How to Plan a Perfect Cocktail Party
Cocktails have seen something of renaissance
in recent years, and a cocktail party is one option for entertaining in the
early part of the evening. If you want to indulge in the delights of dressing
up, a cocktail party provides the perfect excuse for introducing a Twenties or
Thirties theme, with the women dressed as flappers and the men in black tie or
wearing striped blazers.
Carry the theme through with jazz, swing and
ragtime music taped as background for the party. Food should be easy to eat
with the fingers and there should be plenty of it to quell the effect of strong
cocktails. On the subject of drink, make sure there are plenty of alcohol-free
alternatives for those who are driving and for quenching raging thirsts before
embarking on a cocktail-sampling session.
Cocktail style
The focal point of a cocktail party is the
bar. Although the kitchen is an ideal location for this, it is more fun to
locate your bar in the main reception room. Here are a few pointers to bear in
mind when hosting a cocktail party.
1) Make sure you have several cocktail
shakers. Have a large jug and tall mixing stick for making thirst-quenching
cocktails.
2) Lay out different shapes and sizes of
glasses on separate trays ready for different strengths of mixes. Offer mineral
water, fruit juices and non-alcoholic alternatives on a separate table.
3) Place large bowls of snacks around the
room, and make sure there are lots of canapés, or very small sandwiches, and
finger food such as mini quiches and rolls pate.
If you are intending to give a morning
cocktail party from which your guests may be going on somewhere for lunch or
shopping, then your cocktails should be light in flavour and not too alcoholic.
Champagne has been a perennial favorite as the ideal morning drink, whether it
be served b itself or as part of a delicious concoction.
Essential for your cocktail is ice. If you
entertaining on any scale at all then you will have to order ice from a local
delivery service. If you are lucky enough to possess a large deep refrigerator
then you will be able to store home-made ice in it. Always make sure that you
have a good stock of glasses available and that you have at least one person,
depending on the size of your party, either to be offering your guests
replenishment of their cocktails, clearing away and washing used glasses or
serving some form of light refreshment.
At whatever time of the day you are
entertaining it is a good idea to serve some form of food. The original idea of
the cocktail party was that it was a prelude to a meal and canapés would be
served with the cocktails. It is good to offer a smaller selection of well
prepared canapés and snacks than to have a mixture of various types. Two or
three cold canapés and one hot is usually sufficient for any cocktail party and
will probably be quite enough for you to cope with, unless you are fortunate
enough to be able to enlist the help of a friend or two to assist you in your
efforts. As an alternative to canapés, perhaps you could experiment with some
of your own favourite foods. Rolls of smoke salmon stuffed with creamed avocado
pear and stilton, broiled scallops en brochette - the list of possibilities is
endless and mouth-watering, and many recipes books are available to provide you
with ideas.
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