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Celebrate the anniversary of classic novel The Great Gatsby with these fun ideas on how to throw a 1920s dinner party! The Great Gatsby by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald was first published on April 10, 1925. The Jazz Age novel tells the story of the wealthy Jay Gatsby who throws lavish parties at his Long Island mansion in the hopes of winning the heart of Daisy Buchanan. She is, unfortunately for Gatsby, married to another.
Gatsby only became a success after Fitzgerald’s death and has since been made into several movies, most recently the 2013 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the charming and mysterious Jay Gatsby and Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan.
The novel’s upcoming 94th anniversary is the perfect opportunity to celebrate with a Great Gatsby-themed dinner party. My husband and I hosted our first big dinner party since moving into our house around six months ago and though it wasn’t a full-blown 1920s extravaganza, I did take some inspiration from Fitzgerald. I have a few dinner party tips and Jazz Age-inspired ideas to share!
How to throw a 1920s dinner party
Think of a password
Since selling alcohol was illegal during Prohibition, bars became known as “speakeasies” because they often wouldn’t let patrons in without them first giving a password spoken in a low voice. The first time I went to a speakeasy party at a bar in Nashville I had to say a password before entering (it was on the event’s Facebook page), which was “giggle water.” If you’re going to require a password for your 1920s dinner party, make sure to include it on the invitation.
Speakeasy password ideas from 1920s slang words:
- Giggle water
- Fox trot
- Cat’s pajamas
- Hotsy-totsy
- Noodle juice
Decide on a dress code
Decide on a dress code for your 1920s dinner party and include it on the invite. Do you want guests to show up in 1920s-inspired attire or simply ask that they dress up?
Unique Vintage has a lot of flapper-style dresses for under $100. You could also check local vintage stores, costume shops, or, if you have a bigger budget, search Etsy for authentic clothing from the era.
Go flapper glam with (faux) fur wraps or feather boas, rhinestone flapper headbands, drop-waist fringe dresses and t-strap heels. (Visit me on Pinterest for more 1920s style inspiration!)
One accessory flappers couldn’t live without was a Whiting & Davis handbag. These small purses were made of metal mesh that shined as it moved, and were sometimes painted with intricate designs.
Below is an outfit I wore to a friend’s recent wedding and is an example of a more subtle vintage-inspired look, if you’re not willing to commit to a bob wig and fishnet stockings. I’m wearing the About Us Angeline Lace Ruffle Dress from Revolve with a Gianni Bini faux fur coat. My shoes are Jessica Simpson Briya Suede Peep Toe Platform with Ankle Strap Pumps. I’ve honestly lost count of how many pairs of Jessica Simpson shoes I have—they’re always so comfortable, even the heels!
And here is the aforementioned bob wig and fishnet stockings. You were hoping it would appear, weren’t you? This is our flapper and newsboy couples costume from Halloween last year when we went to the Schermerhorn Symphony Center to watch Nosferatu with a live accompaniment by organist Peter Krasinski. I found my fringed dress at Nasty Gal (there was ZERO stretch, not the best purchase) and paired it with long black gloves, a faux fur scarf, fishnet stockings, black heels, a black bob wig, headband and faux pearl necklace.
Send an invite
Save some trees and skip the paper invites. For my 1920s dinner party, I used the Canva app to make a digital invitation. The design app has a ton of Art Deco invitation templates you can customize with different colors and fonts. Then just save the image to your phone and text or email to your invitees. So much easier than printing and mailing!
Include the name of the party (You’re invited to.. A Great Gatsby Dinner Party or An Art Deco Affair), the start time, location, dress code and password, if you’re using one.
Plan the menu
What food you choose to serve may depend on how many people you invite. For large parties, keep it simple with 1920s appetizers like deviled eggs, dips and cheese and charcuterie boards. For a smaller crowd, you can make it a more decadent affair with a full dinner. And of course, you’ll want to keep the drinks flowing all night!
1920s cocktails
First things first: choose a welcome cocktail. Gin was a popular spirit of the 1920s, though much of it sold at bars during Prohibition was “bathtub gin,” and required mixing with juice or soda to mask the offending flavor; this was the beginning of the mixed drink we know today.
The cocktail I chose to greet my guests with was from A Drinkable Feast: A Cocktail Companion to 1920s Paris by Philip Greene. Dubbed “The Bailey,” it was created by wealthy expat Gerald Murphy, who threw lavish dinner parties with his wife Sara on the French Riviera during Prohibition. It’s a strong, tart and refreshing gin cocktail with mint, grapefruit and lime juice.
Our guests loved it and my husband enjoyed it so much he said we should make it “our drink” and serve it at every dinner party. As good as it was, I like trying new things and have a few other recipes bookmarked for later.
At the recommendation of a friend, I had planned to serve one cocktail to each person then switch to more manageable bottles of wine, but the cocktails were such a hit that we made a few for everyone. I served them in Luminarc Coupe 4-Pc. Cocktail Glasses.
For parties of eight or more, I recommend making a batch cocktail that you can easily pour throughout the night or guests can help themselves to. Or, if you have a friend or acquaintance that’s skilled at making drinks, you could offer to hire them to be your bartender for the night.
1920s appetizers
For my 1920s dinner party, I made a cheese and charcuterie spread as appetizers. Here’s a tip: don’t confine your spread to one board. If you don’t have space on one board, stick a bunch of them in different sizes together! Assemble items that pair well together in groups. For example, we had bought some delicious Tempesta Tartufo (black truffle salami) at Eataly in Chicago a few weeks before the party which paired well with a Welsh cheddar and smoked almonds.
Here’s how I grouped my items for sweet and savory cheese boards:
- Feta + marinated olives + grapes + toasted bread
- Honey goat cheese + Fromagination Cranberry Relish + cashews + dried apricots + multigrain crackers
- Cheddar + Tempesta Tartufo (black truffle salami) + smoked almonds + Carr’s Table Water Crackers
Main courses
Before dinner, we gave a champagne toast to officially welcome everyone and share our gratitude for their friendship and company. Champagne was widely enjoyed during the 1920s, as both a stand-alone drink and mixed in cocktails. You may want to set out a few bottles of champagne or prosecco in ice buckets with the appetizers if you have a larger party.
The first course for dinner was a Caesar salad—Caesar salad was invented in 1924 by Italian chef and restauranteur Caesar Cardini. It was followed by a mushroom soup, which we adapted from Ina Garten’s Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup.
The main event was beef tenderloin filet with garlic butter, served with pinot noir. Sides included roasted radishes, cauliflower and asparagus.
If all of this sounds impressive, it’s because I have the most amazing husband in the world who’s a naturally talented cook. We figured out a system that works best for us: he made the main course and sides, I made the appetizers, dessert and goody bags, and we both made the cocktails at our party.
You should definitely enlist the help of partners, friends and family to make or buy the food, or at least prepare some dishes in advance if you’re doing it all yourself (and in that case, I applaud you).
1920s dessert
For dessert, I made a French cake as a nod to the American artists and writers who fled to Paris during Prohibition. Reine de Saba Gateau (Queen of Sheeba Cake) was supposedly one of the first French cakes Julia Child tried. It’s a one layer cake that can easily be done the morning of your event, made with almond meal and cake flour that’s folded with a meringue for an incredibly fudgy texture, and simply garnished with sliced almonds. I used this Reine de Saba Gateau recipe from Mon Petit Four; I’ve made a handful of her recipes and they’ve all been delicious, this cake included! You can also offer coffee and tea with dessert.
1920s Dinner Party Menu
Gin Cocktail
Cheese and Charcuterie Board
Champagne
Caesar Salad
Mushroom Soup
Pinot Noir
Beef Tenderloin Filet
Roasted Spring Vegetables
Coffee
Reine de Saba Gateau
Choose the decor
I kept decor simple for my dinner party. Inspired by the scene in the most recent Great Gatsby film where Daisy walks into a house that Gatsby has filled with flowers, I attempted to capture the vibe on a much smaller scale.
I bought small bouquets of pink hydrangeas and baby’s breath for two vases (one for the dining room and one for the kitchen with the appetizers) and split a third bouquet of all greens between the two. I also had tea light candles in gold mercury glass votives lining the dining table.
For a more festive atmosphere, you could fill the room with gold balloons, streamers and a few oversize feather fans.
Make a 1920s playlist
A few weeks before the event, start making a music playlist for the night. Blend songs from the past and present or search the soundtracks of movies set in the Jazz Age like The Great Gatsby soundtrack. You’ll need at least three hours worth of music or switch to a Pandora, Spotify or Apple Music station after you’ve played through your list. If you want to be really true to the decade, play jazz records on a record player instead!
Set out party favors
I like to send my dinner guests home with a gift. Usually, that’s cookies! Who wouldn’t love a homemade cookie for the drive home? In a pinch, I’ve also stopped at the grocery store and bought an assortment of cookies from the bakery. If it’s a large party you could save time by buying cookies from a bakery or grocery store and divide them between treat bags. I like Wilton Clear Treat Bags and they come with silver twist ties. You can fit two to three cookies in each bag, depending on the size of the cookies.
Leave the treat bags out on a tray near the door for guests to grab as they leave, or pass them out at the table after dinner.
For my recent 1920s dinner party, I made Double Chocolate Mint Cookies by Once Upon a Chef—another one of my go-to food blogs—and they were so, so good. This recipe made enough cookies to have plenty of leftovers for me and my family to enjoy throughout the week.
Cheers!
Get more fun retro recipe ideas and vintage style and beauty tips by following The Dapper Dahlia on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.
Love all things 1920s? Try this Peanut Butter Bread recipe from 1927.
