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Getting in the Spirit! Throwing an Easy, Classy Cocktail Party

A cocktail party is a great way to get together with your friends, and meet new people. Less threatening than a dinner party, a cocktail party can be the busy entertainer's best friend. Here are some ideas for a swanky soiree that will make you the toast of the town. Just remember, if you're having a good time, your guests will be, too. So keep things easy, elegant, and fun.

Set the Scene
The very idea of a cocktail party inspires images of a Hollywood era gone by. Keep things sophisticated and chic by dimming the overhead lights. Instead of those harsh bulbs, set up silver candle holders, and sexy mood lighting. Added bonus: everyone looks better in dimmer light! Forgo traditional party decorations. Instead, a few vases filled with long stem red roses or while calla lilies will give you the feel you're after. Push your couches and chairs back a bit to make sure there's enough room for mingling. Also, check and make sure there are plenty of places to set down a drink.

Dress the Part
If your friends will play along, have everyone come dressed to the nines. Think Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Beautiful dresses, hats, and fur throws for the women. Monocles, dinner jackets, pipes for the men. Or for a more casual approach, insist that everyone come dressed in all black or white.

Upscale Bar Food.
You want to keep the food at a cocktail party simple. Finger foods, placed strategically all around the room will keep people, and conversation, flowing. Don't set everything out at once. Keep people interested by periodically replacing the plate of appetizers at each station. Ideally, you should give the feeling of three "courses". Remember, easy doesn't have to be boring. Instead of popping the top off a grocery store container of cold veggies, try whipping up some jazzy appetizers of your own. Taking a can of store bought roasted nuts and tossing it in a combination of warm butter, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper will create a scrumptious glaze that tastes like much more work than it is! And if you're setting out chilled shrimp, try this alternative to store bought cocktail sauce: Mix one and a half cups of ketchup with the juice of one small lime, a teaspoon of sugar, a dash of soy sauce, a small jalapeno chili (deseeded and chopped finely), a handful of chopped cilantro, and some black pepper.

Bring on the Booze
The most important component of a cocktail party is, of course, the cocktails!

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