It may have been the ambassador's party but Mr Richard Egan, the US Ambassador, was offering a lot more than chocolates at his Fourth of July party in Dublin last night.
The Colonial Clam Chowder had been specially imported from New England, the Patriot Burgers were served with Mr Egan's favourite relish from his childhood and the inside of the giant marquee beside the ambassador's residence in the Phoenix Park, all 44,000 square feet of it, looked and smelled like an American fair.
While magicians wandered among the crowd, authentic hucksters yelled for people to "come get some corn".
Huge silver bowls of strawberries and blueberries, co-ordinating perfectly with the red, white and blue theme, spilled across one table. A 10-ft long ice sculpture of a clam shell held up by dolphins formed the centre-piece of the buffet while a jazz band played Yankee Doodle Dandy.
"It's very American," observed the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Mr O'Donoghue, one of 2,500 guests invited to the Independence Day celebrations. He didn't seem that impressed by the Stateside fare. "I'm too traditional," he said, when asked was he going to try some chowder.
The party was a great way to cement relationships between the countries, he said. "The country that plays together stays together".
Almost every aspect of US life had been weaved into the event, designed by an ebullient Mr Carleton Varney. "The ambassador paid for all this himself . . . a lot of things have been imported from Boston where he is from," said Mr Varney, "but I really can't tell you how much it all cost". His colleague Mr Jean-Pierre Reggiori organised the music programme which included the Three Tenors and the Humphrey Lyttelton Band.
"It may be raining outside but it's sunny in our hearts," he said.
Abraham Lincoln greeted guests at the door, US marines doled out US flags and members of the Irish national baseball team - yes there really is one - made an appearance.
In a second marquee, where hundreds of twinkling white lights sparkled from the ceiling, one of US's most famous musicians dropped in to play a few songs. The ambassador himself, wearing a stars and stripes tie, said he had called Neil Diamond and asked him to perform at his first July 4th party since he took the post last September.
"First he said he would be rehearsing, then he said he would do one song but now I think he is doing three, so I am delighted," said Mr Egan who was accompanied by his wife Maureen and son Christopher. "Let's call this payback. A big thanks to the Irish people for their support to me and my country".
Security didn't seem as tight as expected, although guards in waterproofs stood along the drive which was festooned with US flags.
Other guests attending the up- market barbecue, which ended in a spectacular fireworks display, included the Tánaiste, Ms Harney; the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith; Senator David Norris, the British Ambassador, Sir Ivor Roberts, and a smattering of Fair City actors.