Whether you are planning for a Christmas Cocktail Party , A New Year's Cocktail Party or a cocktail party for a different occasion , you will find these tips helpful:
The following tips and recommendations are for a fancy & elegant cocktail party .
- First you need to grab your party list for some calculations
- Decide on a budget and try to stick to it.
- Make notations of any exceptions some of the guests on your party list might have ( if you have that info) i.e vegetarians , diabetics , non alcohol drinkers etc .
- Always make sure you do not run out of food or drinks.
What to serve at a cocktail party ?
A mixture of hot appetizers , i.e puff pastries, skewered appetizers and Cold appetizers
Hot Appetizers
The best two sources for easy hot hors d'oeuvres are appetizerstogo.com
, and ArtikoChef.com
How Many Appetizers To Order Per Guest
According to the leading appetizer gurus at appetizerstogo.com
they recommend 5 to 7 hot hors d'oeuvres per person if you are serving other foods. 8-9 if you are not . These are the hot easy hors d'oeuvres that do not require preparations . Heat & Serve .
So multiply the number of guests by 7 or 9 and you can figure how many to order.
appetizerstogo.com
are offering a 20% off any order with code ENT08 until 12.23.08 and free shipping on orders of more than 3 boxes.
-Tip : If you have kitchen help, do not set the hot appetizers on the table, rather have the help pass them around as they come hot out of the oven.
Cold Appetizer
The Musts
- Mixed vegetable platters and some Ranch or blue cheese dressings.
- Mixed cheese platters.
- A mixture of crackers .
- A mixed seasonal cut fruits platter.
- Several bowls of nuts spread around the room.
Recommended appetizers :
- Sliced Smoked Salmon Filets. Place on a platter and surround with thinly sliced lemon half rinds, and sprinkle with capers . Next to the salmon, place an appropriate bowl of whipped cream cheese and another smaller one filled with capers. Next to the smoked salmon place a platter of sliced bread diagonally cut into 4 . Or you can serve it as canapés ,
-Tip : The best appetizer bread for sliced smoked salmon is sourdough because it will not cause a struggle and tear when spreading the cream cheese on it.
- Smoked Salmon Spread with some crackers.
- Foie Gras with a mixture of white sliced bread cut diagonally into 4 & some crackers.
-
Crab Cakes , you can order the 2oz size and calculate 1 per guest.
Tip: The crab cakes should be served hot and not placed on the table, unless you want to expand your budget. They are delicious & will disappear quickly.
- Caviar , which these days comes in many inexpensive varieties that taste pretty good.
There are two ways to serve caviar . You either serve the caviar in a chilled caviar server with its accompaniments where people can help themselves . This is the expensive way. Or, you can serve it as canapés , which is more economical.
Find the details here
How to Serve and Eat Caviar.
How to Place the food ?
If your party list exceeds 10 people , you might want to have more than one station because there will always be some guest who will just not move away from the food table , and there are those who are shy . Plus you want your guests to mingle rather than congregate in one area.
Tip- Place table cloths on the tables you are serving food on.
What should the alcohol party requirements be and how much to buy.
The most popular alcohols are wine more white than red for a cocktail party. Vodka scotch and beer. But it would be a good idea to have gin , rum and bourbon on hand .
How to calculate how much alcohol for the party?
Well a bottle of wine should yield about 5 servings and on the average a person might consume 2 to 3 glasses .
As for hard liquor, a 750 ML bottle converts to 25.36 oz and the average drink should be 1.5 oz and the average consumption at a cocktail party is 2-3 drinks. So each bottle will yield approximately 16 to 17 servings. Double that for the 1.5 liter bottles.
Calculate that based on the number of guests .
If it's a New Year's party, have some champagne on hand for mid night .. most people will only have one serving maybe two, others, especially hard liquor drinkers will only take a sip or two only to toast the new year. So calculate accordingly .
As for Beer, you should have a couple of cases on hand .
Tip: Drinks for guests with exceptions : you can offer non-alcoholic beer and have sugar free sodas ,lemonade & juices.
You need cocktail mixers such as club soda , cranberry orange , tomato juice, lemonade and tonic water.
Should you serve dessert at a cocktail party ?
Yes especially if it is a Christmas Cocktail Party or a New Years Cocktail party.
For a Christmas cocktail party a Christmas Yule , a Fruit Cake or a Lemon Cake, some Eclairs , Mini Cheesecakes or Lemon Squares .
For a New Year Party substitute the yule for a fancy looking Cake .
Tip : Always have coffee ready for those who had too much to drink and coffee drinkers.
Tip : You must avoid using plastic cups or paper plates .
Tip : Light not loud music .
Tip : Presentation . I will leave that to your imagination , but make sure to include flowers and greens on the table (s).
Cheers ! , A Votre Santé !
