Summer Entertaining: How to Plan a Casual Cocktail Party 

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Choose a Theme:

We’re not necessarily advocating that you ask your guests to show up in costume – though that certainly is an option. However, having a theme makes the planning stages of your pre-party prep much easier. Once you have a theme in mind, you can tailor your drink, food, and decoration selections to fit within those parameters. Even if you strive for more of a feeling than an all-out theme – such as “sophisticated” or “laid-back” – it can help to give yourself and your guests a little direction.

Create a Drink Menu:

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a fully stocked bar with multiple liquors and bitters to throw an unforgettable cocktail party. Instead, focus on creating a cocktail menu that fit within your party’s theme while keeping costs down and saving you from having to serve as bartender all night long. Offer three cocktails – one that sweeter, one that is more classic, and one that fits somewhere between the two. To make things even easier, try to select cocktails where the ingredients overlap. As far as the amounts, plan on each of your guests having two cocktails during the first hour of the party and one cocktail during each additional hour.

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Serve Multiple Hor D’oeuvres:

There’s no need to worry about planning a sit-down meal with this one. Simply serve a few hor d’oeuvres, or small finger foods that can be eaten in one or two bites. If your party falls outside of regular meal time hours, offer five or six choices of hor d’oeuvres, preparing two per person. However, if your cocktail party is meant to take the place of a meal, you should have eight to ten distinct bites and make sure there is enough for each person to eat three. Choose recipes that can be prepared in advance and served at room temperature to lighten your workload

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Set the Scene for Mingling:

Luckily, you don’t have to orchestrate much of the entertainment during cocktail parties since most guests will be content to mingle. Just be sure to set up the space ahead of time that will get people talking. Serve the food on a single large buffet table or space the dishes out on multiple smaller ones, leaving an easy-to-access walkway between them. While you don’t need a ton of seating, there should be enough for about 20% of your guests to be seated at the same time. Rather than full place settings and silverware, focus on napkins and smaller cocktail plates and don’t forget to designate a spot for people to dispose of them once they’re done snacking. Add in a few cute decorations, enough lighting, and some soft background music for your party to be a hit.

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Summer entertaining doesn’t get any simpler than a cocktail party. You provide some drinks and a couple snacks while your guests will take care of the rest. Follow these tips to ensure that your next cocktail party will be unforgettable.

Do you have a great cocktail party tip or recipe? Share it with us in the comments below.