Bar

A well stocked bar is crucial to successful entertaining and if you plan to entertain a lot it would be wise to buy in advance, buy in bulk, and to save time, have it delivered. What you will need will depend on what kind of party you are having. For a basic cocktail party for say 50 people you will need:

2 liters of vodka
1 Bottle of sweet vermouth
1 liter each of rum, bourbon, scotch, tequila, triple sec, and gin
1 bottle of lime juice
1 bottle of Worcestershire Sauce
2 Gallons each of Orange and Cranberry Juice
1 gallon each of grapefruit and tomato juice
6 liters each of tonic water, seltzer, cola, diet cola, and club soda
10 bottles each of Red and White wine
2 cases of beer
2 Pounds of ice per guest (About 12-13 seven pound bags of ice)
Corkscrew
Ice Scoop
Martini Shaker with strainer
Long Handled Spoon
Small Chopping Block and knife
Shot Glass or jigger
Napkins
Pitchers
Glassware: Stemware (wine champagne), Highball, Martini, cocktail, all purpose

Sidenote: When serving wines with meals, red wines go well with red meats and white wines go well with fish and poultry. For cheeses and chocolates it depends, there are websites that can assist you with good pairing suggestions.

Food

The food is the main attraction at every party (unless that is of course you are Marilyn Monroe and you keep your guests filled with alcohol while waiting for the noodles to dry), so what is served will be a memorable experience for your guests, good or bad, and we want the former always!

1. Plan your menu

Make sure the food is fresh and in season if possible. While with modern advances we can have watermelon in December, certain foods in their right season are delightful to savor and enjoy. Depending on how many guests you are having, decide if you want cook, have it catered or both. Avoid seafood (unless it will be an appetizer served quickly) as to avoid the possibility of a guest getting sick if it sits out too long as there is a short window to serve seafood dishes properly. Confirm if you have vegans, vegetarians, or guests with eating restrictions so you can have dishes for their enjoyment.

2. If you are cooking (and if you are having over 12 people I would recommend enlisitng outside help), make sure you are well stocked on trash bags, condiments, paper towels, napkins, snacks (nuts, chips, etc. for informal gatherings) and it would be good to have the following in your kitchen arsenal:

a. A good set of pots and pans
b.Knives and chopping boards
c. Spoons, Spatulas, Whisks, Tongs
d. Baking Pans, Muffin Pans, Rolling Pins
e. Measuring Cups, Measuring Spoons, Colander
f. Food Processor
g. Blender
h. Hand or Standing mixer
i. Kitchen Timer

If you are counting dollar signs, many of these items can be purchased at your local discount store for really cheap.

3. Decide the dining style of your guests:

French Style: Also known as family style. Think of Thanksgiving or Sunday dinner where the food is in large serving dishes and seated diners serve themselves and pass the serving dishes to other guests.This is recommended for small intimate gatherings.

A la russe: The guests are served each course by a service staff. This is usually at a formal dinner like a wedding reception.

Buffet: The guests serve themselves at a central location where the food is in serving dishes or chafing dishes and they take their plates back to the table.

Standing Buffet: This is usually used for mixers, open houses, or cocktail parties, where appetizers and finger foods are served at a central location and guests serve themselves on small plates.

4. Dinnerware, Flatware, and Napkins

Gone are the days of plates and utensils for every part of the meal. To keep it simple, for each guest you will need a basic dinner plate (10 ½ inches in diameter), bread plate (about 5-6 inches in diameter), a bowl (6-10 inches in diameter) for soups or salads, a basic place setting consisting of a dinner knife, dinner fork, salad fork, and a place spoon which is bigger than a teaspoon and smaller than a tablespoon (extra utensils for dessert and butter spreaders can also be included), and a dinner napkin. If you have a really large event, these items can be rented from a party rental company.

With BIF taken care of, there are the extra details: candles, flowers, music, color scheme, etc. Make sure your selections are in connection with the mood you want to set. In lieu of flowers, you may want to set mason jars filled with fresh aromatic herbs at the tables, nice jazz music, etc.

As aforementioned, planning a nice get together can be simple. Below is a sample menu for an oscar party for 8-12 guests.

Invitations: If it is a month or more in advance, sending the invitations in a movie tin is a fun suggestion.

Food and Drinks (Naming each food and the drink inspired by that year’s nominee is a great way to get in the mood)

Appetizer:

(Beasts of the Southern Wild – Best Actress)

Hushpuppies with different dipping sauces

Drinks

Flavored Martinis, Heineken Beer

(Skyfall, nominated for BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Roger Deakins), BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (Thomas Newman) BEST ORIGINAL SONG (Adele), BEST ORIGINAL SOUND MIXING and BEST ORIGINAL SOUND EDITING)

Main Entree

Fire Roasted Chicken with Vegetables and Red Potatoes

(The Hobbit, an Unexpected Journey nominated for best make-up and hairstyling)

Dessert
Punitions (French Shortbread Cookies), Fresh Fruit and Cream

(Les Miserables, Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress)

Dining Style: Buffet
Music: Create a playlist of different songs from the different nominated movie soundtracks

Suggested Decor: Movie themed props including little Oscar statues. (Again, make use of dollar discount stores.)

I know this list may seem like a lot on a budget, it is something you can aspire to over time. As aforementioned, dinner parties or get togethers can be as simple as some great cheeses, crackers and some nice bottles of wine or as big and festive as your heart (and budget) will allow. The goal is to create opportunities to celebrate, have fun and meet some rainbeaus!

Bon Appetit!