During the holidays, on a birthday or a simple catch-up evening: a drink is always a good idea. But how do you put together the perfect shelf?
1. Consider dietary requirements
Before you start making the very best drinks platter, you have to consider who will be coming. Is that one friend lactose intolerant, but are you only planning cheese and dips with dairy? That might not be a good idea. Even if more than half of the guests are vegetarian or don’t eat fish, it would be a shame if you put all the effort into making salami florets and salmon toast. Before you go shopping, think about what your guests would like to eat, so that you have a clear overview.
2. The perfect drinks board
Of course, you’re not going to throw everything together on a random plate. No, there is structure to it. You start by choosing the right plank. A wooden plank is always a good idea. Are you just going to spend an evening catching up with your best friend(s)? Then a smaller plank will suffice. Are you expecting many guests? Then a large plank is smart, or several smaller planks spread across the table. You can also choose to make a vegetarian board and a board with meat, so that the flavors do not clash. Also think about dips: you don’t want the shelf to be full of spreads at the end of the evening, so make sure you have enough containers. Also, don’t use an expensive wooden plank: they often get dirty, which is difficult to clean properly.
3. The distribution
Now that you have bought the groceries and found the perfect board, you can start with the favorite part: putting together the drinks board. The best thing is to put different flavors next to each other and add some color. For example, make a rose from salami, place some olives next to it, then a block of cheese and a piece of good brie. And don’t forget the toast with spreads! You can also stick to a theme, such as only French, Italian, Mexican, Greek snacks. Or of course a Dutch one: the brown fruit snack board. You can also work in different aisles: start with a shelf with cold snacks, followed by a version with only hot snacks.
Inspiration
If you really don’t know what snacks to get, we got you. Here are some ideas:
Cold snacks:
- baguette
- Cheese: young, old, brie, blue cheese, herb cheese, etc.
- Meat products: salami, chorizo, raw ham, grilled sausage, fuet, etc.
- Fruit: grapes, dates, etc.
- Raw food: carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, etc.
- wraps
- Filled eggs
- Tomato-mozzarella skewers
- bruschetta
Hot snacks:
- Nachos
- Onion rings
- Meatballs
- bitterballen
- (Fried) Shrimps
- Grilled vegetables
- cheese sticks
- Steak tips
- Chicken skewers
- Mini spring rolls
Dips:​​​​​​​
- Herb butter
- Pesto
- Aioli
- tapenade
- chili sauce
- garlic sauce
- Guacamole
- Cream cheese
- Satay sauce
- Filet Americain
