That’s Entertainment: The Cocktail Party Revealed!

Dinner parties are scary things. Being a guest at one is fun—provided that the host is a brilliant master chef who can get everything out at precisely the correct moment, before it all turns lukewarm and slightly icky on you.

But the thought of giving one is enough for some people to break out in hives and get Food Networkitis—you know, when you are so panicked that you watch Rachael Ray reruns all night, nodding off over your notebook when all you’ve managed to write down is how to boil pasta and smash garlic? When you add cream to your coffee and you swear the swirling white is an outline of Alton Brown in his funky glasses?

Let’s face it, who really needs great slabs of pork roast and continent-sized blobs of wasabi mashed potatoes on their plates to have a good time? Bring on the bite-size-but-beautiful nibble! Tapas, appetizers, canapés, hors d’oeuvres—call them what you will, Spanish folk and Cher (Mermaids, remember?) know what they’re doing. When confronted with the need to entertain, what would Holly Golightly do? Throw a whirling, dizzying, cocktail party, that’s what! It is truly tough to go awry with snazzy cocktails and finger foods.   

First things first. Think theme. Understand, throwing a theme party is NOT necessary at all—but sometimes it’s a heck of a lot of fun and allows you to be very creative. The possibilities are endless. For example, is it springtime? What about “April in Paris”? Are you getting the party urge around Chinese New Year? Australia Day? Your half-birthday? What about made-up holidays, like “I-secretly-love-Erik-Estrada-and-the-show-Chips Day”? You can also choose an obscure or unusual holiday you know nothing about—you can celebrate it and learn about it at the same time.

I myself try to keep things fairly simple. My mother, on the other hand, has a penchant for the Christmas in July party. She does it every year; it’s part family reunion, part Fourth of July celebration, part picnic, and part Christmas. My fifth cousin’s daughters have shown up wearing Santa hats, toting sparklers, and carrying hotdog buns wrapped in gift paper—you get the idea. I personally prefer simplicity of theme to avoid this type of chaos. One party I loved was a streamlined Barbara Streisand party; the guests wore Afros and caftans and were served cocktail franks on old album covers. There’s nothing like plucking a weenie off of Babs’ long red fingernails on the cover of The Way We Were.

Please, I beg you to consider music. In my experience, there is nothing worse than going to a cocktail party and hearing Janet Jackson’s All For You or Pink’s latest creation ALL NIGHT LONG. It’s exhausting, and not very creative. Have fun with music! Make it surprising! Neil Diamond’s Greatest Hits kept all the guests singing and dancing together for at least two hours at the last party I threw. We all bonded over “Cracklin’ Rosie” as we slurped our champagne cocktails. 

Speaking of cocktails, choose a signature cocktail for the night. Again, think theme here, if you have one. Serving Mojitos on Australia Day probably ain’t gonna cut it! A kangaroo martini packs a punch…or how about a Sauvignon Blanc spritzer with a sprig of eucalyptus?