Party season is almost upon us and there's nothing we love more than inviting friends over to Muddled HQ for festive drinks but we know from experience that throwing a cocktail party can be stressful. The last thing you want to do is spend the whole evening in the kitchen sweating over a shaker while your friends are partying in the front room. With a little planning and preparation, however, you can skip the stress and enjoy yourself sipping cocktails instead.
The Drinks
Instead of just opening up your drinks cabinet and letting your guests choose what they want, it's important to narrow things down. We like to make a big batch of cocktails that can be prepared in advance. Martinis and negronis are fantastic choices as they contain only alcohol but you can prep all kinds of cocktails before the event; simply get all of your ingredients ready so you can mix or shake as soon as the first guests walk through the door. Punch is another excellent party drink as it can be made in advance and everyone helps themselves.
A fun (but possibly messy) alternative is to set up a bar so your friends can mix their own drinks. Keep it simple. For example, gin, vodka, vermouth, bitters and assorted garnishes are all you need for a martini bar. Print out recipes so everyone knows what they're doing
Tip: We love to serve smaller drinks so our guests get to try different cocktails without ending up asleep in the corner after just two. Last Christmas we worked with Tanqueray No 10 on their Tini-Ten martini campaign and found that around 50-60ml is just about the perfect size. It also means you can be creative with your glassware. We enjoyed using Edwardian sherry glasses to serve small martinis and, of course, we have a range of mini cocktail glasses for sale that would also work brilliantly.
The Prep
Once you've chosen your cocktails for the evening it's time to get to work. This is where it's really worth putting in the effort. An hour or so in the kitchen will mean you're relatively free to enjoy your party alongside your guests.
First of all, make sure you've got enough ice. If you don't have enough space in your freezer to make your own, you can always buy a bag.
Work out how much you need of each ingredient by scaling up a your chosen recipe and measure your ingredients. We love to use small jugs to gather everything together before we mix our drinks.
Mix your cocktails, or as much of them as you can before the event, and pop them in the fridge until you're ready to serve. If a drink calls for champagne or sparkling wine, for example, you can still make the base in advance and simply top up with fizz when your guests arrive.
Make your garnishes, which can be more time-consuming than you expect. See our last blog for some tips.
Prep your serving table. Make sure your glasses are clean, fill your nibble bowls and set out anything else you and your guests might need during the party such as ice buckets, tongs and napkins.
The Kit
We have just about everything you need to throw a fabulous party. Don't be afraid to mix and match different styles and eras. Combined with meticulous preparation, a stylish set up will make sure you're as the host or hostess with the most.
Glasses. Make sure you have enough of the right kind for each drink you plan to serve. Alternatively, our Pick n Mix glasses are a good way for each guest to easily identify their own drink.
Measuring jugs. Bigger is better when making a batch so you might like to have a look at our vintage measuring cylinders.
Squeezers. An absolute must when your chosen cocktail recipe calls for citrus.
Shakers and strainers
Jugs - big ones for mixing and serving drinks and little ones for prepping ingredients such as lemon and lime juice.
Punch bowls
Trays. Essential for serving drinks, protecting your table or just making things look pretty.
Little bowls. Idea for garnishes and nibbles.
Party forks. We have a great selection of retro forks if you're serving snacks with your drinks.
You'll find some party essentials in our festive shop. Just look for the Party Edit tag.
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