Excess of Paisley
Posted by: Liz | From: July 24, 2007
I first heard about the Denver Back Nine party two years ago when I was visiting here for a wedding. The idea is simple: get nine houses within walking distance of one another to each create a miniature golf hole in their yard and serve a themed drink. Throngs of people then come--dressed to the nines (ha)--and golf in a progressive party throughout the neighborhood. It just so happens that when we moved to Denver, we moved right into the neighborhood where this party usually happens, and after much assuring of various coordinators that we very much wanted to participate, we created a golf hole and started the party off at our place.
We worked backwards from a design to a theme to a drink. J wanted to do some sort of jump, and an Eval Knieval hole was born.
I was originally planning on serving flaming drinks, but then realized I can't serve 50 people flaming drinks, because you can't serve a flaming drink in a plastic cup and also serving 50 flaming drinks seemed like a bad youtube video waiting to happen. I considered rounds of flaming shots, but then ditched the whole idea and went for a gustatory fire instead of a visual one. That's to say: margaritas with green pepper tabasco sauce in them, which are actually quite delicious. I made them "Ring of Fire" margaritas by rimming the glass with red and yellow colored sugar and some of that spicy Mexican powdered candy. Hot! Literally!
The themes for the rest of the holes were pretty amazing, too: a giant birthday cake, a geographically-correct floating Cuba, George Bush's head, a wobbly bridge, and--my favorite--the Twin Peaks Black Lodge. The host even made a valiant attempt at recreating Black Yukon Sucker Punches as the themed drink, though the blue Cool Whip floating on top was a turn-off for some at the end of a long night.
This had to be the most confusing party to witness in passing. First of all, everyone went all out with their flashy golf clothes, so it would have been an odd sight to see small groups of people wandering around the neighborhood in bizarre clothes holding golf clubs. Secondly, towards the end of the night the party would just tend to tumble to the next location all together. So you can imagine the irritated neighbor who looks down to see a party of 50 rowdy people all drinking and golfing next door, only to realize twenty minutes later the yard is now entirely deserted.
I'm already brainstorming holes for next year.
The party required so much preparation that I had to wait until Sunday for this treat:
J got his grubby hands on it first, so I went back and read the sixth book while waiting (good idea), then lost my patience yesterday and made my friend loan me his copy. I'm almost half-way through, so I'm that much closer to being able to return to the Internet full-time.
I'm sooooo sad that I missed the golf party. . . I actually couldn't go to it last year either. I'm about half-way through the book also- I didn't buy it, but I got home on Saturday night and there was a copy sitting on my bed (my mommy loves me). I'll be MIA for the next two weeks while I'm at camp, see you in August!
Posted by: becca at July 24, 2007 10:48 PM
Reading book 6 was definitely a good idea. For awhile there I was thinking, what the hell is a horcrux? It came back to me, but I totally should've been prepared.
And oh my god, the part where Ron OD's on heroin and Hermione becomes a nun out of a grief are so moving! Wait -- tell me I didn't ruin anything for you!
Posted by: Sally Nordan at July 25, 2007 6:02 AM
My stupid neighborhood doesn't do cool stuff like this. Then again, we don't have backyards.
They only do the golf party once a year?
I think I'm going to move to your neighborhood. Play backyard golf with you and J...hang out with Skinnyboy. Why not?
Posted by: Mega Munch at July 25, 2007 8:53 AM
This has nothing to do with this topic...but I do love a good party..Thanks for the buttons!! My favorite is I heart HDB'S!!
Posted by: SuperPaul Bonebreaker at July 25, 2007 3:00 PM
I finished the book! Oh and Sally I agree Ron's heroin OD was totally bogus. And why did she feel the need to make Harry go to rehab?
Posted by: Krista at July 25, 2007 3:09 PM
lies! You can do flaming drinks. I know, as Stephen and I served them last year. The key is going to that giant cheap store on Broadway and buying glass cups on the ultracheap. Were the cups made in China? You betcha. Did they have some weird toxin that probably took a collective 240 years off the party-goers lives? Probably. But you know, sometimes a flaming drink is worth it.
Posted by: Adouble at July 25, 2007 4:02 PM
I think it was the "going to the store and buying 50 cheap glasses" step that I got caught on. Did people just keep the glasses?
I just got to the part with the heroine overdose. Really unexpected, I have to say.
Posted by: Liz at July 25, 2007 4:08 PM
No. We kept our toxic glasses. And we didn't buy 50. We bought like 20, but I made a few barback runs and that was enough. It helped being the last hole so people didn't all arrive at once. Also, maybe next time your at the ol' Byers mansion, you'll know more than to use the cheap-looking blue glasses. They probably have SARS.
Posted by: Adouble at August 17, 2007 1:48 PM
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that was magic. is your neighborhood a reincarnated group?
Posted by: Jen Elliott at July 24, 2007 6:55 PM