Planning a Salsa Theme Dinner Party
By Béatrice Barber

Now that you have your salsa garden (see the gardening article) and salsa-oriented dinner menu, recipes and wine pairing suggestions (see Food & Wine article ), you’re just about ready to be host for a fun, colorful, lively and memorable Party.
While preparing for your Salsa evening, put on some Salsa music to get in the mood! This smooth, beautiful music with the joyful, vibrant carnival beat is a dynamic combination of rhythms from the world's African, Caribbean and Latin regions. There are hundreds of Salsa music choices available – here are some a few recommendations from St. Supéry staff:

• Pepe & The Bottle Blondes, who, by the way, entertained at our last wine auction party in 2003.
• Oscar de Leon
• Celia Cruz
• Tito Fuentes
• Cubanismo!
• Salsa Cubana – The gold collection
• Salsa Fresca! Dance Hits of the ‘90s
• Soundtrack from Mambo Kings

As for decorating, go as wild as you want…..
Lighting is a must. Hang chili peppers string lights and or replace white lamp bulbs with colored light bulbs (e.g. red & yellow).

Add a few potted tropical plants (Yuccas, indoor Palm, etc.) to your indoor (or outdoor, if warm) landscape

For your table, a colored tablecloth - I suggest solid vivid colors such as bright orange, yellow or bright green so the food and the tableware stand out. You can rent special table ware if you prefer not to own. An option to buying special linens is to rent them form a local party service. Table decorations could be candles, flowers, maracas, bowls of mixed colors chili peppers, tropical fruits laid on banana leaves or large tropical leaves.

Dancing is a must for this party, so make sure you dedicate an area for it. This may require some furniture moving but it’s worth it. Some of your guests might not want to dance, so set up an area for them to watch as well.

For extra fun you could hire a dance instructor or get a “learn how to dance salsa” DVD and play it during the party.

Moscato Mojitos are a fun way to get the party rolling - just bruise mint leaves under ice in a tumbler glass and add St. Supery Moscato for an appetizing wine cocktail.  We call them "Moscitos."

When sending the party invitations let your guests know that this is a Salsa theme party and give them the option to dress accordingly.