If you’re planning your first cocktail party, you might be a little overwhelmed ironing out all of the details.

Whether you’re having the party for friends or if you’re setting it up for a business event, you want everything to be perfect.

Here are some great cocktail party tips that will allow your party to be a success.

Must-Know Cocktail Party Tips

Social events can be a lot of fun but they can also be stressful. Read more here about great venues for your next cocktail function and keep going through this article for the best tips.

1. Mixed Drinks are a Must

Yes, everyone still loves their wine and beer but people are on the look out for great mixed drinks as well.

Don’t skimp on the mixed drinks or you might find yourself with a list of disgruntled guests — even if they are too nice to say anything. Here are some great drinks you can fix and mix at your party.

Strawberry Pisco Punch
Cosmopolitan
Dirty Martini
Apple Martini
Chocolate Martini
Pineapple Rose Sangria
Strawberry-Ginger Punch
Strawberry Wine Punch

You may have your own favorites that you want to throw into the mix as well. If your party is a themed party, you can make up some names for the drinks to make it even more fun.

2. Don’t Skimp on the Ice

You need ice for more than just drinks on the rocks. You’ll need ice for chilling bottles of beer, wine or champagne. Try having at least one pound of ice per guest that you’ll be hosting.

Make sure to have an ice bucket or cooler that will keep your ice from melting for as long as possible.

The cooler or ice bucket should be a light color so it doesn’t absorb the heat. Maybe consider a cooler that will keep ice from melting. Avoid coolers and buckets that are made of metal since they’ll attract more heat.

3. Have Cups for Each Style of Drink You’ll Have

When you have different styles of drinks, you’ll need different types of cups. While you can try to guess how many cups you’ll need, you always want to go over so you’re not having to go back and wash glasses to keep the party going.

Here are some examples for you:

A red wine glass should have a large round bottom so you can swirl your wine. The long stem keeps your warm hand away from the wine so you don’t heat it up.
A flute glass is great for sparkling wine because it needs less surface area. This glass will help it preserve the bubbles and keep it from going flat as long as possible.
A classic cocktail glass is an inverted cone that usually holds 3 to 6 ounces. It allows you to serve cocktails without ice and the wide open top lets the consumer smell the delicious fragrances.

4. Have Multiple Glasses for Each Guest

When you’re at a fun party, it is easy to let things get away from you — especially at a cocktail party. One of the things that can get away from you is how many drinks you’ve had.

You don’t want your guests to drink too much. If your guests drink too much they could be a scene because of a lack of judgment from being a little tipsy.

Having multiple cups for each guest will allow them to see how many drinks they’ve had.

5. Consider Hiring a Bartender

If your head is spinning from all of this drink talk, you might want to consider hiring a bartender. You might also consider hiring a bartender if your idea of a good time isn’t standing around mixing other people’s alcohol.

Do your research to make sure the bartender knows how to make all of the drinks you want at your party. You don’t want to host a flop because of a failing bartender.

Some catering companies even offer drink mixing so look around and see if there’s a good option for you.

6. Offer a Variety of Foods

Who doesn’t love a good feast? Cocktail parties usually only have appetizers so make sure you have enough to keep people interested during their time at the event.

No one will be forced to eat any food that they don’t want so feel free to throw in some test items to see what people like. If you love food then this could be a fun part of setting up this event.

When you’re setting up the menu, put together hot and cold dishes, finger foods, seafood and various meat selections.

7. Set a Time Start AND End

You want to set expectations before people come to your cocktail party. If people think that you expect them to come and stay for hours on end, you’re not likely to get a lot of guests to the event.

On the other hand, you might find some guests don’t want to leave. Make sure that you put the start and end time on any invitations that you send. You might also decide that you want to put the time of the event somewhere at the entry and exit of the event.

You never know who might need a hint that it is time to go home.

Why Not Take a Vacation?

Now that you know these great cocktail party tips, why not take a vacation? Or at least start planning your vacation. We have lots of articles that will inspire you and help you plan for your next big exploration.

Browse our online magazine for some more healthy lifestyle tips!