How to Select a Cocktail Party Theme

By eHow Parties & Entertaining Editor

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Cocktail parties have always been a popular get together for adults, with lots of drinks and laughs to be had by all who attend. But it's not enough just to serve good drinks and finger foods. A great cocktail party has a theme, so you should think about incorporating one. Once you've decided on a theme, you can easily find decorations, food and drinks to coordinate.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Food
Cocktail mix
Wine glasses
Liquor
Utensils and plates
Cups

Select a Cocktail Party Theme

Step1

Select a theme that's centered around the season. If it's around the time of Christmas, for example, you can easily select a theme that includes mistletoe, snowflakes and other winter oriented staples. Spring could be themed with pastels and flowers.

Step2

Base your theme on a particular region of the world. Caribbean-themed parties would have plenty of Calypso music, as well as drinks from the region, like pina coladas and rum.

Step3

Plan a cocktail party around a specific type of liquor. For example, serve only drinks that have vodka as the base, like screwdrivers, vodka and cranberry or white russians. This can actually make for an educational night for guests who aren't familiar with some of the cocktails you make.

Step4

Have your cocktail party feature some accompanying foods as well as drinks. Bring in an assortment of cheeses from around the world, and have some themed drinks to go along with the food.

Step5

Steer your cocktail party more towards a wine-tasting type event. Wine tasting events are terrific fun and can also be educational. Buy a selection of wines from a vintner you know and then ask for the history and details about the wines so you can share it as your guests sip it.

Tips & Warnings

Rent a bar or have some sort of service cart so you can store all of the alcohol in an easy to reach location without cluttering up your counter space.
Any time there's a party that is centered around drinking, it's a good idea to take everyone's keys at the beginning of the party and force people to stay if they're in no condition to drive home. You can also have someone at the party be the designated driver and bring people to and from their homes.