Welcome sunny brunch season with our tips and inspiration for creating the ultimate bagel bar.
First, the bagels.
When it comes to assembling your bagel bar, the more (of everything) the better. Start with a wide variety of bagel flavors, making sure to include staples like everything, cinnamon raisin, and plain along with some wild cards like jalapeño and rainbow. For toppings, have classics like cream cheese and peanut butter and jelly as well items that up your flavor quotient. Think salami and sliced cheese on the savory side and chocolate chips and sliced almonds on the sweet side. Some veggies like cucumber and sliced tomatoes will add a nice note of freshness and ensure there is something for everyone.
Next, the set-up.
Once you have all your supplies together, it’s time to think about your display. Bagels, of course, should be at the center and we recommend having them pre-sliced for easy assembly. Help guests with some of the tough decisions by pairing like with like. For example, put sweet toppings like chocolate and strawberries next to each other and savory ones like cheese and tomatoes together. To make things easy the morning of, get out your serving dishes and bowls the night before and plan out what kind of space you’ll need. We love adding some greenery and decorative napkins for extra flair.
Lastly, the beverages.
No brunch is complete without a great selection of white wines and sparkling wines. Lay out a variety so your guests can get creative with flavor pairings. To set the mood, have at least one bottle of bubbles like our 2022 California Sparkling Brut. Or, try a Chardonnay for something that’s fun and light but a little more complex. An ice bucket can work double duty to keep your beverages nice and chilled and add a decorative element. Keep extra bottles in the fridge so they already have some chill to them when you set them out.
