Spring into Romance

Stoli O Cosmo: An alluring cosmopolitan cocktail with a pretty pink complexion.

Bellini Meanie Martini: Taste a bit of Venice--shaken, not stirred--in this version of a romantic, Italian classic.

Strawberry Kiwi Tartlets: These elegant tarts are almost too pretty to eat. That won't stop anyone.

Easy Decadent Truffles: Lock eyes. Bite into chocolate. Say "mmmm..."

The sun is brighter, daylight's longer, and cheeks are a little bit rosier--spring flings are definitely in the air!  Invite all your brilliant, most colorful single friends and tell them to bring along a plutonic "plus one" who's sure to dazzle.  We've got some ice-breaking activities to plant the seeds of conversation, and more tips to guarantee your party will flourish:

The Invite. Take this opportunity to explain the theme of the party--i.e. no couples. Singles only! And let everyone know to wear their snazziest party duds.

The Ice Breakers.

• Spin the bottle. No, not ala 8th grade in your parents' basement. Instead of sitting in a circle, in this version it's a pie chart on a piece of poster board with party-goers' names on it (one "pie" for each gender--just one gal and one guy spin at a time). Instead of a smooch, find the person the bottle landed on, have a five minute conversation, then it's their turn to go spin. Depending on the number of guests, keep the game going for a couple hours or all night!
• A game of pick up. Tell guests to bring a cheesy pick up line then write them somewhere for all to see. Vote on and award prizes for different categories. Also, let guests put a number next to each, indicating how many drinks it would take for the pick-up line to actually work.
• Knock me a kiss. Supply tubes of red lipstick to the ladies and have them discreetly smooch numbered white index cards with their names on the back. Display the lip-smacking collection on the refrigerator and see which guy can correctly identify the most lips.

Over Drinks. Create a fun opportunity for guest interaction by putting party-goers on "bartender duty" throughout the night. Post a giant schedule (along with drink recipes) with "shifts" behind the bar so everyone knows who's up.

The Hook-Up. To take the pressure off, consider establishing up front that no phone numbers are to be exchanged that night. Instead, as the host, you can send out emails after the party so guests can respond (to you only), indicating who they'd be interested in seeing again. Hook the guests up with digits if the feeling is mutual and let them take it from there.