Throw the Best Party by Going Local

This 4th of July, take Advantage of the Hamptons’ Best  

With the heart of summer here, it’s peak entertaining season. Open up that grill, invite your nearest and dearest friends and family over, and get ready to drink, dine, and entertain to your heart’s content. The best 4th of July in the Hamptons means visiting the best local stores for great wine and spirits, delicious meats, cheeses, and prepared foods, and, of course, a little something sweet at the end. Make this holiday one to remember with a visit to some of these new and old favorites. 

Stock up on all the libations that are fit to drink at some of the Hamptons’ best and brightest wine and spirits stores. In East Hampton, stop into Park Place Wine & Spirits, which offers an estimable selection of wines, spirits, and even ready-to-drink canned cocktails and wines (try their Tip Top cocktails, available in flavors like Old Fashioned, Negroni, Daiquiri, and Manhattan). At Wainscott Main Wine & Spirits, you can shop online and even have it delivered to your home for free, assuming you meet the six-bottle or $75 minimum. The store delivers to Southampton, North Sea, Water Mill, Bridgehampton, Sag Harbor, North Haven, Sagaponack, Wainscott, East Hampton, Springs, and Amagansett, so you can stock up for your 4th of July wine (and more) without even leaving your house. 

Feed guests the best of the best with a trip to Wainscott’s newest butcher, Curated Fine Meats. The shop, which opened on May 3rd, sells A5 Japanese Wagyu beef, Berkshire pork, premium poultry, and even specialty items from D’Artagnan. Proprietor Justin Aronoff, who owns two other butcher shops — Center Cuts in Roslyn and Center Cuts in Mattituck — is looking to fill a gap on the South Fork, where butcher shops are few and far between. The store also includes a gourmet grocery stocked with cheeses and international brands, so you can grab everything you need to complete that holiday appetizer spread. 

You’ll need some fresh produce, of course, to round out the meal, so don’t forget to stop at Amagansett’s Balsam Farms, where corn is just about ready by the 4th (though the farm, which has another stand in Montauk, has plenty of other drool-worthy produce, too). Corn sells out early on holiday weekends, so arrive early and often for the best shot at the sweetest and best ears on Long Island. 

East Hampton’s new addition, The Sweet Spot, is owned by the Cooper family, an eleventh-generation East Hampton family. This year-round spot is the perfect place to grab end-of-day treats for friends and family for the 4th of July. The store carries loukoumades, or Greek donut holes, as well as frozen yogurt and fresh-baked cookies. For a traditional holiday pie, head directly to Carissa’s Bakery. Carissa Waechter now has multiple Hamptons outposts, including a new Sag Harbor space, where her ethereal, meringue-topped pies are available. Pies and other confections can be ordered in advance (other specialty items change with the season: French-style cheesecake, for instance, and fruit pies that reflect the seasonal markets, and even daily specials, like myrtille twists with mascarpone cream and blueberries). Cakes can also be ordered on the website’s cake-specific online ordering portal.