How to organise a cocktail party in 5 steps

2) Creating the right atmosphere:

Think about where your guests will sit, where to position and how to set your table and how to create an inviting, festive setting. Decorate with personalised balloons featuring your very own photo and text, and set the table with personalised placemats, napkins and plates. Add atmosphere, style and lovely soft lighting to your party with personalised scented candles, especially during those wonderful cool summer evenings. The perfect finishing touch is a photo booth, including fun props such as sunglasses and personalised bubbles.
A practical tip that we can offer is to ensure that each guest has their own glass, to save everyone from losing track of which glass is theirs and to save you from lots of washing up!
There are two ways to do this: either have each guest’s name engraved into their very own glass, or create personalised coasters featuring the guest’s names. These personalised items will not only make the party easier to manage, it will also make it memorable and offer each guest a fun keepsake to take home with them and set the right mood.

3) Food & drinks:

Your selection of cocktails will depend on your guests, theme and the amount of preparation time you have available.
If you’d like to host an easy-going party or pre-dinner drinks, we would advise you to go with wine or bubbly such as prosecco or sparkling wine. If your party or the party you are attending is more of a fancy affair, go for champagne! You can’t go wrong with a bottle of Moët & Chandon in a luxurious, personalised wooden case.
After dinner, you’ll need some classic cocktails.
Whiskey, gin, vodka and rum are the base for many well-known cocktails that are widely appreciated, so make sure these aren’t missing from your drinks menu.
To make things easier, here are a few recipes:

- Use prosecco or champagne to create a Bellini cocktail: • 50 ml of peach juice • 100 ml of sparkling wine or champagne. You can create this delicious drink per glass or per decanter, just keep in mind that you should always add twice as much sparkling wine or champagne as peach juice. We would advise serving this cocktail in flute glasses, and adding a slice of peach to the edge of the glass for an extra flourish.

Create your prosecco with personalised label >>	Create your engraved flutes >>

- Use whiskey to create a whiskey sour cocktail: • 50 ml of Jack Daniel’s • 20 ml of lemon juice • 15 ml of sugar syrup • 4 ice cubes. Mix all of the ingredients together in a shaker until the ice dissolves and serve in a whiskey glass, garnished with an orange peel.

Create your Jack Daniels whiskey with a personalised case >>	Create your engraved whiskey glasses >>

- Use rum to create a mojito cocktail: • 2 teaspoons of brown sugar • 12 mint leaves • 15 ml lime juice • 45 ml of white rum • 40 ml of soda water. Crush the sugar, mint leaves and lime juice together and add to your shaker. Add the rum, soda water and ice and shake until mixed. Serve in a highball glass with a festive straw.

Create your Bacardi rum in a personalised case >>	Create your engraved highball glasses >>

- Use gin to create a gin and tonic cocktail: • 150 ml of tonic water • 50 ml of gin (we recommend Bombay Sapphire gin) • Ice cubes • Lemon wedge. Fill the glass with ice cubes, pour in the gin and top off with the tonic water. Gently stir to combine, garnish with your lemon wedge and serve in a gin and tonic glass.

Create your Bombay Sapphire gin in a personalised case >>	Create your engraved gin and tonic glasses >>

- Use vodka to create a Moscow mule cocktail: • 40 ml of vodka • 135 ml of ginger beer • ⅓ of a lime • Slice of cucumber • Ginger. This cocktail is traditionally served in a metal mug, and we have the perfect stainless steel mugs with an edgy, retro feel to serve this delicious drink in. Fill your mug with ice and add your vodka and ginger beer. Add your lime juice, gently stir together and add your garnishes.

Create your vodka in a personalised case >>	Create your personalised stainless steel mug >>

Remember to always offer an alternative to the alcoholic drinks, such as soft drinks, mocktails or alcohol-free wine and beer. You can even go with a non-alcoholic bubbly for children, so that they feel included. Place your drinks on pretty trays, use wine coolers to keep your drinks nice and cool and serve nice, fresh water in beautiful decanters with some ice, mint leaves, lemon slices and red fruits.
For the food, we would recommend sticking to finger foods: delicious, easy to prepare and perfect to enjoy with a drink. More great ideas are pasta or rice salads, which can be prepared beforehand and to your guest’s tastes. Add some fun fruit skewers and a cheese board to go with your tasty drinks, too. These can be served on beautiful engraved boards, either rectangular or round. You can even add a cool pizza board to the mix.

4) Entertaining your guests

The most important aspects of a party are, of course, spending time relaxing with loved ones and sharing the lovely summer evening while enjoying cocktails and food. Think about your guests; do you know everyone? Will any children be attending? These questions can help you to determine the right atmosphere for your get-together. Select your music and, if suitable, think about planning a group activity such as a drinking game (with mocktails for those who don’t drink, of course!).

5) Spread a little happiness

Before the party, gather up all of your favourite photos of those attending and have them printed on Polaroid-style prints as decor. You can even write a little personal message or the date under each photo and can hand them out as favours at the end of the night. Another great option is to create personalised t-shirts featuring photos taken at your party and send these out as gifts to thank your guests for attending. Both options are wonderful ways to spread a little happiness, make your loved ones smile and create an unforgettable summer memory together.

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