A Spring Cocktail Party

Creamy cottage cheese combines with watercress, lemon, chive, and parsley to make a bright dip for raw vegetables or chips. Get the recipe for Creamy Watercress Dip »

The Menu

All three cocktails are easy to mix in large batches, so you don't have to play bartender all night. Multiply the ingredients in the Water Lily and Rosewood by the number of guests, and set each out in pitchers with a large block of ice in each to keep cool. For the Rhubarb Fizz, double the batch of rhubarb simple syrup and set out in a glass bottle alongside chilled bottles of champagne.
The beet purée for the toasts can be made a few days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. The watercress dip and fried artichoke hearts, however, are best made the day-of.
For more recipe ideas, see our spring appetizer, spring dessert, and spring cocktail collections »
To fit the finger food theme, make the olive oil cake bite-sized: after it's cooled completely, cut it into cocktail napkin-friendly squares so guests can easily pick up a piece (or two).