How to Host a Chocolate Tasting Party

Celebrate your guilty pleasures by hosting a chocolate tasting party. Before the night is over, you'll be asking yourself, "How can I convince the FDA to make chocolate its own food group on the pyramid?"

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Food and beverage
• Décor accents to illustrate the theme
• Tray of miscellaneous objects for guessing game
• Paper and pens for game
• Variety of chocolates
• Sugar tongs
• Prize for guessing game
• Mugs, napkins, plates, etc.
• Tasting cards, pens
• Candy bars, printer, paper, glue dots or tape

1. Send customized chocolate bars as invitations. Remove the outer wrapper (leave the foil) to reveal a custom label printed with the party details: "Joe and Kelly Kandy Kompany present A Chocolate Tasting: Guilt Free!" Add the party details (time, date, location, RSVP), wrap in bubble wrap or padded envelope and pop those irresistible invites in the mail.

2. Choose a color palate of chocolate brown, ivory, gold, light orange, purple-think autumn in New York. Concentrate the decor efforts on the tasting table and accent other mingling spaces with throw pillows and blankets to bring in the color scheme.

3. Whoever said "variety is the spice of life" was right, especially when we're talking chocolate! Include all the variations you can get your hands on: white, dark, milk, flavored chocolates, and fondue (for chocolate resources see the links below).

4. Print up tasting cards to evaluate and critique the chocolates. Include a glossary of tasting terms to help stimulate the reviews. Think like the wine connoisseurs do and use descriptions like "chewy," "rich," "big," "charming."

5. Extend the chocolate theme to the bar. Along with champagne, feature some specialty cocktails chocolaty enough to reach Willie Wonka status. Go classic like chocolate martinis and hot white chocolate spiked with peppermint liqueur.

6. For a quick and fun game, place a tray that is filled with about thirteen things relating to chocolate in front of guests. Suggested items include a chocolate Labrador figurine, a photo of Lucy and Ethel at the chocolate factory, a chocolate sundae shaped candle and a napkin from Serendipity in NYC. Guests have 30 seconds to look at the tray before it is taken away. Then, they have 30 seconds to write down everything they remember from the tray. The guest who writes down the most wins a prize. A good prize for this is the ChocolateSmarts game (a link to buy it is listed below).

Tips & Warnings

• Give everyone their own pair of sugar tongs to pick up the chocolates (eliminates "sticky finger" syndrome).

• Display the chocolates in jewelry or shadow boxes to make them look like "jewels" instead of extra calories.

• This activity may bring out the killer sweet tooth everyone has been trying to get rid of for years. Have other snacks available to counter balance the sugar rush.