Professional Party Planner’s Guide to Hosting a Cocktail Party
One of the most fashionable
parties for adults these days to have are cocktail parties. Even thought their popularity has fallen off
over the last few decades, cocktail parties have reappeared on the party scene
and are now even more fashionable than they ever were before.
While many adults in the United States today enjoy beer and wines, the mixed
drinks of the past are really starting to become more and more in vogue
again. Now days when you walk into a
typical bar, you will see many more people ordering mixed drinks than they have
in the last decade or two. Some of the
most popular today is the apple martini, chocolate martini, dirty martini, and
the cosmopolitan.
One of the best things about
planning a cocktail party is that they generally only last a few hours. In addition, your guests will be wandering
around mingling and snacking rather than sitting around a table eating a full
meal with each other. This makes the
cocktail party perfect for inviting people who may or may not already know each
other.
One of the easiest things about
planning a cocktail party is the fact that you can have just about any menu
your want, as long as the food is complementary to the most popular mixed
drinks that is. Guests who come to a
cocktail party know that they are only there to snack, have a drink or two, and
mingle. Because of this, you can supply
a wide variety of finger foods and be confident that everyone present will find
something agreeable to them.
Here are some professional party
planner’s tips on hosting an amazing cocktail party that everyone will remember
and be talking about.
Tip #1 – You will need way more
ice for your cocktail party than you think you will. The standard rule of thumb is to have about a
pound of ice per guest who will be in attendance. However, I believe even a bit more is
advisable.
Tip #2 – Different beverages are
consumed from different glass styles.
Make sure that you have a large assortment of the appropriate glasses
for your guests. And, it is always a
good idea to have many extras. If you
will be serving wine, it is a good idea to use wine glass charms so people will
stick to using their same glass throughout the night.
Tip #3 – The most important part
of your cocktail party planning is making sure you have enough supplies on
hand. The most important of these
supplies is your alcoholic beverages. A
good bar should be stocked with the ingredients for each of your friend’s
favorite drinks, or as a basic level at least those used to make the most
popular drinks of the day, plus beer and wine.
Tip #4 – If you do not know
anything about mixing drinks, you can always enlist the skills of one of your
friends or relatives to play bartender for the evening; however, if you will be
having a very large cocktail party then you might want to consider hiring a
professional bartender for the night.
Many local catering services will have bartenders who can work for you
at your party. They are not terribly expensive
and do a wonderful job.
Tip #5 – When you are hosting a
party where alcohol is consumed, you should always offer food and coffee to
your guests as well as make sure they have a designated driver to get them home
safely. Please do not ever let your
guests drink and drive. It’s not safe
for them and the other people on the road.
And, it can also land you in jail if they get in an accident after
drinking at your home. It simply isn’t
worth it!
As you can clearly see, hosting
a cocktail party is not complicated and can offer you a wonderful excuse to
have your friends and family over for an evening of adult fun.
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