On Saturday, March 4, Curious Appetites hosted a cannabis-infused dinner at Cluster Studios that took everyone down the rabbit hole. An "Eat me" sign sat on the edibles table; on the bar was a sign that said, "Drink me," and on the dab bar, a sign urged guests to "Smoke me."
Those guests were given an hour to mingle, then invited to sit down at a long, single table, where chef Hosea Rosenberg and his staff from Blackbelly served a four-course meal, paired with four strains of cannabis. Hungry to know more? Here are ten tips for an Alice in Wonderland-themed dinner.
1. Create a wonderland
To transport people to a fantasy world, you must first create an atmosphere that takes them away from the bustle of the real world. At this cannabis dinner, guests walked in under a canopy of gold fabric into a fantasy with vaulted ceilings, chandeliers draped with crystal, and purple lights warming the white walls. It was everything a five-year-old girl imagines during tea parties with her stuffed animals.
2. Add Fairytale Touches
Pink and purple accents, fancy silverware, fresh flowers and a long banquet table could be staples at ay fancy dinner party, but the ceramic rabbits, small clocks and stacked teacups here reminded guests that they were in Alice's dream.
3. Drink me, with a twist
If they couldn't tell by the more subtle touches, guests definitely got the message from cards reading "Eat me" and "Drink me." And then there was the "Smoke me" card at the dab station.
4. Chocolate edibles
Chocolate edibles took guests farther down the rabbit hole. These 1906 chocolates are only five milligrams each, so it's easy to enjoy two or three of them. They come in four variations: "midnight" for sleep, "pause" for relaxation, "go" for energy, and "high love," which can be eaten as an aphrodisiac.
5. Smoke in style
Forget paper joints that burn and leave charred butts scattered around the table. This dinner provided guests with glass joints: The burn was easier to control, the joints were easier to refill, and guests could enjoy the flower without paper sticking to their lips.
Read more tips for your own cannabis-themed Alice in Wonderland dinner.
6. Live music
Nothing quite sets the tone like live musicians jamming away. If your space won't allow for a full band, as this dinner did, be sure to make an epic playlist that will last the entire evening.
7. Open bar
When you get to the end of the rabbit hole, a bar is a welcome sight. At this dinner, guests had the option of a spicy cocktail or a sweet one.
8. Dab bar
You can't have a smoking party without a place to smoke. Providing guests with new glass to try, different flower options and a variety of vaporizers will allow everyone to try something new.
9. Delicious food
The staff from Blackbelly created a four-course menu that corresponded with four cannabis pairings. But you don't have to be a professional chef to match certain foods with specific types of cannabis; you can figure out how to pauir citrus foods with lemon-flavored cannabis. Just remember to start the evening with hybrids or sativas and to end the evening with indicas that will help your guests relax.
10. A place to socialize
If you're not planning to sit down to dinner right away, make sure you've created spaces for people to sit, mingle and get to know each other. Even if you start out with a room full of strangers, cannabis has a way of bringing people together...and making them curiouser and curiouser about each other.
Check out our full slideshow of Curious Appetites' Alice in Wonderland dinner. Watch for another Curious Appetites dinner in July.