A cocktail party is a wonderful way to entertain at any time of year, but it’s particularly fitting in summer. On a hot day, there’s nothing more welcome than a cool cocktail, whether it’s a pina colada, vodka martini or virgin Mary.
The cocktail party generally is an easy gathering for the hosts, especially if you maintain a well-stocked home bar. The structure can fit almost any mood or theme: It can be a casual garden party, a black-tie affair or anything in between.
Whatever your style of entertaining, here are some tips to guide you:
The basics
The size of the guest list will determine the feeling of the party. A good size is 12 to 20 people, but even a much larger group is manageable. Make an effort to invite people who aren’t already acquainted, which makes any party more interesting.
A cocktail party usually lasts for two to three hours and can be given anytime from late afternoon to early evening; 6 to 8 p.m. is the usual time.
For a two-hour party, allow a pound of ice for each guest, as well as three drinks, three glasses and three napkins.
In addition to a variety of drinks, serve your favorite hors d’oeuvres. Remember that cocktail-party food should be easy to handle without a knife and fork.
For a dinner party, you can get away with the bare essentials: red wine, white wine, beer, vodka and gin. At a cocktail party, however, you’ll want to offer a bigger selection.
You’ll be able to make most mixed drinks and quite a few cocktails if you add scotch, bourbon, whiskey, rum, tequila, Cointreau, and sweet and dry vermouth, as well as mixers such as tonic, cola, ginger ale, bitters and a variety of juices. Champagne or a good sparkling wine is a lovely addition.
For garnishes, stock lemons, limes and olives. Buy the more obscure or unusual ingredients as recipes call for them.
Guests who prefer drinks without alcohol also should have several choices. Fresh-squeezed orange and grapefruit juices are well worth the effort; mixed with a splash of seltzer, they make light, refreshing drinks. Try adding a little water and sugar to fresh lime or lemon juice and serve over crushed ice. Omit the alcohol from fruity frozen drinks, and they’re still delicious.
Make iced teas with blends of herbal tea or try a rhubarb tea: Cut eight stalks of rhubarb into 3-inch lengths, add to a pot with 8 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 hour. Strain and add sugar to taste (about 1/3 cup). Let cool and serve over ice. The finished tea is a beautiful shade of pink.
Glassware
Today, you can serve almost any drink in almost any glass. Just don’t use plastic cups.
Basic stemmed wineglasses are good for wine, water, punch and cocktails such as margaritas and fresh-fruit daiquiris. Use tumblers for mixed drinks, beer and non-alcoholic drinks such as iced tea.
A martini, however, just isn’t the same in anything other than the traditional glass. And champagne always should be served in flutes, as their design complements the bubbly wine.
All these glasses can be purchased inexpensively. You may want to buy some just to use for parties. Keep in mind that matched sets of glasses aren’t necessary.
When I entertain, I like to bring out the vintage glassware I’ve collected over the years. An assortment of Depression-glass tumblers, mismatched antique goblets and silver mint-julep cups looks striking arranged on the bar–and even better in your guests’ hands.
Another option is renting glasses, which is the ultimate in convenience and minimizes the next day’s cleanup.
Unless you’re experienced at mixing drinks, the first thing you’ll need is a book with cocktail recipes, which you’ll find at any bookstore.
Useful equipment includes a corkscrew, bottle opener, spoons and stirrers, jigger, measuring spoons, measuring cups, ice bucket, citrus juicer, lemon stripper, and small cutting board and knife for slicing lemons and limes. A cocktail shaker with a strainer is crucial for chilling and blending drinks that are served straight up (without ice).
Use a clear-glass pitcher for batches of Bloody Marys, sangria or lemonade. A professional bar blender, powerful enough to grind ice, is an excellent investment if you are partial to frozen drinks.
If you plan to have more than a dozen people, consider hiring a bartender. If you don’t, you’ll spend the entire party mixing drinks, when you should be enjoying yourself as much as the guests.
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Martha Stewart welcomes letters. She cannot reply individually, but you may write to her in care of the Chicago Tribune, Home section, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611. Or send e-mail to TribHome@aol.com.
