Let’s go to the beach. What a great idea!

😎 Beach visits can be fantastic — or they can go horribly wrong and be a pain. The focus needs to be on enjoying yourself and your friends and family. A little bit of planning will make a big difference, especially for you, the arranger and caterer in charge.

And a little cold wine goes a long way towards making a good experience great! Of course, nothing is better than an excellent white wine like JL WOOD Chardonnay! It has the natural acidity to be refreshing and is great in ice.

🌞 For an easy upgrade and crowd pleaser for your adult friends, make a quick and refreshing sangria style wine drink. It’s as easy as:

1. Add a few different cut fruit slices of your choice (orange, peach, nectarine, lime, strawberry, raspberries, and lemon are all good choices — 2 or 3 different fruits are best) to a disposable cup, insulated cup or pitcher
2. Muddle (squish not swoosh!) the fruit
3. Add ice
4. Add 3 - 5 ounces of wine per person
5. A  squirt of simple syrup per person (that you can buy in most liquor and some grocery stores in a squeeze bottle) and
6. Top with some cold carbonated bubbly water like Pelligrino (optional); you can add a little or you can add a lot!
7. Stir and enjoy! 💥

💲A bottle of wine served in this way, say 6 portions depending on how you pour, would be much more enjoyable than buying four cans of generic and unremarkable wine! If you have a large insulated container, you can make the mix ahead of time.

Let’s focus on the other food and beverages. Logistics are key.

Do you know the rules and practices at the beach?

• Some beaches don’t allow you to bring glass bottles.
• Or alcohol beverages.
• You need to know if there are conveniently located trash and recycling receptacles.
• Are there places to wash your hands, shower, and use the restroom?
• Are there covered areas to rest out of the sun?
• Can you drive on the beach (never attempt to drive on sand without a four wheel drive equipped vehicle with off-road tires) to your favorite spot? If you can, this will relieve a lot of stress relating to getting your food and beverages to the beach. A vehicle can carry heavy coolers and ice, chairs for everyone, and a shade tent. Remember to stay off soft sand, no matter how inviting it looks, and when negotiating small rises and drops on the beach, be sure to look to see if someone is laying down on the other side.
• If driving is not allowed, you’ll need a beach wagon to carry your stuff or use backpacks. All are good; you just need to know in advance and prep the members of your party.

What food and beverages do you serve?

• Timing is everything - a late morning or late afternoon is a good time for food, especially in late spring, summer, and early fall. Best to avoid the heat of the day. Your food and beverage choices basically boil down to your desire to be elaborate or simple.
• Finger food is always a great choice: no utensils or plates required. Just napkins.
• Things with drippy sauces or require the use of a knife and fork are clearly a challenge on the beach.
• You could have the whole thing catered and just need to show up. You can do this in resort towns but you’ll pay dearly to the hotel or caterer that provides the service (it’s a cool choice for a pre-wedding event!)
• Charcuterie works if you have somewhere to keep it cool. Instead of a big platter, you can break up the different foods into containers with tight lids. A bag of cut French bread rounds it out.
• Another easy choice: Go to a local deli (like a Jersey Mike’s or a family owned favorite) or the local mega grocery store and have them provide a variety of sandwiches — not overstuffed — that you can cut into smaller pieces (or you can ask them to cut into smaller portions). The only problem: Lots of other folks will have the same idea. In beach communities, you need to get to these places early. Especially if you choose the local grocery store — they can have the best prices. You can supplement with a few cut vegetables like sliced carrots.
• Lots of local grocery stores can also provide freshly fried chicken, albeit a bit salty for some tastes. Fried chicken tastes good hot or cold and is already conveniently cut into pieces.
• BBQ at the beach sounds very exciting. But, in reality, it can be a lot of work. Best done if your chosen beach has facilities for this purpose. Brats and dogs are great for this purpose, cook fast, and you can parboil them in advance. (Having fires on the sand is prohibited on most beaches.)
• What to avoid: Things that don’t do well in the heat or sun such as leaf salads, potato salad, macaroni salad, shrimp salad, etc. Also, cheeses can become gross in the heat.
• Bring easy to eat fruit like grapes and watermelon slices that can be held in the hand, and maybe oranges. They will need to be kept cool.

Pro-tips:

• Leave pets at home — they can be “rude” to other beach goers and will want to snack on anything you put out.
• Bring lots of sunscreen protection.
• Put a limit on your time in the sun: 3 hours or less is a good timeline if you have shade otherwise no more than 90 minutes. Check to see if there are shade shelters available — many beaches have covered picnic facilities with BBQs. Remember your goal is not to give skin cancer a head start!
• Encourage your guests to hydrate, and then encourage your guests to hydrate repeatedly. Sun-stroke is not something you want anyone to experience. And it’s expensive too . . . folks often end up at the emergency room. And its very preventable with hydration, shade, and not spending too much time outside when it’s hot and dry.
• Bring lots of water with ice in it. Or consider partially freezing water bottles that you buy.
• Bring wine — JL WOOD of course — and beer if allowed. Both need to be cooled - beer can go into coolers and wine needs to go in insulated water bottles. Be sure to check the beach rules about this. And if you’re bringing friends, make them dispose of the cans properly for recycling.
• For laying out food, bring a table cloth that you can lay on beach blankets or the sand and can later wash. Expect drips and spills.
• In addition to recyclable paper cups, a thoughtful touch is to have wet napkins available, like the wipes we all bought during Covid — if you don’t bring them to the beach, put them in the car so your guests can wipe off their hands and, if necessary, their feet.
• Bring garbage bags, like the kitchen kind that you close tight to keep out flying insects.
• Speaking of cars, if you’re carrying guests, it’s a good idea to place washable blankets or towels over the seat surfaces so that you’re upholstery isn’t stained by sun block lotions or spilled food and drinks.
• A shade shelter is always a good idea. Otherwise, everyone needs to have a hat and sunglasses. If you’re in northern parts of the US or along the Pacific coast, sweaters and sweat pants are very important if the weather turns cool.
• Check the rules on removing things from the beach and sea. Many localities have (very) strict rules with big penalties (and even arrest in some cases) regarding the removal of driftwood, sea animals like clams, crabs and turtles, fishing, taking of certain fish, rocks, coral, parking, use of fire pits, etc. Don’t assume you can take souvenirs. You may not see law enforcement when you’re there but everyone should assume that they are watching or will be along. Just remember what I said, there can be big penalties.
• If you have kids with you, it’s always best to set-up near a lifeguard. Children tend to wander off and imitate older kids and adults acting like kids. And they can easily get into trouble if they become overconfident, like jumping off rocks or moving into deep water. Always make sure someone has eyes glued to the kids and is with them in case they get into trouble. Another benefit of the lifeguards is that they are always looking out for sharks in the surf.