Four tips for your New Year's Eve celebration

Hosting New Year's Eve dinner is no easy task. However, with a few tricks, you can make your party unforgettable. Here are our tips with recommendations from Chef Franco Sangiacomo.

The perfect ambiance

Create the right atmosphere by decorating your dining room and taking good care of the details of your table. Enrich the table with candles and flowers. Choose silver or gold, the perfect colors for New Year's Eve. Sometimes we are inclined to neglect table decoration. Instead, a beautiful table will make the evening perfect. Another element is choosing the right music. We recommend opting for a jazz selection of Christmas songs or lounge music. In short, something refined will make the atmosphere perfect.

Drinks

Offer a special cocktail for the evening, something unique for your guests. Choose a drink that is not too complex to prepare and make it the star cocktail of your evening. Your guests will appreciate it. This year you could offer a delicious Vin brulé, a warm drink. Vin brulé is prepared with red wine, spices, oranges, and sugar. Of course, prosecco or sparkling wine cannot be missed for the midnight toast!

Dinner ingredients

New Year's Eve is certainly one of the most hectic times of the year. That's why, as Chef Franco Sangiacomo recommends, you should reserve the ingredients in advance. "Waiting until the last minute is never a good idea, especially regarding fish. Watch out for last-day price hikes. If you have a trusted 'pescheria', contact them well in advance and have them set aside the fish you have chosen for your New Year's Eve dinner," says Sangiacomo, Food & Beverage Director at Barone Ricasoli. Aside from fish, Chef Sangiacomo advises serving our guests a meaningful classic. "On my menus," says the chef, "a lentil and cotechino dish is never missing." This dish, in fact, besides being delicious, is also a good omen for the coming year. According to legend, lentils represent prosperity and abundance, especially when served on New Year's Eve. "I recommend the extraordinary lentils from Castelluccio di Norcia, an unequaled delicacy," says the chef. This is a unique regional specialty. We at Magnifico suggest the Lentils of Castelluccio di Norcia (P.G.I.) produced by Casa Madaio. The chef then adds, "I like to end New Year's Eve dinner in a very traditional way, which is dried fruits (nuts, hazelnuts, almonds) with fresh grapes."

The right attitude: no stress!

Don't forget that New Year's Eve dinner is still a joyful celebration. Do not let the tension of preparations overwhelm you, and enjoy the evening. Make sure that the mood of the evening is cheerful and relaxing.