cocktail parties - any suggestions

[laurawaterford]

I'm hosting a cocktail party - seemed a great idea at the time I sent out invites. However, I know nothing about cocktails. Any favourites? tips on food? It's happening tomorrow tonight rather than next week so suddenly I'm - so any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

margaritas!

And maybe nachos, salsa etc

We have the Sauce Guide to cocktails - will go and fetch it...

Right. What have you got in the house?

Thank you thank you thank you. I have martini, cognac, whiskey, bourbon, pernod. (do any of those improve with age??)

How do I make margarithas?? (Can't even spell it)

right. am starting with cognac pages...

american beauty - cognac, vermouth (dry) orange juice, ruby port, sugar syrup, grenadine
Call me old fashioned - cognac, bitters, sugar syrup
french mule - cognac, lime juice, sugar syrup, bitters, ginger beer
manhattan island - cognac, red vermouth, bitters, maraschino syrup
pierre collins - cognac, lemon juice, sugar syrup, soda water
sidecar - cognac, cointreau, lemon juice, chilled water

Margarita straight up:
2 shots tequila
1 shot cointreau/triple sec
1 shot freshly squeezed lime juice.
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into glass. Beforehand, run a lime wedge over the edge of a glass, and dip it into very fine table salt.

A friend has loaned me a glass cocktail shaker - unused, I think, from the '70s. Do i just add everything in together and shake?

In pubs, the cocktails (never had one) look very creamy or is it just lots of shaking up with the juice?

Depends on the ingredients - things with pernod or fruit or cream do. God, hope someone else comes along soon - I've barely had a glass of wine in 4 years!

With the margarita you just add things together - others you have to follow recipe. Let me look up whisky...

If your bottles have been open for over a year then get rid and buy new ones

Champagne cocktails v. popular - get champagne or sparkling wine and mix with fruit schnapps (Archer's or Cointreau etc.)

Also Tia Maria and Coke (Black Russian) v. popular with the ladies

Buy lots of cocktail decorations and cocktail glasses (v. cheap in charity shops)

I'm sorry but what ARE you doing hosting a cocktail party if you've NEVER HAD ONE?

Are you BONKERS?

Bah, mp - I was going through big lists of v complex cocktails and then in you come, all sensible and that...

I find with cocktails that people only really LIKE very basic ones, otherwise they have one margarita and start fondling your breasts and then pass out

so I go for COCKTAIL DRESS and muchos umbrellas/cocktail decorations (poundland and Woolworth's) - pineapple slices look good also cherries on sticks

massive bowl of limes and lemons

and LOTS of ice - fill your freezer up NOW

pineapple juice + mallibu + quarter slice of pineapple and umbrella = all ladies love this

On you go, ladies. Though my book is marv.

When I do cocktail parties I concentrate on the lights - keep them LOW - I have fairy lights in the kitchen and disco lights in the lounge

This is because cocktails will SPILL EVERYWHERE and the place will look AWFUL under proper lighting

You entire kitchen will be sticky the next day so invest in a lot of Flash liquid

I like lovely CHEESY cocktail parties with lots of 1970's party tunes and pineapple-on-sticks type snacks

Ice-crushers are useful too - Whittard's currently have them on sale for about 3 quid

I'd only do a "menu" of two or three maximum so you don't end up tying yourself in knots. Then you can also make quite large batches.

Try and choose ones which can be served in the same glasses so you can buy a load of the same ones from Tesco or wherever.

Simple snacks canapes, chuck on your feather boa, an Andy Williams CD and you're away.