To throw a successful cocktail party, you need a well-stocked bar to begin with and, yeah, end with too. Nothing can be quite disconcerting as turning down a request for a particular kind of liquor that you hadn’t thought of stocking, but is the only thing a particular guest drinks.
Here are the essential must-haves in your cabinet.
Hard stuff
Vodka, bourbon, scotch, gin and rum. If your pals are the Tequila lemon and salt types, keep tequila as well.
Liqueurs and aperitifs
Have aperitifs like Lillet or Campari around. There might be a martini drinker in your guest list, so keep dry vermouth in stock as well.
Wine and beer
You don’t have to stock up your bar with 3-4 different types of red wine and white wine. Just go for one type of each. Pinot Grigio is a nice light, crisp white while the Zinfandel is a good fruity red wine. Extra cases of beer are mandatory if it’s summer time and your guest list consists of mostly your male buddies.
Mixers
Tonic water, soda, ginger ale, cola, and different fruit juices such as cranberry, pineapple, orange and grapefruit should be kept chilled in advance. Keep fresh juices, and not the concentrated ones, as the people who don’t drink alcohol would prefer sipping on juices. Keep lots of chilled mineral water.
Now that you’ve got the drinks right, you wouldn’t want your guests to get totally sloshed and end up under the kitchen sink. Arrange for some bar snacks that they can keep nibbling on. This is not as difficult as you think.
If you’re not the cooking type, you can always visit your nearest deli or grocery store for some unique munchies such as imported olives or the spicy green Japanese wasabi pea which can be served straight from the store at room temperature. A man I know usually just keeps sticks of cucumber, carrots and celery along with olives, yogurt dip, pita, hummus and tortilla chips on the bar along with the drinks. There, you have the variety of hors d’oeuvres and you don’t even have to slave in the kitchen for them.
If you really want to impress your guests by cooking for them, you can try out a few snacks we’ve listed for you:
Pizzas
Take any flat bread such as Lavash (an unleavened Middle Eastern flat bread) and top it lightly with shredded mozzarella and a range of simple ingredients (we’ve suggested some below) of your liking. Bake at 400F for around 7 minutes and it’s done.
1. Caramelized onions: Sauté 1 thinly sliced onion in 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil for 30 minutes, until soft and browned.
2. Spicy sausage: Remove from its casing, crumble, and sauté in a dry pan for 10 minutes over medium heat until cooked.
3. Sliced fresh mushrooms and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil or white truffle oil (available in specialty stores).
4. Halved cherry tomatoes with shreds of fresh basil.
Parmesan Crisps
Sprinkle 2 tbsp of finely grated parmesan on a baking sheet in little 3-inch ovals. Add a bit of grounded black pepper and if you like some herbs like chopped rosemary, sage or thyme. Bake for 8 minutes at 350F, until golden brown.
Spiced Nuts
Put 2 cups of mixed nuts like pecans, walnuts, cashews, almonds and chestnuts in a non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Stirring constantly, add ½ cup of brown sugar mixed with ½ tsp of salt, ½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp ground allspice, and ¼ tsp cayenne pepper. Keep stirring for about 5-10 minutes till the sugar starts to melt. Take the nuts off the heat immediately and spread over foil to cool. Sprinkle with more sugar and spice and serve at room temperature.
Simple Canapés
Brush extra-virgin olive oil on cocktail-sized squares of wholegrain bread. Top with prosciutto (salted ham that has been cured by drying, always sliced paper-thin for serving.) and a few strips of parmesan cheese. For those who want to make their lives even simpler, I can suggest a topping of sliced boiled egg and sliced olives with a dab of mayonnaise on top.
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