Festive Foods for Your Cocktail Soirée!

Maybe a long forgotten swizzle stick caught your eye. Maybe you heard laughter and the clinking of glasses on your way home from work. Whatever the reason, you cannot get “cocktail party” out of your mind. Go ahead! With a little planning, it’s easy and lots of fun! Here are some foolproof methods for combining fabulous flavors and creating a talked-about, swinging affair.

I like to present guests with an assortment of stationary finger foods that they can pick at all night long. This eliminates any pressure you may feel to crank out hors d’oeuvres for your guests nonstop, and frees you up to schmooze, giggle, and have fun at your own bash. Good things to put out just before guests arrive are cheese platters adorned with fresh fruit and pretty nuts, a big bowl of homemade hummus (or any other beloved dip), and spiced pita crisps—and of course—classic crudités.

I like to use edible garnishes to make my platters of finger food attractive. For example, I use chives for their wonderful long, green lines. You can also scatter edible flowers or some quails eggs (hard-boil them first to avoid making a heartbreaking mess) in your crudités basket. I use lemon leaves to make a simple visual flourish. Bunches of beautiful champagne grapes can also be used. If you serve food on trays or cutting boards, miniature fruits make great decorations. I’ve used one perfect, miniature pear in the reflective center of a mirror I was using as a serving tray, and it looked spectacular.

There are several basic types of hors d’oeuvres. I like to serve at least four different kinds so I can be sure of satisfying all my guests’ tastes: a couple cold (or room temperature) hors d’oeuvres, a meat or seafood selection, a couple of veggie options, and a tasty little dessert to round things off.

Here are some guidelines for creating the perfect combination of nibbles.

If you’re throwing a theme party, that will determine your flavor palette. For example, if you decide to throw a Mexican fiesta, dishes using chiles, cilantro, and lime are good ideas. If you’re using a 70s theme, choose snacks from that era. It may require some research, but believe me when I tell you that this kind of research is FUN. Take a nostalgic trip to the past.