Outdoor drinks in September: light, cold drinks, and a plan B for rain
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
A drinks party in the garden or on the balcony is still perfectly feasible in September, but it requires more preparation than in July. Here’s how to arrange lighting, cooling, cups, and a plan B for a sudden shower.
At the end of August, the light is different. You set the table outside at seven in the evening, and by half past eight, everyone is fumbling for their glass. An outdoor drink in September is still perfectly doable — the days are often still mild — but it requires a little more preparation than the same drink in July. It gets dark faster, it cools down significantly after sunset, and there's a greater chance of a shower. This is a practical list of what to arrange, in the order things typically go wrong.
Light: expect it to be an hour and a half darker earlier than in July
The biggest difference from summer is not the temperature, but the light. In September, it's twilight around eight o'clock, and after that, you'll need something. Mood lighting and task lighting are two different things: you want soft light on the table, and one bright lamp where you're pouring drinks or where the barbecue is.
For that bright lamp, a rechargeable or solar-powered option is handy, as you won't have to drag an extension cord across the garden. The Solar Lamp with Power Bank (€32.00) charges via USB or solar power and also functions as a power bank, which is useful if someone's phone runs out of battery. As an emergency solution for when you're looking for something in the dark, the Mini LED Flashlight with Hand Crank (€14.95) always works — it doesn't need batteries.
On the table, low light works better than a single overhead lamp. A Mirrored Glass Tealight Holder (€19.95) keeps the flame out of the wind, which is half the battle outdoors: a candle without glass around it will go out with the first gust of wind. If you place multiple lights, a Metal Tray with Magnetic Candle Holders (€20.00) keeps them together and prevents them from blowing over. For a garden party with a bit more color, LED Balloons (€2.95 for 5 pieces) are a cheap way to make the edge of your patio visible — handy if there's a tiled edge or step that people might trip over.
Keeping things cool without constantly running inside
Inside, you might walk to the fridge ten times; outside, you don't want to. A cooler or cool bag next to the table saves the most walking. The 10-liter Cool Bag (€9.95) is large enough for about a crate of cans plus ice, and small enough to place on a side table.
Ice is the second point. In September, the evening cools down, but between 2 and 6 PM, it's often still warm enough for ice to melt away. Large blocks melt slower than small ones: with the Ice Cube Maker for round ice balls (€1.95), you can make large spheres that dilute your drink less quickly. If you just want volume, the Ice Cube Tray with lid for 33 cubes (€7.95) yields a significant batch at once. The lid is the difference between ice that tastes like your freezer and ice that tastes like nothing.
Glass outdoors: where to use it and where not
A garden with tiles, a balcony with wooden decking, and a standing group of people: that's the situation where glass gets broken. You'll never entirely remove shards from between pebbles or grass. A simple rule: glass on the table, hard plastic in hand.
Outside, sound travels further than you're used to indoors, and at the same time, music sounds weaker because there are no walls to reflect it. The temptation is to turn it up louder. Therefore, it's better to place the speaker close to the table and not directed towards the neighbors' garden — that way you won't have to turn it up as much. A Stereo Speaker with phone holder (€14.95) runs on USB and AUX and also holds the phone providing the music upright.
That phone, by the way, is the device that will run out of battery first, especially if it's also powering the speaker and displaying photos. A 3000 mAh Power Bank (€14.95) on the table prevents the music from stopping halfway through.
Plan B: the shower you didn't anticipate
A September shower rarely lasts long, but it often comes without warning. Think through two things beforehand. One: where will everyone stand? If you have a canopy or a hallway, clear out bikes there beforehand, so you don't have to lug things around at the first drops. Two: what needs to come inside? Make a pile beforehand of what absolutely must not get wet — the speaker, the power bank, card games, the bowl of chips — and put it in one place so you can bring it in in one go.
Don't move the party back indoors immediately afterward. Fabric on garden chairs will remain damp for hours. Those who continue inside usually do so at the table: then put something down that takes over the conversation, from a game to a bowl of snacks. A popcorn bowl (€7.95) is such a simply silly example that works perfectly.
Checklist for 10 to 15 guests
Item
Guideline
Why
Cooling
1 x 10-liter cool bag per ± 12 guests
Approximately one crate of cans plus ice
Ice
2 full trays frozen beforehand
You don't refreeze during the party
Cups
1.5 cups per guest
People put down their cup and grab a new one
Table lighting
1 light source per 4 seats
Otherwise, half will be in the dark
Bright light
1 lamp for drinks area
Pouring by feel goes wrong
What to prepare now
Most items on this list only need to be purchased once and can be used throughout the rest of the year: the cool bag goes to the beach, the flashlight stays in the meter cupboard, the cups go to the next party. So don't buy them individually for each occasion, but keep them as a fixed set in a box in the shed. Then, the next spontaneous get-together is just a matter of grabbing that box.
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