The Midnight Tea Club: A Complete Guide to Hosting a 1920s Speakeasy Party

Description

The best speakeasy parties begin with a locked door.

Guests knock twice. A small panel slides open. Someone asks for the password, and in the three seconds between the question and the answer, the evening changes. Ordinary guests become members of a club that officially does not exist.

Stories from the Prohibition era describe liquor poured into teacups and coffee cups so a visiting inspector would see nothing but a quiet afternoon. The teacup was the original disguise, which makes a tea party the most natural place to bring the Jazz Age back.

The Midnight Tea Club is a 78-page guide that plans the whole evening for you: the room, the table, the dress, the menu, the cocktails and the order the night unfolds. You will not need a historic house, an expensive costume or a bar full of bottles. The atmosphere comes from a few well-chosen details: a password at the door, a drink in a teacup, a candle on every table and a guest list that understands it is part of a secret.

Choose your club

Five ways to host, each with its own palette, table styling and signature detail:

• The Hidden Tearoom: a respectable afternoon tea with a secret underneath
• The Midnight Speakeasy: the most theatrical, with a curtain, a password and a raid
• The Art Deco Supper Club: black, cream and brass, for milestone birthdays and New Year’s Eve
• The Gatsby Garden Tea: striped awning, lemonade and something sparkling on the lawn
• The Jazz Age Cocktail Hour: ninety minutes, one tray, one very good drink

What’s inside

• Guest numbers, the room and three budget tiers, from $100 to $600+
• The Two-Color Rule and the Five Layers of a club table
• The door and the welcome, with an entrance script and seven House Rules
• Dressing the part, including easy options for guests who dislike costumes
• Five sample menus and five make-ahead recipes: cheese straws, deviled eggs, stuffed mushrooms, lemon cake and chocolate teacup truffles
• Six cocktails in teacups: the Bee’s Knees, French 75, Southside, Sidecar, Earl Grey Bee’s Knees and the Teapot Toddy
• Four alcohol-free drinks, a one-page Host’s Bar Card and a page on hosting responsibly
• Four sample invitations, password ideas and the music guide
• The Raid, a four-week planning calendar and two full run sheets, for eight guests or twenty-four
• Troubleshooting for first-time hosts and a glossary of 1920s slang

Bonus: the Printable Party Pack

Thirteen US Letter pages in an Art Deco gold and cream design: the Host’s Bar Card, the House Rules, six door signs, four membership cards, six password cards, two menu cards, four fold-over place cards, a tea pairing table and both run sheets. Print on cream or white card stock and cut along the crop marks.

Good to know

• Instant digital download, two PDF files. No physical item ships.
• Written for the U.S. host, with US spelling and measurements in ounces and milliliters.
• Cocktail recipes are for adults of legal drinking age, and every drink has an alcohol-free partner.
• For personal use only. Please do not share, resell or reproduce the files.

Hosting a different kind of party? See the rest of the How To High Tea library.