Make Bar Snacks With A Twist

Cocktail parties mean passed hors d'oeuvres and obviously, cocktails. While the same-old-same-old classics remain — pigs in a blanket, beef Wellington, crabcakes — there's always an opportunity for a fresh face lift.

Brad Farmerie, an executive chef at New York City's The Daily, is adamant about being creative when it comes to serving guests. He sat down with The Daily Meal's Ali Rosen to talk smart and simple strategies when making bar snacks. 

"Bar food is boring and it doesn't have to be," he said, and he is absolutely right. 

Here are a few tips from Farmerie on how to spruce up the bar snack: 

• Bar food should always be hand-to-mouth eating — a cocktail in one hand a snack in the other.

• Stay away from the fried and salty — it's gross, unhealthy, and unoriginal. 

• Rich foods like truffled baba ganoush make great pairings for drinks. 

• Look for a twist in a classic — with crudité vegetables, pickle them in a simple mix of vinegar, oil, and ginger. 

• Lastly, think about these buzzwords for cocktailsand snacks alike — fresh, lively, crunchy, and textured — and you'll never fail.

Drink up and have a bite!