You're as cold as ice! And hot as fire!

October 11, 2007 9:00 AM

We're having a Fire and Ice party - how can we, 'scuse the pun, heat it up?

Hey MeFites. I have somehow found myself leading the team of people at my work charged with organising the End of Year party. We've decided to go for the pleasantly broad theme of 'Fire and Ice'.

So far, we've thought of the following elements:

* Red and white wall decorations
* Hot and cold cocktails/drinks
* Fire and Ice themed music (as people enter, not all night)
* Ice sculptures/vodka fountain
* Hot and Cold themed food (i.e. spicy stuff sizzling away in woks, and other food on blocks of ice)

After that, we're a bit stuck. So, do MeFites have any cool ideas for entertainments, costumes, music choices, drinks, food or anything else that fits in the 'Fire and Ice' theme? Bonus points for entertainment ideas, as that's the one area we're seriously berefet of ideas.

Thanks!

posted by Happy Dave to grab bag (15 comments total)

A visit from Heat Miser and his archnemesis half-brother Snow Miser would be awesome. Fire jugglers. Those people that chainsaw ice blocks while you watch. Make your own snow cones.
posted by iconomy at 9:09 AM on October 11, 2007

Oh, we're in the UK, forgot to mention that.
posted by Happy Dave at 9:16 AM on October 11, 2007

Baked Alaska.
posted by StickyCarpet at 9:16 AM on October 11, 2007

i dunno how liberal your workplace is, but how about getting some of that lube that heats up on contact, and some cooling muscle gel, and playing a guessing game?

make a curtain or barrier with two hand-sized holes in it.
participants put both hands through the holes, palm down.
on the other side of the curtain, out of sight, another employee dabs hot lube on the back of one hand and cooling gel on the other.
the recipient has to guess which is which.

you can make it competitive by giving out buttons or ribbons with some kind of clever saying, that guests can wear for the rest of the party, announcing if they guessed right or wrong.
or you could make the departments compete, make a big scoreboard and keep track, and whichever department wins gets a prize?

be sure to have towels or wipes on hand to remove the residue!
posted by twistofrhyme at 10:13 AM on October 11, 2007

Little home made alcoholic ice pops. Go easy on the food coloring so people don't have ridiculous purple lips. I also second the snow cone idea.

Hire people who swallow fire and spin fire poi - but you need a lot of room for this and it works best outside.

Some variation of the 'hot seat' - where you sit someone down and get to interrogate them. I'm sure there's a more fun way to do this though, as a game perhaps.

You could offer 'icy mint' and 'red hot' flavor gum or mints, perhaps?
posted by infinityjinx at 10:22 AM on October 11, 2007

Gazpacho! Made right, it's hot and cold at the same time.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 10:22 AM on October 11, 2007

(I dunno what the deal is with the versions shown in that article. The one I ate, and liked so much, was made from avocado.)
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 10:24 AM on October 11, 2007

Hot fudge sundaes, make the brownies really steaming and keep the ice cream as chilled as possible. Mmmm. So good.

Entertainment: Karaoke--either they have to pick an obviously temperature themed song, or they have to pick a non-obvious song and points go to the first person who guesses the connection.
posted by anaelith at 10:26 AM on October 11, 2007

infinityjinx's alcoholic ice pop idea is super cute, but alcohol lowers the freezing point of water - the ice pops wouldn't freeze solid! Frozen or flaming drinks, though, or alcoholic snow cones/granitas, or Ice 101 peppermint schnapps poured down an ice chute? yes. how about open coolers full of dry ice for decoration?
posted by clavicle at 11:16 AM on October 11, 2007

Get a large block of ice
With an extra long drill bit, drill three holes in it:
one on each side at an angle to meet in the middle
one from the front at the bottom going up into the junction of the other two.

You will also need a spout to wedge into the bottom hole, although I suppose you could use one of those wine pouring sheets.

Pour two liquors in the sides, chilled drink comes out the bottom.

For extra points, drill a wide cavity in the top and fill it with Sterno.
posted by plinth at 11:20 AM on October 11, 2007

Table decoration: Fire in ice (or DIY)
posted by fidelity at 11:40 AM on October 11, 2007

Maybe you could get this guy.
posted by oats at 11:51 AM on October 11, 2007

Flaming cocktails, crepes flambee.
posted by iviken at 11:55 AM on October 11, 2007

I think this group does fire juggling, or eating, or something, in the UK. They're pretty funny. http://www.markmarkproductions.co.uk/
posted by pipti at 11:59 AM on October 11, 2007

I know some excellent fire spinners based in Sheffield who do gigs, email me if you want details.
posted by emilyw at 3:40 PM on October 11, 2007