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Step 1
Turn back time to the decor of the 50s. Bright colors are key. Think lime green, pink, aqua and orange. Keep the lighting low and light candles or Chinese lanterns around the space you're entertaining in.
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Step 2
Keep the entertainment simple by playing popular music from the era. A CD player will do, but if you can get a record player to spin some tunes, it adds to the authenticity of the party's theme. Must-have music includes Nat King Cole, Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra and Louis Prima.
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Step 3
Set up a bar area. You don't have to have a real bar; throwing a crisp white tablecloth over a table and accenting it with a retro lamp for elegant mood lighting works. Provide an ice bucket, tongs, funky cocktail napkins and a bowl of salted nuts.
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Step 4
Offer glasses in various sizes: cordial, goblet and shot glass sizes. And limit the drink choices. Choose one main drink, such as a martini, and then offer a few others. Always include 1 or 2 nonalcoholic options.
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Step 5
Serve food favorites straight from a 50s or 60s kitchen. These include cocktail wieners or meatballs stacked on the frilly toothpicks, slices of cocktail rye with an assortment of spreads, and maybe even cheese straws or olive loaf. Alternatively, shrimp cocktail is a great low-fat option.
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Step 6
Plan some group games. Ideas include Clue, Password or Charades.
