How we’d throw the ultimate gentleman’s dinner party
Words: Gentleman's Journal
Dinner parties offer the opportunity to combine sophistication and unbridled entertainment – eclectic food, full-bodied wine, warm surroundings. And the most important cog to this vivacious wheel, of course, the guests.
A good dinner party will be remembered, a great dinner party will be repeated – the fangled arrangement of guests all meeting on the same page, despite marching to totally different tunes. With this in mind, we thought we’d put together our ultimate dinner party, 5 men and 5 women, from the past and present…
The chosen guests have to mix well, be bursting at the seams with tales of adventure and frivolity, have individuality and élan, and be interesting and interested (for further pointers on the perfect dinner party, see our full guide).
ESTEEMED GUESTS…
MEN
Winston Churchill
WHY: The wit, the humour, the stories. He is the unconventional gentleman – he heads the table.
Gunter Sachs
WHY: Featured in our current issue, Sachs was the king of playboys with an acute eye for the finer things in life – he partied hard and lived life to the full. He loved women and art in equal measure and is widely regarded as a true icon.
Michael Caine
WHY: The only living guest to feature on the gentlemen’s invites, he is one of our ultimate gentlemen of all time. A national treasure oozing with charm and style – he’d take to the occasion like a duck to water.
Ernest Hemingway
WHY: A man of extensive travel and a huge force of influence on 20th-century fiction. He was married four times, covered the Spanish Civil War as a journalist and was involved in two major aeroplane crashes in Africa that nearly killed him… He has stories.
Serge Gainsbourg
WHY: The ultimate individualist, a truly genius songwriter and performer. Serge was cool, he exuded cool and professionalism and sex appeal – and he never stopped knowing it, owning it and living it.
WOMEN
Jane Birkin
WHY: The epitome of 70s chic – beautiful and alluring. She had a fraught relationship with the also invited Gainsbourg, which may lead to a firework or two.
Grace Kelly
WHY: From actress to Princess of Monaco, Kelly played a number of epic roles that won her awards and repute. She mingled with biggest names of the time and carved a name in fashion for herself.
Sophia Loren
WHY: The woman who epitomised pure sex appeal and timeless glamour; a force to be reckoned with, bursting with beauty and charm. And she had plenty of pluck, refusing a marriage proposal from the affable Cary Grant. Churchill would be a big fan.
Diane von Furstenberg
WHY: An iconic women in fashion, who in her prime built a business empire while winning the hearts of the industry with her mannerisms and ways. She has plenty to bring to the table.
Ursula Andreas
WHY: Perhaps the most memorable Bond girl of all time, slowly rising from the sea in Dr. No. With former flames including the revered Marlon Brando, and a Golden Globe winner, she adds both sophistication and boundless beauty.
LOCATION
Glamis Castle
WHY: One of Scotland’s finest castles, dating back to the 14th century and the former childhood home of The Queen Mother. Draped in history and legend, with a regal atmosphere, this is the perfect location to host our ultimate rendezvous.
CHEF
Michel Roux
WHY: The French-born chef and restaurateur is nothing shy of a culinary wizard. Along with his brother Albert, he opened Le Gavroche, the first three Michelin starred restaurant in Britain, and The Waterside Inn, which was the first restaurant outside France to hold three stars for a period of 25 years. He is the man to prep our menu.
ON-HAND WINE CONNOISSEUR
Robert Parker
WHY: Because no one in the world has more of an authority on claret that this man.
BACKGROUND MUSIC
Fleetwood Mac, with interludes from Ludovico Einaudi and Frank Sinatra between courses.
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