5 Summer Party Must Haves

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Lipton, but all my opinions are my own. #bemoretea #pmedia http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Summer officially starts this weekend! Two to three months of relaxed schedules, hot afternoons, and getting together with family and friends. If you are throwing any parties this summer here are FIVE must haves for any summer get-together.

FoodI am pretty sure that you can’t even consider a gathering of people a party unless you have food. Anything from appetizers and fruit plates to juicy hamburgers and grilled kebabs count as long as you are sharing your favorite summer recipes with your friends. My current favorite summer share is grilled corn served with garlic butter and goat cheese. It is to die for and perfectly refreshing for a summer al fresco gathering.
Cold DrinksAnother no-brainer here! Bottled water and juice boxes on ice for the kids. Adult bevies and, here in the south, sweet tea for the grown ups. But instead of making a larger pitcher of 1 type of tea, why not let your guests delight in a cold, refreshing glass of ice tea that they brew themselves over ice. Lipton K Cups, which come in at least 5 flavors that I’ve seen, allow your guests to do just that. And because it only take a minute or 2 to brew everyone will be refreshed and relaxed in no time! I’ll walk you through setting up your own Lipton K Cup bar below.
Pretty Paper Straws & DecorationsIt’s amazing how much more refreshing and fun your drinks will be with the right straw. You don’t even have to buy new ones specifically for your party, you can let guest choose from an assortment of straws you have left over from past parties, making everyone’s drink unique. And don’t forget fun, simple decorations. It’s amazing how far 1 roll of ribbon can take your party!
SweetsAgain, it’s not officially a party or get-together without sweets. Yummy watermelon, home baked cupacakes, s’mores made over the fire once the sun goes down – all amazing summer sweets and totally guilt-free if eaten with good friends. Right?!?
ActivitiesThe favorite in our backyard is corn hole. From just walking toddlers throwing the bags from a foot away to an all-out fierce competition with the dads, everyone loves corn hole! Of course if you have a pool or the room to set up a slip and slide or horse shoes those are always crowd pleasers, too. Or maybe a tricky scavenger hunt for the kids to sort of send them on a wild goose chase to give the adults a little more time to sit, relax, and sip on their freshly brewed ice teas.

Setting up your Lipton K-cup drink bar for your party is simple!

Make sure you have a couple different flavors of tea K-cups, which are available online and at retailers nationwide. My favorite is the Iced Tea Lemonade. You’ll also want a ice bucket near by, filled to the top with ice.

You’ll need to take your Keurig machine off its perch in the corner of your kitchen counter to bring it front and center for the ease of your guests.

Make sure you have plenty of cups available for your guests to brew their Iced Tea over.

And as mentioned above, some cute straws to sip out of.

You can walk your guests through how to brew their Lipton K-cups over ice if they’ve never used the machine before but by the time they leave your party they’ll all be pros!