Do-si-dos & Merlot: Girl Scout Cookie & Wine Pairing Party
It's February and that means Girl Scout Cookie season is here!! Every year I look forward to getting my little boxes of sweet goodness and supporting a local troop.
Last year, I saw some wine and cookie pairing graphics floating around online and thought it would make a great party! As I was putting my plans together, one of my favorite local travel bloggers, Erin, of Due Midwest, contacted me about doing decor for a Girl Scout Cookie Tasting Party she was planning. I suggested adding in some wine pairings and we started planning! It was so much fun, I might host another one with some of my other girlfriends!
Step 1: Invite Friends
First, you'll need to invite some friends over. I don't think this one is limited to ladies, as I know lots of gentlemen who love a Girl Scout cookie. For this event, I turned to JM Custom Invites to create all of the paper goodies. As long as you buy some cookies in the next few weeks, you can host this event at any time. You can see this invite is mocked up for late March.
Step 2: Select Your Cookie & Wine Pairings
Pinterest is full of great ideas for the cookie and wine pairings. After trying them myself, you really can't go wrong. I decided to select four of the classic favorites, Trefoils (Shortbread), Samoas (Caramel DeLites), Thin Mints, and Do-si-dos (Peanut Butter Sandwiches). Fun fact: We learned from the troop leader at the party that the differing names has to do with the baker that supplies the cookies in your geographic area!
The Trefoils were paired with Chardonnay, the Samoas were paired with a Sparkling Wine, the Thin Mints were paired with Merlot, and the Do-si-dos were paired with Cabernet. I'll go out on a limb here and say any of the chocolate cookies would be delicious with red wine!
If you have a large group, I recommend setting up buffet style like we did here. The base is a roll of clearance wrapping paper I picked up after the holidays at Hobby Lobby. Wrapping paper is a great disposable table runner and you can often find it on the cheap! This was a nice heavy role that I grabbed for under $3. You can also add on an additional runner, like this gold sequin one, for more texture.
I used gold chargers and Dollar Tree green paper plates to display the cookies, along with food tents from JM Custom Invites. You can also add in some green and white tissue pom poms for a little extra pizazz. Packs of 2 are $1 at your local Dollar Tree.
The great part about Erin's event was that she partnered up with her friend Jen, who is a local Girl Scout troop leader and Mom of a Girl Scout. Each guest brought $4 to cover the cost of the cookies and was able to try each kind available this year! Jen was also on hand to sell cookies to guests while her troop was busy staffing a table at a local Walmart. The girls in her troop hope to donate proceeds to a local animal shelter and are busy learning about money management and goal setting as a part of cookie season! One little gal is hoping to sell enough cookies to earn a lunch with the Girl Scouts CEO. How cute is that?!
Step 3: Taste Away!
The party was hosted at Erin's apartment party room. Each table donned a wrapping paper runner, a fun little sign from JM Custom Invites, DIY floral arrangements featuring daisies (an ode to the Girl Scout daisy troops), and fun custom confetti from Brenda of Festive Fetti! This allowed guests to mingle and do the tasting at their own pace.
For smaller groups, consider setting the pairings up in advance like you see below. It also allows you to control cookie numbers if you bought limited amounts.
In addition to the custom confetti, Brenda handmade these adorable cookie-themed wine markers complete with the Girl Scout sash. You can use them to help guests keep track of their glass or you can set them up to label the pairings like I did here.
A quick note on the floral! I used to be terrified of working with flowers, but one of my favorite bloggers, Katie, has inspired me with her floral tutorials on Instagram! Check her out at @tulsadetails. I grabbed a bouquet of daisies at Trader Joes, along with another fun green flower and some baby's breath. It only cost me $10 and I used dollar store vases to create five arrangements. I also had enough leftover to fill a large vase as well. You can see my other attempt at floral from this Dr. Seuss Baby Shower. I am no professional florist, but I love adding fresh flowers to events!
Final Touch: A DIY Banner
If you are a regular reader of the blog, you know I am a fan of a fun banner. Just see my 2017 round-up of bars to get an idea! For another little DIY detail, I grabbed a green tassel banner from Dollar Tree ($1) and printed copies of vintage Girl Scout cookie adds I found online. I glued them to kraft cardstock and cut a boarder. I used the same concept to make a Love Periodic Table banner for Valentine's Day. It's simple and you can do this for all kinds of themes!
All you do is add on the vintage ads with mini clothespins! It was such a hit with the troop leader, she took it home to display at future cookie booths!
What's your favorite Girl Scout cookie?! I'd love to know in the Comments below! Happy tasting!
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