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If you're planning a cocktail party, prep your home with must-have spirits, cocktail ingredients and garnishes to make sure you have everything you need to keep drinks flowing and guests entertained.
When throwing a cocktail party, it's essential to prepare you home bar. Here's advice on how to make sure your bar is well stocked and ready to serve:

• Shop for your Cocktail Party a few days before your event date.
• Follow your taste buds to the produce section of your local grocery store or farmers' market, and experiment with new fruits and vegetables in your favorite classic cocktails
• Find a signature drink to serve at your party and find out the history of that cocktail and share it with your friends. All bartenders are story tellers.
• Make cocktails in batches. To serve a crowd, break the drink recipe into cups for a pitcher. A pitcher typically serves 20 drinks that are 4 ounces each. Multiply your ounces by two and turn into cups. Always make sure to taste as you batch for quality control.
• Buy enough beer and wine. While special cocktails can be a hit, beer and wine are often what people reach for at a cocktail party. A few tips to keep in mind when shopping for wine and beer:

Each guest drinking beer with likely consume one 12oz bottle per hour for the duration of the party. Try buying a mix of domestic brews and local micro brews. Each guest drinking wine will consume one 5 oz glass of wine per hour for the duration of the party. There are approximately five glasses of wine per bottle.

Have fun with your home bar. Cocktails are meant for celebrations to create good memories with your friends and family.Know you guests and ensure your bar is stocked with what they like to drink. Make them special and taken care of.

Buy enough ice, Have you ever tried to drink a cocktail and it's only got two half melted ice floating on the top and is?barely?cold. It tends to ruin a great thing. You should have 2.5 pounds of ice for every person at your party. If you plan to have an ice bucket or nice stainless buckets filled for your white wines and beers to keep chilled buy enough extra ice to fill those as well. Remember your ice bucket and displays will sit out and melt don't forget to account for that.

Try this drink recipe for a signature cocktail for the night:

Orange - Cranberry Gin & Tonic

5oz ice

1oz Gin

1.5oz OJ
3.5oz Tonic
Garnish with a few frozen cranberries and a twist of orange rind.

Source: http://foodandwinedesign.blogspot.com/2012/11/holiday-bar-entertaining.html

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