10 Tips for Hosting a Home Cocktail Party

 

1. Select a theme for your Home Cocktail Party from a pirate theme to a James Bond party or something more subtle like a colour or a flavour. This will help steer the cocktails, food and the decorations plus make it that bit more memorable.
2. Use the number of guests attending to estimate the amount of cocktails that will be required. A good rule of thumb for a home cocktail party is 2 drinks per guest for the first hour and an average of one drink per hour thereafter.
3. Ice is critical for any good cocktail party – so plan on 2 pounds of ice per person and make sure you have somewhere to store it.
4. As cocktail party food is normally bite-size, there is plenty of scope to be adventurous and take risks, with old classics in reserve just in case the risky foods don’t quite work out as planned.
5. Ensure you have plenty of garnishes. The most common garnishes, such as lemons and limes, are relatively cheap so there is no excuse for being caught short. You can also get creative with garnishes, such as adding chili peppers to your Margarita or Bubble Gum balls on a stick!
6. It’s always a good idea to provide a couple of signature cocktails at your home cocktail party. These can be based on the season or the theme of your party, so maybe a nice refreshing Kir Royale for a summer party or a hot warming cocktail for a winter gathering.
7. Make sure you have all the essential bar tools:
   • Cocktail shaker with strainer
   • Small knife and cutting board
   • Ice bucket and tongs
   • Wine opener
   • Bottle opener, preferably with a spiked tip to open juice cans
   • Jiggers or liquid measuring cups with ounce measurements
   • Hand-press squeezer for fresh juice
   • Zester for making citrus zest
   • Vegetable peeler for making twists
   • Muddler
   • Towel
8. Always try to serve the correct cocktail in the proper glassware, as it makes a big difference to the overall experience. Drinks that are served “up”, meaning they are shaken and strained into a glass, are served in cocktail or Martini glass. Drinks that are served with ice are normally served in a highball glass. Champagne flutes are used for champagne cocktails and rocks glasses are used when a single spirit is poured over ice cubes without any mixers.
9. If you go with simple cocktails like the Martini, make sure to buy good quality spirits as cheap spirits can ruin an otherwise perfectly mixed cocktail.
10. Always provide plenty of non-alcoholic options and even have some Mocktails figured out such as the Cran Daddy Shandy..