With just three days left until the Oscars ceremony, it's (past) time to unveil our menu! Crafting a spread befitting the occasion is an art, and we've taken the lead from last year's menu to properly reflect the Best Picture nominees.

Cheers!

Cocktails

Lemon Thyme Gin Sparkler

To start off the evening we need a cocktail that will sparkle as much as the stars on the red carpet, or the fireworks in The Theory of Everything. And we're stirring in some thyme to keep the metaphor alive.

(Recipe adapted from QUITOKEETO)

1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons fresh thyme, plus sprigs for garnish
gin
fresh lemon juice
club soda

Make a thyme-infused simple syrup by bringing 2 cups water, the sugar, and the fresh thyme to a simmer. Let simmer for 1 minute, then take off the heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain into a bowl.

For each cocktail, combine 1.5 oz gin, 3/4 oz lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of simple syrup in a rocks glass. Stir, add ice, and top with club soda.

Flight of Fancy*

(Recipe via Food & Wine)

This eclectic drink contains gin, maraschino liqueur, almond-flavored syrup, bitters, mint soda, and lemon and pineapple juice.

The result? A drink as complex as the tapestry woven by Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, DP Emmanuel Lubezki, and the stellar ensemble of the film favored to win Best Picture. Birdman, that fanciful flier, had us in awe from the first frame to the last, and we hope this drink will follow suit.

*Thanks to reader Erin S. for this suggestion!

Main Course

American Snapper

(Recipe via Food.com)

It's snapper, representing American Sniper, which is a mediocre movie receiving far more than its fair share of attention. Next!

Imitation Grain

(Recipe via Bon Appétit; photo above, with random fish and salad added that we figured could pass for snapper and collard greens)

We're not sure if Alan Turing ever ate quinoa (probably... not), but the subject of The Imitation Game would surely be interested to know that quinoa is not, botanically speaking, a grain.

Southern-Style Collard Greens with Fleur de Selma

(Recipe via My Life Runs On Food)

One of our favorite food moments in film last year was the carefree meal shared by civil rights activists in Selma. The meal is as casual and comforting as good old-fashioned southern cooking, and provides a break from the hostile political environment of Alabama and a peek into the everyday lives of the movie's heroes.

To make this dish vegetarian-friendly, just omit the turkey and use vegetable stock. And don't forget to add a dash of fleur de sel(ma)!

Dessert

Raspberry Tart and Whiplash Cream

(Recipe via Epicurious)

Dessert. The perfect way to eat our sorrows as we watch J.K. Simmons collect an Oscar for playing a one-dimensional demon character. We'll top the cream with a little blood splatter (er... raspberry drizzle) because hey, it's not like the movie is subtle.

Mendl's Courtesan au Chocolat

The Grand Budapest Hotel blessed us with the easiest decision of the year. How could we not follow in Agatha's floury footsteps? Video recipe below.

After-Dinner Drink

12-Year Bourbon

Cheers to hour three of the Oscars telecast, when drinking straight liquor becomes mandatory!

Pick your poison. We're going with the Elijah Craig Small Batch, but bonus points if you can find a 12-year whiskey made in Texas, the setting of Boyhood. And we're drinking it neat because we're men... or boys pretending to be men.