Move Over Charcuterie, 'Shotcuterie' Is The New Party Favorite

Charcuterie has had quite a chokehold on the event scene, with people serving it up at weddings, retirement parties, girls' nights, and so forth. It varies in complexity, from a simple board to an entire grazing table full of small bites that guests can pick at. But charcuterie's grip is lessening, and the feed-a-crowd trend has turned toward the next big trend: Shotcuterie.

Shotcuterie is a lot like charcuterie; both contain a selected assortment of bites, including anything from meat and cheese to sauce and sweets. However, the shotcuterie components, rather than being assembled on a tray or table, are instead placed inside shot glasses or other small cups (like mini Mason jars or smaller Champagne flutes). Then, the cups are arranged for an artful and aesthetically pleasing presentation. The shots constitute one or two small bites and can be eaten with fingers, toothpicks, or full-on utensils (bonus points if the tiny utensils match the small cups).

The sky's the limit when it comes to shotcuterie party themes, and these bite-sized appetizers can be adapted to fit any holiday or occasion. For starters, a charcuterie shotcuterie theme is an all-around crowd-pleaser; assemble shots with salami and pepperoni, a few different cheeses (you can even use this sliced cheese hack to make cutting the block easier), an olive or two, a mini breadstick, and round it out with some dried fruit. Or you could do pizza shotcuterie, taco salads, deviled eggs, chicken and waffles — the list goes on and on.

Your shotcuterie doesn't have to be savory, either. The shot glass is the perfect vessel for cakes, mousses, parfaits, cobblers, ice cream, puddings, and even cookies and brownies. Also, because shotcuterie is served up in cups or dishes, you can opt for liquids. Serve up savory winter soups, chili, or even dips, as well as beverages — both alcoholic and not. How cute would tasting flights of different flavors of hot chocolate be during the colder months? Or, try two-ingredient mimosas for brunch or when the weather is hot. 

While shotcuterie is a fantastic idea for weddings, showers, anniversaries, and just large parties in general, it's also suitable for smaller gatherings of 10 or fewer. You could host a "bring your own shotcuterie" night where everyone comes with a tray of different shotcuterie offerings or even host a build-your-own shotcuterie with different ingredients at different stations.

While the concept is simple, there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to actually assembling your shotcuterie — and it all starts with the food. Decide ahead of time what shotcuterie you want to serve to your guests, and then make a list of all the food items you'll need to get from the store. Make sure you have room in your fridge if you're making the shots hours ahead of time, as many of the ingredients will no doubt be perishable and can only sit out for a couple of hours at room temperature.

You'll also want to have enough shot glasses or mini jars for everyone, especially if you're doing two or more themes. It's always better to overestimate than underestimate, but the good news is that plastic shot glasses are fairly cheap on sites like Amazon. Make sure you also have enough utensils for each shot glass, including mini forks, spoons, or long toothpicks. For ease of transporting the shots from one place to another, it's also handy to place them on serving trays.