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Measured Advice: When Planning Any Cocktail Party
- by Paul Harrington
When planning a party, remember, mixology is an art. Drink, and serve, responsibly.
When planning any cocktail party, from an impromptu gathering after work to a formal reception, there's a certain amount of math to be done. Like balancing a checkbook, this tallying, while not complex, has humbling consequences when wrong.
The first thing to do when party planning is to decide which cocktails or mixed drinks you'd like to serve. There's no need to mix more than two or three types, especially while you're still polishing your mixing skills. And if you're entertaining the idea of party themes such as Caribbean or some other geo-centric party theme, you might get by with even fewer types of cocktails. If you decide to serve only a few drink recipes, it's quite acceptable for them all to have the same primary liquor.
When devising party ideas and calculating the amount of needed party supplies, remember that a successful cocktail party rarely lasts longer than three hours: an hour for everyone to be late, an hour for everyone to sound smart, and an hour for everyone to leave. Evening gatherings should start earlier rather than later, so if new friends are made people can continue the evening over dinner or a movie. If you're planning to serve dinner after cocktails, drink time need only last an hour or so. If you're not planning a meal, at least serve hors d'oeuvres. If you have snacks like nuts or pretzels, plan on refilling their bowls at least every 20 minutes. Always reserve some special snacks for those chosen few you'd like to invite to stay after the crowd thins - when you can really relax. Plan on about four to six snacks per person.
As party supplies go, bottled spirits will be your greatest expense at any cocktail party. A 750-milliliter bottle of a primary liquor will make about 18 drinks, with a jigger per drink. Proper party planning dictates that while do as you must when deciding on the quality of party supplies such as napkins, decorations, etc., you should buy the best alcohol you can afford.
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