Dec 31, 2013

25 Cocktail Party Must Haves


Friends are coming for cocktails tonight.

25 things to have on hand:
  1. hand size snacks such as -  popcorn, cheese, pickles, crackers, wasabi peas, Cheezies, or other nibbles - nuts with a vintage nutcracker are always a hit, make sure you have a bowl for the shells
  2. ice, ice and more ice
  3. cocktail napkins and regular napkins
  4. coasters
  5. vintage serving bowls
  6. tea lights, candles, lighter
  7. ice bucket or two
  8. soda, tonic, juice (cranberry, orange, tomato), pop, cold flat or carbonated water
  9. cocktail straws, cocktail picks
  10. garnish -  lemon, lime and good cocktail cherries (check what your drink recipes call for)
  11. extra toilet paper
  12. whiskey, bourbon, rye, rum, vodka, gin, dry and sweet vermouth, cognac, two bottles of both white and red wine, beer, bubbly
  13. clean cloth to quickly wipe up spills
  14. plenty of clean hand towels in the washroom
  15. bottle opener and corkscrew
  16. a game - personally I can't stand games but some people love them at parties
  17. burgundy glasses, beer glasses, martini glasses, rock glasses, champagne flutes
  18. list of cocktail recipes - check the drink section of my blog, or Art in the Age and MasonShaker have some of my current favourites
  19. clean house slippers if you insist your guests take their shoes off
  20. organized front closet with empty hangers (no wire hangers)
  21. bitters, simple syrup (easy to make - boil two parts sugar, one part water or 1:1 shaken until sugar dissolves)
  22. an empty garbage under the sink
  23. cocktail shaker
  24. phone number for a cab or designated driver service - the host should pay or prearrange
  25. appropriate music
originally published September 24th 2008


    image from the collection of Stacy Reynaud

    The Return to Hornby