Cocktail Parties 101

Letter from Cheri: Cocktail parties seem to be having a renaissance these days. While their heyday took place in the 50s, it's hard to believe they ever truly went out of style. The cocktail party is a perfect way of entertaining for occasions as diverse as a casual after work get together to a New Year's Eve extravaganza. You can serve cocktails and hors d'oeuvres as a prelude to a dinner party, but they will also stand on their own, simply start your party after the dinner hour, or alternately have a short happy hour gathering after work. A nice finishing touch to an evening cocktail party is a dessert buffet and a selection of coffee and teas. A variation of this is the after theatre cocktail party in which a variety of coffee drinks, such as Irish Coffee, are served along with a selection of desserts. Featured Books on Wines & Spirits and Cocktail Parties Retro Happy Hour: Eats with a 50's Beat Andrea Immer's Great Wines Made Simple The Wall Street Journal Guide to Wine Wine For Dummies Fear Of Wine Mad About Mead   Related Clicks: Cocktail Parties 101 How to Give a Holiday Party with Minimal Stress & Expense Holiday Buffets for Easy Entertaining Fabulous Foods Recipe Archives Fabulous Foods New Years Channel Fabulous Foods Winter Holidays Channel Fabulous Foods Recommends: Gorgeous Antique Virtual Greeting Cards Send FREE Virtual Greetings to friends and loved ones at Cyberspace speeds. You can use these cards as unique invitations to your next party!

Drinks: How Much & What to Buy? I quizzed my caterer friends as to how they plan on the amount of drinks and how much to buy for cocktail parties. They use a formula that roughly estimates 10 people will consume 20 drinks at the average cocktail party. Make that 40 drinks if it's a full evening affair, usually including dinner. This is based on a typical 1.5 oz. shot of hard liquor. So how many drinks can you get out of a bottle? A 750 ml. Bottle will yield about 16 cocktails. A liter bottle will yield 22. a 1.5 liter bottle will yield 39. For a party of wine drinkers, plan on stocking 5 bottles (750 ml) for 10 people. You should get roughly 5 servings per bottle. For beer drinkers, stock 5 six-packs for ten people, based on a twelve-ounce serving. If you have the budget and inclination, you can stock a full bar. However, a more budget conscious idea is to offer a selection of cocktails that can be made from one or two primary types of liquor or to limit yourself to a wine and/or beer party. If you do want to stock a full bar, you could go wild purchasing all kinds of exotic liqueurs and alcoholic concoctions, but most people's imbibing needs can be met by having the following on hand: Vodka Rum Gin Scotch Bourbon Blended Whiskey Tequila If you've still got budget and want to offer more cocktail choices, consider also stocking: Kahlua® or other coffee flavored liqueur Crème de Menthe Crème de Cacao Amaretto Brandy and/or Cognac Grand Marnier® Drambuie® B&B® (Brandy & Benedictine) Wine Andrea Immer's Cocktail Party Wine & Food Pairings Your "Bubbly" Personality: Selecting Sparkling Wines for New Years How to Order Wine in a Restaurant Without Getting Gouged How to Buy Wine for a Crowd

Cocktail Party Tips Click for party tips from professional caterers, bartenders and party planners. Cocktail Party Recipes Fabulous Party Foods A fabulous party starts with fabulous foods. We've got the recipes for entertaining with style in our Appetizer Recipe Archive. Bottoms Up! Recipes for cocktails, punches, hot toddies and other potables in our Beverage Recipe Archive. The After Party Dessert Buffet Bring your party to a spectacular close with coffee, tea and a selection of decadent desserts! South Beach Diet Hors d'Oeuvres for a Crowd Party A complete menu and time table plan for a South Beach Diet friendly appetizer party. Simple Syrup It's simple to make Simple Syrup. Just mix equal parts granulated sugar and water, bring to a boil for one minute and allow to cool. Store covered in your refrigerator, use to sweeten drinks and cocktails. How About Mixers? Forgetting the alcohol component, there are other important elements to the well stocked bar. Depending on the cocktails you plan on offering, you may need any or all of the following: Juices -- orange juice, grapefruit juice, cranberry juice, tomato juice or V8, pineapple, lemon or lime juice (fresh squeezed when possible) For fresh squeezed juices, you can estimate that the average lemon or lime will yield about an ounce of juice, an orange will yield between 1 1/2 - 3 oz. of juice depending on it's size. Carbonated beverages - club soda, tonic water, cola, 7-Up or Sprite, ginger ale. Flavoring ingredients - Angostura bitters for drinks like Old Fashioneds, salt, pepper or horseradish for drinks like Bloody Marys, confectioner's sugar for fizzes an flips, grenadine, simple syrup, cream of coconut, etc. Trendy ingredients -- keep your party hip by keeping up on the latest cocktail trends. As I right this the current hot mixer for vodka is the energy drink Red Bull®. Research what's current and have some on hand. Dry vermouth if you plan on making martinis. Sweet vermouth if you plan on making Manhattans. Salt or sugar for rimming cocktail glasses (as for Margaritas). Milk, half and half, cream, whipped cream or possibly even ice cream. Coffee -- for hot drinks and last call, no alcohol. Garnishes like lemon or lime peel or wedges, cherries, olives, cocktail onions or celery stalks. Ice, ice and more ice. Don't forget enough glasses.