If you like to host regular gatherings in your apartment, you’ll want all the tips for saving time, money, and energy you can get.
If there’s one party planning trick you can benefit from more than any other, it’s incorporating mason jars into your arsenal of supplies. Here are a few of the inventive ways you can use mason jars that might impress your family and friends at your next party.
Cocktail Shakers
While it’s not exactly a secret, mason jars are great for cocktails. Add the liquor, ice, and other fixings for the cocktail of your choice. Cap the jar with the lid, shake, and serve. You can pour the freshly shaken cocktail into a glass or drink straight from the jar. Mason jars can also be used for beer, wine, juice, water, and pretty much any beverage.
Salad Jars
Have you eaten a salad from a mason jar yet? If you haven’t, the next party you throw in your apartment is the perfect opportunity to give this trendy and practical preparation method a shot. Fruit, grain, and green salads look and taste great when served in mason jars. You can prepare, toss (or shake!), and eat the salad all from the same container. To prevent leafy greens from getting soggy, place the dressing on the bottom. As long as your jars don’t accidentally tip over, your greens will be protected from the dressing until you’re ready to eat. Bonus: You can prepare these in advance!
Table Centerpieces
Mason jars are great containers for party snacks and drinks, but their versatility extends well beyond that. They are perfect for table centerpieces and other party decor. Mason jars can double as vases and they make great candle holders. They can be filled with pebbles, sand, or water and rose petals. And best of all, they can be emptied, rinsed out, and reused again.
Dessert
Mason jars are an excellent choice to prepare and serve numerous desserts. Their transparent exteriors make them especially good for layered desserts, such as berry-yogurt parfaits, pies, and brownie sundaes. Since mason jars are oven safe, they can also help you put a fun spin on banana bread and other baked goods.
Party Favors
Which brings us to our next suggestion: Party favors. If you want to distribute party favors, mason jar delights may be the perfect idea. Throw all non-perishable ingredients for decadent brownies, sweet bread, or the treat of your choice into a mason jar. Add a ribbon and a tag with directions for baking. All your guests will have to do is add water and/or eggs to whatever it is you’ve sent them home with.
If you make your own jams or sauces, you can also bottle them in mason jars and give them to guests to enjoy. Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to food-based party favors. You can put together a gift package or give away decorative DIY candles.
It’s not an overstatement to say there are endless ways to use mason jars in party prep and decor. They are especially great for use in apartments because they take up little space and can be used for everyday drinks, meals, and DIY apartment decor projects.
Hopefully these tips have inspired you to make use of the mason jars hanging around your apartment the next time you entertain. But don’t limit yourself. Get creative. It doesn’t have to be too expensive or time-consuming.
How do you use mason jars in the food spreads and decor at your apartment parties?
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View All Posts by Jason Ernst