Stun your guests by breaking out the Fine Mardi Gras plastic at your next Dinner Party!

With Spring fully in the air this season many locals will begin inviting their friends over to celebrate the one month of decent weather we'll have here in the south. Many will struggle and compete to exhilarate the party goers with fancy hors d'oeuvres and fine China, but we Eastern Shore folks know the real way to stun our guests... by opening up our fine plastic display. 

Usually only on display behind glass in our dining rooms, our plastic Mardi Gras cups rarely get much use. Since they can only be obtained as Mardi Gras throws their rareness puts a high value on each individual cup, some more than others. 

Once, a Crew of Columbus cup from 1997 fetched a whopping $38,000 at a local auction.

Personally, I recommend for this season, a 1988 Green Order of the Mystic Magnolias cup with gold trim if you happen to be serving a savory red wine with dinner (Think a dry Merlot or Cabernet). The highly toxic plastic used that year really lends itself well to provide a sweetness that balances the bitter aftertaste. If you happen to be planning a daytime event serving Mimosas or a light white wine I recommend a 2005 Knights of Ecor Rouge cup in faded yellow. The yellow represents the sunshine shining down on your guests cooking them to a crisp when it was only 50 degrees an hour ago.

Don't stop with just the cups though. This is a perfect opportunity to use those leftover Moon Pie's stuck deep down in your pantry. Moon Pie Salad, Moon Cake, Moon Pie Martini with Bailey's and Kahlua. The list goes on. Mardi Gras is certainly the holiday that never end here in Fairhope.