Want to get the crew together for an evening of cocktails?
Three words sum it up.
Keep...it...simple. It is fantastic to idealize Sex In The City - esqe soirees, yet - hardly attainable if you still wish to make it home from work in time to grab a shower and actually ENJOY organizing the event. Nobody likes a stressed out hostess in dire need of pity praise. Your guests will drain the free liquor and take off to a REAL party if you can't be the Host/ess with the most/ess.
One of the easiest cocktail parties to throw is a Hawaiian theme bash. The eclectic colors and touristy prints, make it impossible to clash colors and drink ware.
Give yourself a 2 week time frame. It is always possible to pull a last minute party together if you need to, but be fair to yourself, and pick a day that sandwiches two relatively less stressful than others. That way, the day before pressure of making your home "guest worthy" as well as lessening the stress of cleanup afterwards, will take off the pressure of the impact on your home.
Once you have decided the day and the guest list...have a little fun with the preliminary stages. Most dollar stores have TONS of cheap party favors that seem silly at first. You would be surprised what a handful of you' yo's, glow stick straws and flashing gaudy pins strategically placed near the punchbowl can do.
Take a few dollars and indulge in cocktail umbrellas, Festive tacky fruit cups, random Lei's in the event there is a reluctant costume wearer that night. Hit the local thrift store and sift through their selections of men's printed shirts, bright island style wraps in vibrant colors and as many strands of seashells you can find. ( I swear EVERY thrift store in North America, makes it easy to find strands of shells.)
Don't break the bank, if you allow yourself some time to genuinely look through thrift stores and bargain shops, you would be amazed at how far 20 or 30 dollars can take you. Easing a hopefully diverse crowd to mesh together, is always far easier with the addition of party favors. Anything you find, can be put into dishes, baskets by the door - or draped over focal pieces of furniture.
There is always someone who chooses to have a few too many far too early, and plays dress up to provoke a laugh and break the ice. While inevitably, this guest may be the first to exit the party, in some strange twist, your less than loose guests will be inspired to have a laugh as well.
When you are throwing a cocktail party based on the sole idea of gathering...you can count on your cost of provided alcohol to be expensive. With a theme bash, you can center your party around one or two main beverages that are provided.
A brilliant and never failed show stopper is a Yuk - A Flux. Hit up your grocery store and check out their seasonal fruit and fresh imported and exotic fruits. Depending on the size of the party, you will roughly spend about 25 dollars per ten people attending on fruit. melons, kiwi, strawberry and pineapple should be your base fruits, as they tend to absorb other flavors well and look very presentable.
Pick and choose random exotic fruits such as mangoes, papayas and star fruit or passion fruit. You only need a few of these, as they tend to always break the wallet due to import costs. One of each will even suffice, and add diversity.
Next, purchase 26 oz of your white liquor by choice per 7-10 people attending. ( Highly dependant on your level of fun you wish to take your party to. :)
In either hollowed out halves of watermelons or bright colored bowls, cube your fruit and proceed to douse your concoction with your liquor of choice. Allow 24 hours to marinade in the fridge with the random stirring of the fruit every so often to allow all pieces a chance for a bath.
Hit up your local grocery store and head to the amenities aisle. Pick up a sleeve of small plastic cups. The champagne glass style work well also. Assemble your beverage station with stacks of cups and a few permanent felt pens. Encourage your guests to mark their glass...and keep tabs on it.
This prevents others from filling full sized mugs of the yummy mixture, and possibly save your chandelier from a monkey attack. Plastic swords or even the paper umbrellas that you found at the dollar store will suffice as a means to partake in this Hawaiian themed spread.
Bonus to you, there will be leftover fruit in the morning to ease your liquor induced headache the next day, and the side effects are lessened by lack of artificial sugars found in almost every cocktail you can serve in this day and age that gets noticed.
Enlist your friends for finger food snacks. Your job is the entertainment venue and atmosphere for the party, and aside from a simple bag of pretzels or veggie platter, food can be left to your guests as a way of contribution to the gathering.
Don't hesitate to ask for a volunteer to be the DD. One of the best ways to coax someone to relinquishing their punchbowl rights, is to put them in charge of the juice and pop for the occasion of non drinkers, and offer your sober services for their next bash. If you jump on this one early, you will definitely find someone who has to work the next day, that still doesn't wish to miss out on the fun of the party and have sober recollection for subsequent embarrassment later on.
Anticipate that their are smokers and social smokers in your crowd. Define early on upon arrival where there are acceptable places to smoke. Ensure that their are receptacles for the filthy habit, so you have less cleanup the next day. Its an often overlooked detail that inevitably winds up a bad smoke smell in your bathroom.
Have an eclectic upbeat mix of island beats and rock peppered with some top 40 hits and the odd country tune. This seems to work the best in larger crowds, and it never hurts to throw in some 80's nostalgia or punk ditties. Make at least 5 discs colored with random tunes, and you can count on appealing to almost everyone at the party.
Most of all, remember that you, above all else, need to have fun with this. You can make Jell-O shooters, spiked ice -cubes, popsicles with real fruit and liquor, well in advance and with little effort. A handful of each, even goes a long way in showing your guests that you are out to entertain.
Parties are a dime a dozen. Memorable parties stay with us when we are old and grey. Follow these tips and add your personal touches, and I assure you - your Hawaiian luau will be talked about for years to come.