A while ago I realized that whenever we do something on Friday nights the weekend feels so much longer. But, it’s kind of tough because everyone’s tired from working all week and doesn’t really want to plan anything. So, more often than not it ends up being a relax-on-the-couch kind of night. Plus, even if you think you want to do something there’s that dangerous time once you get home from work but before you leave for the night that can suck you in and trap you there. That’s when I remembered how great happy hours are. It’s the perfect way to unwind after work, you don’t even have to go home first,  and you’re done in time for a late dinner. It’s a win on all fronts. 

But, I don’t know of many happy hour places around here. I feel like it’s something that happens more in bigger cities. Plus, they’re usually crowded and not always great for a large group. We love hosting so much that it seemed like the natural choice to try having one here. So that’s what we did! We had our very first one last Friday. We decided not to invite many people and treat it as a trial run. And, actually of the people we did invite several were out of town (#summer), so it turned out to be a really small group which was great. We want to make this a monthly thing, so for the future I think we’ll pick a particular Friday and have a standing event. I’m hoping it will eventually turn into a big, casual thing where people can meet new friends and spend time with their old ones. No pressure, nothing fancy, just an easy way to spend time with other people.

I want each month will be a different drink that we’ll provide all the ingredients for and then we’ll have guests bring little nibbles. We’ll have the snacks spread around throughout the house to help encourage people to gather in different areas. And, my idea is that we’ll have a station set-up for drinks with instructions so everyone can make their own. I think it will be a fun way for people to interact with each other and it leaves us free to make introductions between people and mingle.

For this month’s get together I made this Lolita Squeeze, a recipe from the Tacolicious cookbook and it was so good! Our San Francisco besties introduced us to them a couple months ago and we were hooked. This time I added the Chile Salt, which really upped the game – everyone loved it. I prepped everything ahead of time so it was really easy to just mix it up once everyone arrived.

Before Friday Happy Hour turns into something bigger I’m hoping to get the house a little more established. I know it will be key to have multiple areas for people to mingle in, an easy place for bags, purses, jackets, etc., and a plan for dirty dishes (no dishwasher and teeny tiny kitchen make this one really important). But, once we get those things figured out I think it will be really easy. I just can’t wait for people to make new friends, get to know each other, or even make plans together. Maybe different groups of people will go out to dinner together afterward, or maybe they’ll make plans for their kids to play over the weekend. Whatever it is I’m super excited about the possibilities!

Pin this and save it for when you're looking for a fun and easy party idea!