More relaxed than dinner parties, cocktail parties are relatively simple, inexpensive ways to entertain.
Cocktailing
If you have a fully stocked bar, great. But you don't really need one to throw a terrific cocktail party. A more practical and inexpensive approach is simply to offer one or two signature cocktails, along with beer, wine, and some non-alcoholic choices.
Standard cocktails use 1.5 fluid ounces of spirits per drink, so plan on getting 16 cocktails from each bottle. Figuring one cocktail per guest per hour, plus beer and wine, the beverage shopping list for a 4-hour party featuring martinis and Manhattans for 20 guests might look like this:
- 4 750-ml bottles of gin (and/or vodka)
- 3 750-ml bourbon
- One bottle (750 ml) dry vermouth
- Two bottles (750 ml) sweet vermouth
- Bitters
- Pimento-stuffed cocktail olives
- Maraschino cherries
- Cocktail napkins and picks
- 6 bottles of white wine
- 4 bottles red wine
- 24 12-oz bottles of beer--a mixture of light and dark beers
- Water, still and sparkling
- A variety of soft drinks
- Ice, at least half a pound per person
Tippler's Tip: Clear alcohol (such as vodka) tends to go faster than brown (such as whiskey), and white wine is more popular in party settings than red.
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Cocktail Party Know-How
Tip #1: Never skimp on the ice. A good rule of thumb is half a pound per person in a cool climate, and two pounds per person in warm weather.
Tip#2: Print out your drink menu, including the featured cocktails, wines, and beers you'll be serving.
Tip #3: Use your space creatively. Put the drink and food stations away from each other to encourage your guests to spread out.
Tip #4: Consider hiring a bartender if your guest list exceeds 20. It will free you up to enjoy your guests, and minimizes post-party clean-up.
Tip#5: Rent glassware. Choose styles that suit the drinks you'll be serving and plan on providing wine and beer glasses for the other drinks. Rent a total of four glasses per guest, and have plastic glasses on hand as back up.
Don’t Forget the Ice!
The best tasting cocktails are made using fresh ice from pure, filtered water. "Fresh" means the cubes haven't been lounging around for weeks in the freezer soaking up the stale essences of long-lingering foods. Bring the water to a quick boil for best results. Make it the morning of the day you plan to mix your cocktails, and you’ll enjoy the freshest, most delicious cocktails.