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OUTDOOR LIVING<br />
RAISE THE DEAD!<br />
No Day of the Dead festival<br />
is complete without the ‘altar’<br />
centrepiece. Its aim is to welcome<br />
spirits back to this world, so it should<br />
be packed with as much colour and<br />
tasty Mexican food as possible.<br />
PARTY POM-POMS<br />
Hang multicoloured garlands<br />
from trees to make your garden<br />
feel like a party zone. Try<br />
notonthehighstreet.com, £23.<br />
candles, grahamandgreen.co.uk, £3 each, into<br />
existing candle holders, tie lengths of vibrantly<br />
patterned ribbon around plain white pillar<br />
candles to jazz them up and finish with a playful<br />
skull head, try gothicgiftware.com, £11.95.<br />
Hang an abundance of themed garlands,<br />
dramatic paper fans, fairy lights and pom-pom<br />
bunting in vivid shades of orange, yellow, pink,<br />
blue and red. Less isn’t more at this party! Use<br />
cup hooks, 52p/10, ironmongerydirect.co.uk, to<br />
fix festoon bunting from fence to fence, and use<br />
every tree branch available, even a washing line<br />
and the framework of gazebos, to hang paper<br />
fans and lights. Intersperse with bright paper<br />
streamers, try Poundland or supermarkets to<br />
instantly up the ante.<br />
SKULLS APLENTY<br />
Day of the Dead skulls<br />
are whimsical and<br />
colourful and are used to<br />
reflect happy memories<br />
of lost loved ones.<br />
THE DRINKING...<br />
The bar’s going to be the first port of call<br />
when the guests arrive, so set up a table, or<br />
an upended bookcase from indoors would be<br />
ideal. Cover with a loud tablecloth and some<br />
garlands strewn across the front. Top with all the<br />
ingredients you need for traditional Mexican<br />
cocktails. Stick to just two or three, along<br />
with bottles of beers. We suggest offering a<br />
margarita (tequila, Cointreau and lime juice),<br />
a tequila sunrise (tequila, fresh orange juice and<br />
grenadine) and a michelada (beer, lime juice,<br />
hot sauce, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce).<br />
Provide extra ingredients for a modern fix. Liven<br />
up the margarita with a large splash of ginger<br />
syrup or swap the orange juice in a tequila<br />
sunrise with pomegranate juice.<br />
Ice is also an essential ingredient and should<br />
be used in abundance so make sure the freezer<br />
is well stocked. And don’t forget the cocktail<br />
shakers, strainer, salt, mixers and lime segments.<br />
Check out rinkit.com for fab value cocktail<br />
glasses, £6.99 for six martini glasses. Write the<br />
ingredients and measurements for each cocktail<br />
on chalk boards or laminated card, along with<br />
ideas for pepping them up, and display them in<br />
front of the bar, so that guests can be their own<br />
shakers ‘n’ servers if they fancy it.<br />
➣<br />
OCTOBER 2018 MODERN GARDENS 109
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