It’s going to be perfect weather this weekend and you have a dozen or so friends that you NEED to enjoy it with. ‘’But what to do?’’ you ask out loud and to no one in particular... then a deep voice inside of you answers back, "BBQ. Party. Obviously."

You've done this before. You spent your 20's doing this on small apartment balconies and decks made entirely of splinters. Except that it's different now that you're just a bit more grown up, gainfully employed and regularly eating normal food that doesn't come in taco bell wrappers. A half-empty cardboard case of cheap beer and a watery package of hot dogs won't cut it anymore.

Fear not, we're here to help:

1. Don't Over-Plan

Fun & spontaneous bbq's need to be just that: Fun and Spontaneous. If you’re sending your friends a curated list of activities and items to bring you should expect to enjoy a quiet evening at home by yourself. Also - any BBQ that requires more than a week or two of notice is going to be ignored, either by accident or on purpose. BBQ’s are great, but you can’t realistically hype them for two weeks. Give people only a few day's notice and the newness of your shiny BBQ will clinch their attendance.

2. Let Kids Attend

‘’But wait!’’ you say ‘’My friends need more notice so they can line up a babysitter in time!’’ At this age, your group of friends is going to consist of single, married, married with children…etc.

Don’t shut out your friends little families. Embrace them! You have no idea how nice it is for your friends to know their kids are invited and welcome at your BBQ Party. Plus - your friends may not have much in the way of updates, but the nonsense their kids will want to tell you will entertain you for days. Embrace the youth! Let them run wild! When they’ve reached the point of diminishing return let them retreat inside with their iPads and iPhones before adorably passing out.

3. Better Beer = Better BBQ

Your friends can drink sad cans of trash beer while watering their lawn or solo-Netflixing. This is a gathering of substance, so your beer needs to be of substance as well. Provide local craft brewery choices and encourage your friends to bring a 6-pack of something weird. You may get some truly awful tasting beers that live in your fridge for the next 3 months, but you’ll typically discover at least one new gem. For this particular soiree we brought a strong variety of Four Hands and Urban Chestnut beers.

4. Grill Like a Damn Adult

Put down the two for one cheese-filled hot dogs that expired last week. Those meals come back to haunt you. Don’t do that to your friends. Get some all beef kosher dogs and grass-fed meats. If you have non-animal eating friends ask them what they’d like to have. Your veg and vegan friends will most likely volunteer to bring something that’s actually edible. Also, Shish-kabobs? Shish-ka-yes. Veggie, meat, veggie and meat, always a crowd pleaser. A general rule of life is that food on sticks is good.

5. Dress Comfortably

Unless this is a Prom-themed BBQ (don’t do that, that sounds awful)
you need to make sure you address these two things in this order:

A. Comfort  

B. Style

Comfort because you will be cooking, backyard gaming, and partying like crazy; you won’t have the time or opportunity to be removing whatever piece of clothing out of whatever crack it’s not supposed to be in. Don’t wear your actual pajamas, unless you want people to think they’re attending a sleepover.

Style because SELFIES know no age. Guaranteed you will be on the internet within five minutes of that party starting. No need to wear your best club clothes (just kidding - you don’t go to the club anymore) but you should wear something that makes you feel confident and comfortable. For example, have you seen our Snake Bite brand T-shirt and the new ladies Tank? They’re a proven source of quality instagram likes.

6. Bring Bomb Pops

Remember the life lesson about sticks? Food on sticks? All foods. Especially dessert foods. You're not that old yet. Remember what it felt like to be a kid? Lick that pop. Then rip a shot.

7. Rage, Rest, Re-hydrate, Repeat

The kids are asleep, the boring couples have left and there is still plenty of beer leftover. Bring out that extra bottle of tequila you've been saving for no reason and get weird. Teach someone to Dougie, Twerk, do the Cat Daddy, all on that random corner on the porch. When the bottle is done, so is the party. Crash on the couch or let your ridiculously patient DD drive you home. Chug a Gatorade or some ridiculously overpriced Coconut Water before you hit the hay and wake up well-rested and ready for brunch. Because, as we all know, brunch is basically just a sit down BBQ with eggs.

Brunch allows you to restart your engines with a dust-cutter or, our favorite, a Bloody Mary. The most blessed among cocktails.

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Make your mark in the land of BBQ and enjoy the season. If you decide to throw a BBQ Party The Snake Bite Way, make sure to let us know by mentioning our instagram @SnakeBiteCoUSA and using the hashtag #TheSnakeBiteWay. Feel free to invite us to your gathering... because, you just never know. We’ve traveled for less.