Red Door Moments:
How to host the perfect
garden party this summer!

After spending much of the last year inside, we’re savouring moments outside this summer. And what better way to celebrate than surrounded by summer blooms with a quintessentially British, botanical-themed garden party.

Whether you’re hosting a hen party, birthday celebration or just because, we’re here to help you host something special this summer.

Here’s our top tips on how to host an elegant summer garden party!

The gin and tonics!

Name a more iconic drink for a summer garden party than the gin and tonic. A fun way to up your garden party game is with your own outside DIY gin and tonic bar.

Discover our classic Red Door G&T

Here’s how you can set up your own garden gin bar

The table - following the botanical theme, cover your table with a floral tablecloth and decorate with beautiful bouquets of fresh flowers (it is a garden party after all!)
The gin - gin can differ hugely in flavour so we recommend choosing a selection of gins with different botanicals. Choosing one of our seasonal-editions of Red Door Gin alongside our Classic Red Door Gin is a great way for your guests to taste test the different use of botanicals. For example, the addition of Scottish raspberries and rose petals in Red Door Gin with Summer Botanicals creates a fresh, fruity gin, perfect to enjoy on a warm summer’s evening. There’s only one way to find out which Red Door Gin is your favourite!
The tonic - arrange a few different types of tonics so your guests can choose a tonic that complements the botanicals of their chosen gin
The glasses - we recommend balloon glasses as the large round body of the glass traps the complex aromas, allowing you to experience the full depth of a gin’s botanicals
The garnish station - the finishing touch to your gin and tonics! Simply fill a few mason jars with different garnishes and have some bar tongs to hand so your guests can help themselves

Which garnishes to choose

A great garnish should either contrast the complex flavours of your gin, or work with the botanicals to accentuate flavours.

Here are a few of our favourite garnishes

Fresh raspberries - not only do raspberries add a pop of red to your Red Door gin and tonic, they accentuate the sweetness of Scottish raspberries in Red Door Gin with Summer Botanicals
A slice of grapefruit - a slice of tart, tangy grapefruit is a delicious garnish to complement the complex botanicals in Red Door Gin
A wedge of blood orange - just because it’s summertime, doesn’t mean Red Door Gin with Winter Botanicals should get put to the back of the gin cupboard! Our winter-edition makes a deliciously refreshing summer G&T. A slice of zesty blood orange is the perfect contrast to the rich notes of spice

Tip: A fun way to garnish your garden party gin and tonics while keeping them cool is with botanical ice cubes. Whether you’re using fresh fruit, herbs or dried botanicals like juniper berries or rose petals, the possibilities are endless! Simply chop up your favourite garnishes small and freeze into an ice cube tray. Your garden party guests will love them!

If you’re looking for a special cocktail to serve your guests, continue reading!

The perfect garden party cocktail!

Red Door Apple & Elderflower Collins

Combining gin, lemon, sugar syrup and sparkling water, a Tom Collins is a deliciously citrussy cocktail for summer days. Our Red Door take on a Collins combines elderflower cordial and cloudy apple juice for a refreshing, floral cocktail. It’s the perfect drink to enjoy surrounded by beautiful botanicals at your garden party.

Here’s our recipe

The activities!

Whatever the occasion, make your garden party a moment to remember by organising some activities for your guests. Here are a few of our suggestions

Illustration - what better activity for a garden party than having a go at illustrating the surrounding flowers. If you’re gin lovers, you could even try illustrating our Red Door Gin botanicals!
Lawn games - if you’re looking for something more active, set up some traditional garden party games such as bowls or croquet. Be warned though, this could get competitive!

The atmosphere

For every moment, there is a perfect playlist. Which is why we’ve accompanied each of our Red Door Moments with a Spotify playlist to help create the perfect atmosphere for your occasions.

Whatever activities you decide to organise, some background music will create a relaxed summer garden party atmosphere for you and your guests.

We’ve compiled a playlist of soothing summer songs, ideal easy listening for a balmy summer afternoon in the garden.

Go to our Spotify playlist