That’s Entertainment: The Cocktail Party Revealed!

Make sure to provide water and soda (“pop,” if you reside in Michigan) as well. This will help you avoid gargantuan liquor bills and keep the bottle count higher than the deficit. Of course, if guests want to bring their favorite alcohol, they can be more than welcome to do so. Garnishes are always good, and umbrellas are dying to be revamped. But do your research—make sure no decoration is poisonous if consumed!   

Often trays of carefully chosen hors d’oeuvres are circulated throughout the room at cocktail parties, and that is a great way to serve food if it appeals to you. A big plus is that you can brag about the food you made (or purchased, but nobody has to know that) as you present the tray. “Would you like a miniature, frothed-egg quiche with roasted red pepper nibs and Bulgarian feta cheese?” Embellish your brains out!

And use your imagination when choosing serving platters. You can pass food around on anything, really (as long as it doesn’t have an inch of dust on it, or hasn’t housed your hairbrush!). Mirrors, album covers, pretty plates, interesting cutting boards, proper serving trays—“Anything works if it’s flat,” is my motto. If you feel uncomfortable serving food on odd surfaces, wrap the item in plastic or line it with lettuce or banana leaves. I have had people squeal in delight when passed mini quiches on a mirror surrounded by a wooden frame. I had placed a perfect miniature pear in the reflective center as a garnish and it looked spectacular. Miniature fruits always make great tray decorations.

If passing around food isn’t your thing, feel free to scatter trays and platters on various coffee tables or on a buffet table set up for that purpose.

In my opinion, the most important element of any cocktail festivity is your imagination. Cocktail parties are a light and whimsical thing, a flight of fancy in entertaining. Give your creativity some reins, remember your basics, and your guests will soon be swiveling away in your living room—carefree and gay as Audrey Hepburn in her little black dress. Happy cocktailing!