It’s almost summer and the social calendar is filling up fast. If you are planning a social gathering, one of the best ways to make it fun and memorable is to host a cocktail party. This gives you the opportunity to get creative and show off your drink making skills, and also to offer your guests more interesting alternatives to the usual beer or wine.
Here are some top tips for hosting the perfect cocktail party this summer!
Decide on the guest list
Cocktail parties are more suited to smaller gatherings of ten to 15 people. If you want to invite any more than this, you will need plenty of time to prepare so it’s best to keep the numbers manageable. Send out invitations well in advance so that you will have a good idea of the numbers attending.
Also think about the formality of the occasion—do you want your guests to have business networking opportunities, or is it going to be purely a social gathering to catch up with family and friends? This will influence the dress code and the type of food and drink you will be serving.
Plan your drinks menu
Of course, the drinks are the most important element to get right and pull off your party successfully. It’s best to go for simpler recipes unless you are already a cocktail making ninja with plenty of time on your hands. Jugs of sangria and bowls of fruit punch that allow guests to help themselves are great party standbys.
Do as much of the fiddly preparation work beforehand as you can, to allow you to spend time with your guests and not be stuck in the kitchen the whole party. Use good quality liquors and fresh ingredients whenever possible to make sure that your drinks taste great.
Have all the bar tools in stock
You will need to have sufficient accessories such as glassesses, napkins, ice, garnishes, and plates in stock. It’s not essential to have exactly the right glasses for each drink unless you are really out to impress. Some short and tall tumblers, champagne flutes, and wine glasses should be fine for most drinks.
If you do want to have everything perfect, you may be able to rent out more specialised cocktail glassware, such as martini glasses and coupe glasses.
Have a home bar set up
A bar area where guests can help themselves to top-ups is ideal, to take some of the work as host off your hands. This could just be a dedicated space on your kitchen counter, or a drinks trolley.
If it’s going to be a larger and more formal occasion, you may want to consider hiring some professional bartenders.
Don’t forget the nibbles
It’s traditional to serve snacks at a cocktail party to help absorb the alcohol and prevent your guests from getting too peckish. Prepare a range of sweet and savoury canapes such as smoked salmon blinis, stuffed mushrooms, bruschetta, and tomato and garlic dips.
If you are looking for an online cocktail making class, please get in touch with us today.
