6 Steps To Hosting The Ultimate Cocktail Party At Home | Publisher Luxurylifestylemag 

Whether you have a birthday coming up, an anniversary, engagement party or something else to celebrate, a sure-fire way to ensure that your event is as stylish and sophisticated as its host is by throwing your own cocktail party.

Offering a relaxed atmosphere in the comfort of your home, a cocktail party is a great way to catch up with friends and family over a carefully curated night of tasty tipples, mouth-watering nibbles, good conversation and entertainment that will impress.

If you’re hoping to host an event soon that will go down among your group as a memorable night for all of the right reasons, but you’re not sure where to start, read on to discover how to plan your party in six simple steps.

Cocktail parties are fantastic reasons to encourage friends, family members, and coworkers to get together

Theme

You don’t have to have a set theme for your night, but if you do it will certainly help to tie the evening together and will help you with planning out the finer details with ease. You could tie the theme in with the reason that you’re throwing the party such as a ‘pink party’ for a birthday or keep it to a general theme like a Great Gatsby party. From there you’ll be able to navigate your cocktail choices, décor and entertainment with ease.

The cocktail menu

The star of the show is, without a doubt, the cocktails and so it’s important to take some time to come up with a selection of drinks for your menu that will please a range of palates. You’ll also want to make sure that you come up some easy cocktails to whip up to ensure you don’t spend all of your time at your kitchen or bar. Better yet, you could hire a couple of bartenders to do all of the work for you on the night.

Your menu could include some favourites like mimosas or bellinis to begin the night; mojitos, margaritas, whiskey sours, pina coladas; and espresso martinis and Irish coffees to end the evening. You could also create your own cocktail for the occasion based on your favourite flavours and include some creative alcohol-free concoctions.

The star of the show is, without a doubt, the cocktails and so it’s important to take some time to come up with a selection of drinks for your menu that will please a range of palates

The invite and guest list

It goes without saying that a cocktail party is for the adults and, as mentioned above, can include some mocktails for the non-drinkers, but ultimately, this type of party is best enjoyed but those of drinking age.

When coming up with your guest, consider this and allow for plenty of time for parents to get babysitters for little ones at home. As for the invite itself, be sure to include your full address, phone number and any theme you’re going with so that guests have plenty of time to come with an appropriate outfit.

The equipment

Make sure the night goes with ease by ensuring you have everything needed to create your cocktails and have them looking as professional as they do tantalising.

Don’t compromise on the quality of your ingredients – a cheap gin will not taste good in your cocktail compared to a top-quality version. Get the right glassware in for each of your chosen cocktails and make sure you have enough shakers and, more importantly, ice for the night. Garnishes also add the perfect finishing touches to any cocktail – from dried fruits to olives to fresh herbs, so make sure you have everything on hand required to make enough drinks for the whole evening.

Make sure the night goes with ease by ensuring you have everything needed to create your cocktails and have them looking as professional as they do tantalising

Food pairings

Cocktail parties aren’t just about the drinks, as food will play a big part in the proceedings. You’ll probably want to steer clear of a sit-down meal here and opt instead for a selection of delicious nibbles for your guests to snack on throughout the night. Hot and cold options are a good idea and you can incorporate foods from all over the world to give your guests a variety of flavours to complement their drinks.

Entertainment

Music will play a role in the success of your evening, so whether you hire a live band or musician to set the tone or come up with a playlist yourself, you’re sure to create an evening filled with frivolity.

You could also set up some games for guests to occupy themselves with – board games or cards games work well, while classic pub games are always a popular choice for keeping party guests entertained.