How To Throw A Lobster Boil

It's high time to take advantage of warm weekends—and the perfect way to do that is to have your very own beach bake, like Tasting Table did this past Saturday night at luxury resort Gurney's in Montauk.

As the evening kicked off, close to 100 revelers sampled bites like taleggio-and-herbed-stuffed arancini and peekytoe crab cakes as cohost Hannah Bronfman mingled with other guests like Brendan Fallis, Katia Beauchamp and Jackie Gebel on an outdoor deck overlooking the ocean. Later, guests sat down to a New England-style lobster boil, complete with all the traditional fixins, at long tables decked out in blue and white, then headed down to the beach for a bonfire with make-their-own s'mores. Check out the gallery for more party pics.

Don't let the sun go down on summer just yet: Take cues from Tasting Table to make your end-of-season soiree a shella good time.

① Spike your tea. 

Considering that August can be downright steamy, you probably already have iced tea on hand. Use it to make a super-refreshing cocktail, like the Belvedere Lemon Iced Tea, made with Belvedere Vodka, lemonade and Tea House Collection Black Tea with Sicilian Lemon & Honeysuckle served over ice. We've got plenty of ways to take your iced tea to the next level, from sweet to savory.

② Seafood boils are the easiest way to feed a crowd. 

The beauty of a seafood boil is that you dump everything in a big pot and let it go. Gurney's served up half lobsters with the traditional fixins (potatoes, corn and clams), but you can mix it up with other shellfish and hearty vegetables (take cues from our shrimp boil recipe). Just make sure to offer your guests hand wipes, because cracking into those crustaceans can get delightfully messy.

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③ Keep tables simple.

If you're anything like us, you may just spread out a ton of newspaper to dump all the lobster-y goodness atop. But there's no reason to go wild on the decorations: A pop of color, like blue-and-white-striped napkins, and understated sunflower arrangements do the trick to bring your beach bake from totes casual to totally classy.

④ S'mores always, always, always equal s'more fun at the end of the night. 

Whether or not you can build an actual bonfire, like TT did right on the beach at Gurney's, a pile of s'mores isn't just a crowd-pleaser, it also means you don't have to make dessert. Just set out the ingredients, get an open flame going and let your guests do the dirty (but delicious) work.