6 summer dinner party essentials

This is sponsored content for Chi Forest.

Summer is officially upon us, La Niña is on the way out and skies are blissfully blue. That means it's time to take advantage of the good weather while it lasts.

And while going out is great, there's no lovelier time to welcome friends into your home than the Australian summer. The warm weather lends itself to evenings outdoors, easy-as salads and refreshing bevvies.

So, if you're ready to start entertaining, what dinner party essentials need to go on your shopping list? Taking some mozzie repellent and a big bag of ice cubes as a given, here's six must-haves.

The best tableware

Want your table to look perfectly Instagrammable? There's no need to clutter it with flowers and candles – save the space by investing in functional objects that also happen to look great.

That starts with a quality linen tablecloth and napkins in an eye-catching colour scheme. Next, grab some good glassware. Whether you go for Maison Balzac or the K-Mart martini glasses that broke the internet, a little coloured glass will make things feel fun and fancy. And a nice water jug or serving platter for the centre of the table will go a long way. Really, that's all you need.

The coolest sparkling water

Etiquette dictates that guests should BYO booze, but it's good hosting to provide something refreshing and non-alcoholic to knock back.

Chi Forest Sparkling Water is the perfect choice. It's sugar-free, so it's the ideal thirst-quencher on hot summer days when a sugary soft drink would be too cloying. It comes in three delicious flavours – Lychee Fizzy, Grape Delight and White Peach, each exclusive in-store for Aussies – so there's one to suit every taste bud.

Fruit, fruit, and more fruit

Not sure what to do for dessert? Play to Australia's strengths and load up on our many delicious summer fruits – bag some berries, pick up a few passionfruit and take advantage of the current oversupply of mangoes.

You could keep it simple and go for a straight fruit platter, jazz things up by adding some high-quality yoghurt or ice cream or go all out and whip up some mini pavlovas. Either way, you're onto a winner.

For the ultimate summer refresher, combine your favourite fruit with your favourite flavour Chi Forest Sparkling Water. Need inspo? How about this lychee blossom mocktail, or this strawberry fizzy soju.

The butter board

They're the "it" dinner party item of the moment. Yes, butter boards look great in a photo, but they're also a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. After all, the best bit of any dinner is always the fancy bread and butter – so why not make it the star of the show?

Of course, the key here is having top tier bread and butter, so go for the best of the best. But really, a well-assembled butter board will look a whole lot more expensive than it actually costs. They also require no cooking, are reasonably quick to knock together, and vegetarian-friendly. (Sorry, vegans, you'll have to sit this one out.) Really, it's a no-brainer.

A BBQ spread

Australian summer is all about firing up the barbie, so there's no reason why you can't go for a BBQ-themed course. Get some fancy snags, marinate some skewers, go for prawns or fire up some steaks – the options are endless. Make a salad or two ahead of time, remember to grab a meat-free option for your vego friends and you're good to go.

The right playlist

There's more to setting the vibe than just laying a good-looking table. To get the mood just-right, you'll need a nice set of tunes. That means something upbeat but not too intense, nothing that gets in the way of conversation… but still a tune or two that could inspire a post-dinner living room dance party.

Have a quick search for "Dinner Party Playlist" on Spotify or Apple music if you need a little inspo.

Keep cool this summer with a refreshing can of Chi Forest Sparkling water. Lychee Fizzy, Grape Delight and White Peach flavours are all exclusively available in-store for Aussie customers. For more information, or to stock up for summer, visit Chi Forest.