Menu Ideas for Cocktail Party Designs

Cocktail parties have always been a rage to people who loves to have fun and to party and to have sophisticated drinks. It’s a simple and effective way to have several people over and what’s cool is you can throw a fun cocktail party in you own home. It’ll save you a lot of dough. The great thing about having a cocktail party at home is that it’s not a several hours commitment just like a dinner party. You still even have time for a late night meal or any thing that you wish to do. You may also see examples of menu design.

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Elegant Chalkboard Cocktail Menu Example

If you plan to spend time together with friends and you yourself will host it, your big question might be: “How do you throw a cocktail party?” And so other questions will pop in your mind such as: how much food and liquor do you need? How much ice? What kind of decorations should I put? Don’t fret as this article will help you throw a fun cocktail party perfect for the party animals without the agony of the hassle in throwing parties. You may also see sumptuous seafood menu examples.

Set a Reasonable Date and Time

Set a date where you’re sure that you and your friends can make it to the party without any prior general plans. Once you’ve settled that one out, set a beginning and end time. Most cocktail parties have it on 6-8 p.m. This will help give plenty of time for a more scrumptious meal afterwards. Another advantage by stating the end time is that your guests can still make plans afterwards or go home early, when they get to know when the party will be finishing up.

Set the Dress Code

Don’t forget to put in your invitation (more about this later) or to tell people if this is a casual party (they can just show up in their t-shirt and jeans), or if they need to wear cocktail attire or etc. Anyway, if you’re going to say you’re hosting a cocktail party, this question of what to wear will arise, so don’t fail to mention it to your guests.

Hand out your Invitations

Word of mouth is practical if you’re going to invite people to your cocktail party (you can save a lot of resources by just simply announcing your party to your guests and get to have their feedback right away) but it is much more effective if you hand out attractive invitations; whether by paper or through mail. With invites, not only it will create a hype for your party, it will also make your guests feel special that you give them each an invite. In your invite don’t forget to put the time, date, address of your house or where you’ll hold your party.

Blue & Yellow Cocktail Menu Example

Bar Menu Floral Cocktail Menu Example

Vintage Cocktail Menu Example

Prepare All the Things You Need

The most important things you need for your cocktail party are: ice, glassware and serving plates/platters, eating utensils, napkins. These utensils will serve as your starter pack for your party.

1. Amount of ice

Since this is a cocktail party and you’re mostly serving cold drinks; you will need at least one pound of ice per guest. But just to be sure that you don’t want to end up running out of ice, is to get 10 pounds of ice per every 4 guests.

2. Glassware

Since this is a cocktail party, you need to plan out your cocktail menu but probably some of your guests are not keen into cocktail drinks so it’s nice if you’ve set aside some beers and wine for those anti-cocktail people. However don’t make it your first priority to have all the glasses for beer and wine. You need to focus your glassware perfect for cocktail. You may also see chinese food menu designs & examples.

To make things simple, stick first to three cocktails, which all require the same glass and then double the glassware for the number of guests coming. Also, you don’t need to worry if your glassware match or not. It’s perfectly fine if they don’t. On the other hand, if you don’t own lots of glassware and aren’t keen to buy new ones since you don’t know where to place them and they will end up getting shattered, you can rent one, especially if your party is going to be huge. You may need different types of glassware for it. You may also like examples of a food menu.

Look in the internet or ask someone where you can rent glassware for cocktails. On the other hand, if your party is laid back having two types or even one type of glassware is absolutely fine. What’s important is that you can provide enough glasses for your guests, so count first your glassware before inviting a number of guests for your party.

3. Serving Plates

Having at least three to five options of food is ideal for the party. Make sure ahead of time that you have enough platters to hold your food, so take inventory. This may not be a dinner party where you need to focus on your dinnerware but having food in a cocktail party is essential too. One thing to keep in mind when choosing what food to serve is to consider having finger food. They only require napkins, toothpicks, or even your own hands when you eat these types of food. But you need some plates to put your food. You may also check out examples of lunch menu designs.

Caribbean Cocktail Menu Example

Hand Sketch Cocktail Menu Example

Set Your Theme, Cocktails, and Food

Depending on the party, you may need a full bar and a bartender to man the place. Yes, you can have a full bar on hand and a even a bartender. This is ideal if you have lots of guests coming over to your party. But if you only have a few guests, having a bar is not the best choice. Remember, the cost of all those bottles of liquor can add up. If you stick with two or three cocktails, you can manage the alcohol needs effectively. You may also see dinner menu samples.

As mentioned before, it’s up to you if you also want to provide beer and wine — it’s a hospitable gesture, but not necessarily mandatory. Aside from beer and wine, you can also serve non-alcoholic beverages too, if you want.

For your food options; on what food will you be having; have some options to help soak up alcohol. Also, especially if it is a huge party, consider the different dietary needs of your guests. Some people are fussy eaters and having a vegetarian option or a gluten-free option are thoughtful since these are not uncommon dietary restrictions.

Some food that are perfect for your party are hors d’oeuvres or the right kinds of chips. A successful party needs tasty food. It doesn’t need to be over the top, just make sure your bite-sized snacks that you serve are full of flavor. Also having plenty of food will keep your guests from drinking too much and too fast. You may also check out menu card samples.

Special Offer Cocktail Menu Example

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Theme Ideas

Not sure what theme ideas you want to have in your party? Here are some suggestions:

Margaritas & Mexican: This theme have two or three different types of margaritas. Garnishes vary from slices from lime to a strawberry. Salted rims can all be just plain margarita salt, or liven up the rims with spicy or flavored versions. For food to pair up with the margaritas, you can serve guacamole, cheese stuffed jalapeños, chili relleno squares, cheese dip and salsa. You may also see psd menu samples.

Southern Cocktails & Bites: Since there are so many distilleries in the Southern part of US, it’s simple to pick a Southern bourbon, whiskey, rum or even a vodka. Find your favorite recipe for each and provide three or four pitchers paired with the liquor bottles. Pair the drinks with food that are popular in the South.

“Day at The Races”: For the cocktails, highlight mint in at least two drinks. Example can be Mint Juleps and a Gin & Tonic with lots of lime and mint. Also have some Bloody Mary to round the selection. To pair up your drinks, you can serve fried chicken bites, deviled eggs, ham biscuits and cheese straws. You may also like barbecue menu examples.

Blue Chalkboard Cocktail Menu Example

Bright Menu Cocktail Menu Example

Set the mood for your party with the right decorations and music. Throwing a bunch of people into a silent and lifeless room and be there hoping for the best is a terrible and awkward idea. So start with a playlist of good tunes to set the mood. Also be the master of introductions towards your guests; suggest what your guests may have in common or how you know them. This will help get them talking while you tend to other guests, food, drinks, etc. Consider making a playlist for the night. Make a playlist that is about an hour or more than that, and if the music stops, play it again. You may also see pizza menu samples and examples.

For your party favors, you can give everyone the playlist as party favor. It’s no secret that food and music are always good party favors that you know will actually be actually consumed. For food favors, you can buy little boxes to fill with food, or buy pre-packaged items. On the other hand, you are in no way obliged to have a party favor, but it’ serves as a nice gesture and one that should not be expected by guests. You may also like typography menu examples.

Cocktail Menu Chalkboard Menu Example 2

Avoid Drama

Make sure your guests leave their own drama at home. If you have a drama-seeking friend such as a sloppy friend who drinks too much alcohol and makes a fool of himself or the person who make trouble with other guests once he/she is intoxicated, then to be safe, don’t invite him or her. Invite people who you think will vibe well together and who will make the party fun. And so it goes without saying that with great friends, your party will be a success. A successful cocktail party must have good conversation, lots of laughs and entertaining mingling scenarios. You may also see salad menu samples.

What are you waiting for! Get a drink now!