It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in New York… and if you’re anything like me {admittedly, a “wait-until-the-last-minute holiday perfectionist”}, you’ve been braving the tourists on Fifth Ave, sprucing up your home, and snagging those final holiday gifts – all right under the wire. But chances are, you’re also looking for a little extra posh and polish… and I’m beyond thrilled to deliver some phenomenal inspiration for you… straight from the home of design and entertaining authority, Colin Cowie .
Last week, the amazing Colin Cowie hosted a holiday soiree in his Manhattan home. It was the first time Colin was going to be spending Christmas in New York City in many years… so it was wonderful to see his festive home and learn all about what he will be up to in 2011 {Hint: Colin just released a new app and an amazing wedding newsletter , but more will come soon}. Here I am with Colin, learning about the craft of great cocktails.
Here’s Yusef Austin, principal of the ever-brilliant Elite Elixirs , delivering “cocktail architecture” to the guests. Actually, many of you chic New York ladies are probably veterans of Yusef’s craft and didn’t know it… As mixologist for Boom Room Room at The Standard Hotel { see our story here }, Yusef’s cocktails may {or may not} have inspired a few of my own late-night banquette dancing marathons. They’re decadent, delicious, and sneakily potent.
Below, Yusef was kind enough to share one of Elite Elixirs’ {and Colin’s} favorite holiday cocktails with Merci New York readers- The White Mischief. 
As you’ll see in Yusef’s photo, he was mixing White Mischief with Avion tequila , and serving the cocktails in some seriously chic mirrored goblets. Yes, these smokey glasses look expensive, but they’re actually from Colin Cowie’s HSN collection … The set of four will set you back a whopping $29.95. To me, these scream great holiday hostess gift. They’re still available {and no, you don’t need to watch TV and call in with the crazies}, just click here .
Here’s Colin with a sea of ladies. From left, Lisa Hauptman of Amy Atlas Events , myself, Janie Medley of The Bride’s Café , Vané Broussard of Brooklyn Bride , Courtney Spencer of Merriment Events , Colin Cowie , Christy Weber of Junebug Weddings , Ami from Elizabeth Anne Designs , Anne Chertoff of From “I Will” to “I Do” , mixologist Yusef Austin and Amy Atlas of Amy Atlas Events
Colin and his team decorated two coordinating Christmas trees; one in his penthouse home, and the one at the left, which greeted guests as they entered the lobby. I adored this idea. It gave a festive nod of what was to come. At right, three-tier trays of yummy treats that everyone {including sweets maven, Amy Atlas }, swooned over.
Here’s a little peek at Colin’s kitchen and holiday tablescape {I love that he keeps his inspiration boards in such a common place to keep the creative process moving… but I digress}. When designing your holiday table, Colin suggests creating a short pattern of ideas, and then duplicating it down the table. To learn more about this concept and more, take a peek at his holiday tablescape segment with the Today Show, here .
Yet another example of fabulous holiday table design. Two points: First, you’ll notice Colin decided to duplicate small plates down the table as well. See the stylish, petite cheese plate? There’s a twin further along the table. Guests can pull from the around the buffet rather than hoard around hunks on a massive cheese plate {I laugh, but you know how popular a cheese plate becomes at a cocktail party}. Alternatively, the small plates fill the table in a non-bulky way, and even the grapes circle back to the metallic and green color palette.
Wondering who that beautiful lady is by Colin’s side? That’s Donna D’Cruz , the DJ darling of the jet-set, fashionistas and yoga lovers alike. {I know that’s a varied lot, but it’s true}. Donna is a celeb-party favorite and her work is beyond amazing. I left the party with many of her mixes, and just playing them in my home made the vibe totally zen-like. {In fact, her track “Double Zero” made me wish I had her music for my husband’s surprise 007 30th Birthday }. Ah well – for any of you planning ANY fete, you must learn more about Donna here , along with the other pan-cultural artists on her label .
One of the most wonderful things about the evening was how warm and inviting it was… Totally lax, fun and all-out amazing. Colin was truly the best of hosts and we had a ton of laughs – he’s certainly one of the most approachable luminaries in the industry. In fact, he’s tweeting just like the rest of us, so you can follow him @colincowie and spark up a conversation of your own!
Have a {holiday, weddings, style, event or just general} question for Colin I haven’t approached? We’d love to hear it! Just leave a comment with your question below and I’ll pick the best for Colin to answer in an upcoming feature on Merci New York.
