Jeremiah Brent Shares 7 Tips For Entertaining On Labor Day

Jeremiah Brent s forthcoming television project is not only his most ambitious yet, its also a certified labor of love.

The 31-year-old and his husband, Nate Berkus , are teaming up for their first joint TV venture, Married to Design: Nate & Jeremiah , a reality-makeover show hybrid that will showcase the designer couples refined tastes in home dcor.

But before Married to Design premieres on TLC this fall, Brent is finding creative ways to enjoy his leisure time. In August, the self-professed travel enthusiast hosted Cointreaus Collection de Voyages event in Los Angeles, where he explained how his adventures around the world have influenced his love of entertaining at home. Brents favorite vacation destinations in Vietnam, Mexico, Croatia and elsewhere factored heavily into the vibe of the event, which was part of Cointreaus Art of La Soire series.

In the spirit of Labor Day , The Huffington Post asked Brent to share seven unique tips on how to entertain at home over the holiday weekend. Heres what he had to say.

Art of Entertaining

Cointreau

Incorporating travel [and] elements from different cultures and locales is a great way to establish the overall tone and theme for a soire. Draw on elements from the fashion and culture, not just the cuisine, display straw hats inspired by the Vietnamese food you are serving, images of people or monuments as place cards essentially anything that connects someone emotionally to an experience.

The Bar

Cointreau

Create individual moments and stations, consider a bar in one room with the food in another, this way guests have a different feeling and the opportunity to engage with people at different points in different settings throughout the soire.

Cocktails

Cointreau

One of my go-to cocktails right now is the Cointreau Rickey. Its a quick recipe you can make at home. Add a flavorful herb or a fresh, exotic fruit or vegetable to transport your guests to another place around the world.

Cointreau Rickey Recipe:
2 oz Cointreau
1 oz fresh lime juice
3-4 oz club soda

How to create: Pour Cointreau and fresh lime juice into a glass. Add ice, top with club soda and stir. Garnish with an orange twist.

How To Serve Cocktail

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From the actual cocktails to way you serve them, cocktails help bring your favorite destinations to your guests. When entertaining, I love to recreate cocktails I have enjoyed during my travels by incorporating fresh, regionally inspired ingredients and serving them in glassware I have collected around the world.

Tablescapes

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Tablescapes should be considered a canvas to help drive home your overall vision and theme for a soire, they can serve as conversation starters, ice breakers even, and help to make a table feel layered and warm. Curate yours with items you have collected from your travels -- a vase from Vietnam, beads you picked up on a trip to Peru, olive oil dishes from your honeymoon in Florence.

Food

Cointreau

Great food is just as important as great cocktails for any soire. When entertaining, make things easier with small apertivo style plates with fresh, seasonal fare like pastas, kebabs or skewers, and grilled vegetables that you can make in advance of your guests arrival. I always try and tie one or two dishes back to whatever the theme of the evening is -- Vietnamese, Mexican etc. My favorite cookbook is Peru: The Cookbook . I picked it up while in Peru with my husband.

Flow

Cointreau