Thyme syrup*

¾ oz Lemon juice

Dash cardamom bitters

Shake with cubed ice

and strain over ice into a rocks glass.

Garnish with lemon and thyme sprig

*Thyme Syrup 

480ml/ 16oz Water

480ml/ 16oz White sugar

7-8 Sprigs of fresh thyme

Simmer thyme in the water for approximately 10-15 minutes or until you see the thyme go brown.

Remove thyme and add sugar. Stir until dissolved.

Cool and funnel into a glass bottle. Keep refrigerated.

Les Miz Fizz

1.5 oz Belvedere Citrus

¾ oz Almond Syrup (Orgeat)

½ oz Fresh lemon juice

3 dashes Lavender bitters

¼ oz Egg white

Soda top

Dry shake then shake with ice and fine strain into a highball glass.

Top with soda.

Garnish with an lavender stalk

If you have the time and the money and the energy, you can rent a chandelier or dig up one in a salvage yard then shop and drape yards of aubergine, chartreuse and champagne satin (if it's warm) or velvet (if it's cold) fabric to dress up your living room, the same color and texture palette as the The Ray Dolby Ballroom.  It's on the top level of the Hollywood & Highland Center where they will throw Governors Ball.  Your Oscar party may not be on the same grand scale but the atmosphere will be similar.