Cocktail party - need inspiration - what's your favourite cocktail?

[morningpaper]

Doing a cocktail party on New Year's Eve - need inspiration - what's your favourite cocktail??? Advice and tips would be much appreciated!

dh says Lambs Windsurfer (2 shots Lambs Navy Run, orange juice and a shot of blue curaceo) turns a lovely shade of turquoise

Navy RUM

Mine is a Moog Mule:
Captain Morgans Spiced Rum over ice
Juice of 1/2 a fresh lime
Top up with Hot Ginger Beer
Very refreshing.

When I had a party I did find and print off a big list from somewhere on the internet. Try this or ink{http://woodyscocktails.co.uk/atoz.htmthis There is also a cracking book you can get that has 1500 cocktails in but also lists 200 you can make with just 10 main ingredients - 'Sauce guide to cocktails'
Have a good night!

My friend makes a divine Perfect Lady.

Dry martini cocktail with a lemon twist

Swill the glass around with a splash of vermouth.

Pour some good quality gin over ice stir then strain into the glass. Drop in a lemon twist.

Variation

Swill the glass around with a tablespoon of pink grapefruit. Then pour over chilled gin and add a pink grapefruit twist.

Bloody mary?

Kir royal? Creme de cassis and a good cava

oops - mixed them together! the second one is here

mine's a Cuba Libre (rum, coke and lime)

or Mojito?

ideally I would have a couple of vermouth based ones, a couple of vodka ones and some kir royal, should please most people?
and also some non alcoholic cocktail for non drinkers

heres a list

I've discovered Advacaat - wonderfully Xmassy & scrummy as a Snowball (+ lemoade)

my goodness I sound like a complete alcoholic! What I meant was if I was organising the party this is what I would offer

phew

White Lady is my fave. Will look up the recipe when I'm downstairs (we have one on our fridge - typed out by dp back in those days!)

I like banana banshees -- but too many are too sickly

Frenchgirl!

Don't do too many-it is too much hard work (unless you have Help of course!)

A Margarita is to me the ultimate and a big batch can be mixed up beforehand.
(I once kicked over a huge vat of it at a party in the States. Still cringe to think of it. Was also completely sober at the time. Aaargghh!!)

Mint juleps are also divine-a little summery though perhaps and can't be done in advance,or the mint goes sludge brown.

All good ideas, I think I will decide on about 5 and just stick to those.

Now I have to decide which ones...

you could also do bellinis.... you can buy delicious white peach puree from waitrose, then top it up with a decent cava. Delicious! Perhaps a bit summery though? (Please tell us which ones you plump for in the end!)

I like baileys and kaluha (sp)

did you spot this ??? on my link ???

January sale bargain !!!

Long Island Iced Tea!

Only ever need one of them!

We had a cocktail party a few weeks ago, the Abbie Dabbie, was a roaring sucsess we actually ran out! and its easy to make! its reall delicious!

2 measures melon midori
1 measure vodka
top uo with fresh apple juice and ice
garnish with a red and a green apple slice

all in a highball glass! yummmm!

non-alcoholic

cranberry juice to 4 apple juice to ginger ale plus fresh mint

sex on the beach is my drink!
1 shot vodka
1 shot peach scnapps
equal measures of cranberry juice and orange juice. Yummmmmmmy.
And martianbishop is right about only needing one Long Island Iced Tea. I vaguely remember a night in town when I had three of them...

here

moscow mule - vodka, lime and ginger beer

black russian - vodka, tia maria and coke

white russian - vodka, tia maria and cream

multiple orgasm - vodka, baileys and tia maria