I’m a big fan of toasting. If you have ever dined with me then you know that I believe there is always something to celebrate. Besides, toasts can make any occasion special. Why be ordinary when you can be extraordinary?
With that being said, there are a few etiquette guidelines that you should follow.
- The glasses are filled a few minutes before the countdown to midnight. You don’t want to scramble at the last minute and miss raising your glass when the clock strikes twelve o’clock midnight.
- If you are seated at a table, the person (typically the party’s host) making the toast stands and engages in eye contact with the group. Everyone else remains seated. If a specific person is being honored, then eye contact is made with the recipient of the toast.
- A toast doesn’t have to be a long speech. It can be as simple as….
If you are the host:
“Thank you all for coming and I wish each and every one of you all the best in 2019.”
If you are a guest:
You should acknowledge your host as an act of thanks for organizing the party, whether at someone’s home or at a restaurant.
“Thank you John for having us over to ring in the New Year. May we all live our best lives in 2019.”
Hosting a party is hard work. So, if no one has thanked the host, take the initiative and propose a toast.
- If you are the person being honored, don’t raise your glass or take a drink. You would be toasting yourself and it is akin to clapping for yourself at an awards ceremony.
Wait until everyone has taken a sip and returned their glasses to the table before you continue to enjoy your cocktail.
- A toast should be complementary. Don’t belittle someone in an attempt to be funny.
- Nondrinkers may toast with water, a soft drink, sparkling wine or juice.
Yes, you may toast with nonalcoholic beverages. It is only a superstition that it is bad luck or poor decorum to toast with anything except a cocktail, not an actual etiquette rule.
Furthermore, we live in a more inclusive world and nondrinkers should not be excluded or made to feel badly because they choose not to drink.
- To attract the crowd’s attention, stand, raise your glass and say, “I would like to propose a toast.” Never clink a utensil against the glass.
Now that you have mastered New Year’s Eve toasting protocol, the next step is finding a great sparkling wine.
“Luckily, sparkling wine goes with everything from caviar and oysters to potato chips and charcuterie. Look for something light and affordable, like Prosecco, which you can also use in brunch mimosas the next day. Wine to try: Adami Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze NV ($20-25). Grown in the Veneto region of Italy, this Prosecco is the ultimate aperitif wine, displaying delicate citrus and sweet fruit notes with a youthful, fizzy edge.” Wine Country magazine
*Champagne, France is the only region in the world that technically produces Champagne. Everything else is sparkling wine.
If you are hosting a New Year’s Eve party, see the November 17, 2018 blog post “Holiday Hostess and Guest Etiquette” for tips on how to make it a successful event.
Happy New Year!
Attend our February 9, 2019, Dining Etiquette class to learn more about toasting and other dining related topics.
Tami Claytor
Owner
Always Appropriate: Image & Etiquette Consulting
Alwaysappropriate.com
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