A Pirate Party for Adults – Part Two

When I wrote my previous post about pirate parties, I wanted to add pictures of my own parties. Unfortunately, I’m not much of a picture taker, so there wasn’t much to show. However, this year we had the party early. So here’s are some shots – and a couple of videos – with details to help you create the perfect pirate atmosphere. 

 So here's the spread. From left to right (roughly) Sausages and cheese, pulled pork, cookies iced to look like a skull and crossbones, pork rinds, meat on a stick, crackers, key lime pie, a bread bowl full of dip, rum cake, jalapeno poppers, rum cake, fruit salad, chips, rolls (for the pulled pork) cherry tomatoes, oysters, creamed herring, an authentic English 18th century pudding, sangria punch.

I go all out for this, but this is a lot. Just to let you know, the cake was made with a mix, the pulled pork is little more than a really cheap cut of meat cooked in a slow cooker on high for 8 hours.

But the star this year was the punch. As I've said before, we don't serve alcohol (except in the cake) so having an appropriate drink is important. This year it was an alcohol -free sangria, totally appropriate to a Caribbean theme. 

Sangria Punch

3 -  bottles Welch's Sparkling Red Grape Juice (sold with the "fake wine")

1 - 2 liter bottle Sprite or 7Up 

12 oz orange juice

1 lemon

1 orange

1 lime

Mix all the liquids in the punch bowl. Slice the fruit and add.

Here's my dining room table. It's real wood, slightly battered, and colonial style, so it fits the party theme. In the middle is a battered silver tray from a second-hand store, covered with a ragged piece of cloth. The candelabra I found at a thrift store for $7. All the pirate mugs are also from thrift stores, where they usually sell for $1.  The skull (just visible) comes from a Halloween store (after the holiday sale).

Here's a book case, which is filled with media (mostly DVD's). We covered it with an Indian sari bought at a thrift store, and topped it with some bottles, another Halloween skull, and a model ship. 

There have been requests about Pirate Games, and I'm going to do a whole article on that soon. But in the past year I had my cutlas sharpened, and I wanted to show it off.  The first sword exhibition I ever saw was a watermelon being cut in half. Most of us have struggled to get a kitchen knife through the skin of a watermelon, so when the sword blade slices right through the thing, it means something. 

Mind you, this is an exercise for sober people. That watermelon could have been somebody's head. Swords were designed to kill people with, after all. (That's my sword safety speech. I give it every time. Speech over.)

The coffee table was designed to tell a story. The pirates have been playing cards by candle light. (The bright thing in the middle is a candle with 9 wicks. It's a product of PartyLite, the most middle-class of candle suppliers, but you can find pirate stuff anywhere.)  Cards are scattered around, and doubloons (party store). Then there's some jewelry, thrown in when somebody ran out of cash. Keys lead to opening the chest. And at last, there are pistols, a knife, and a "severed ear" from the party store last Halloween.

Last of all is the reminder that we always sing sea shanties. I have a book with the words, so everybody can sing along.

Posted by Jamie Clemons on Saturday, May 30, 2015