Bar's Open

Bar's Open
It's the day of the Christmas Block Party.

 How about a caterer's set of 18 wine glasses that are packaged perfectly in a cardboard box suitable for storage?  After today's party this will go into our basement storage room, right next to the chafing dishes that I only use for big dinner parties.
I found some tall slim glasses that are meant for beer but I think they are equally suitable for cocktails.  I'm going to try some special gin-and-tonics today using this cherry gin.

 As far as snacks go this is strictly a "come for drinks" event so there will be no cooking whatsoever.  Lil Rascal suggested hot appetizers but it would be too much faffing around, in and out of the oven with large baking sheets while people mill about in the kitchen (which is where the bar is set up, and folks will always mill about in the kitchen no matter what).

My idea for the snacks I'm serving came from one line in a really excellent article I read a few months ago in the NYT magazine called "The Evening-in-Paris Dinner".  The author mentions the "inconsequential tidbits" that are typically served with drinks in Paris, "usually nuts, olives, salty crackers and, inexplicably, cherry tomatoes in any season".

That sounds easy!
So, I have a bar mix (crunchy and salty), some pretzel crackers, unsalted mixed nuts, chickpea crackers for the gluten-intolerant, salty peanuts, my tipsy olives (recipe shared yesterday) and those bright cherry tomatoes.
I've invited our entire block which is about 30 people.  I wonder how many people will show up?
Hope your own Saturday is festive with salty snacks,
xoxDani