The Fine Art of the Cocktail Party, Pt. 2

Ok, looking back over my last post it's clear I left out some crucial details.

You can vastly improve your in-party drink-delivery system by preparing citrus juices and garnishes ahead of time. I'm a stickler for fresh citrus juices (see Mixology 101) but squeezing them fresh for each drink is impossible unless you've only got half a dozen people over, and even that can be a lot of work. So before my parties I squeeze quite a few lemons and limes, and a few oranges. Exactly how many will of course depend on the number of guests and how many of your drinks are citrus based. Juice a lot though--at my last party there was a minor disaster when I ran out of lime juice, and I intend to purchase an electic citrus juicer before my next party to save on arm strength. It's surprisingly easy to go through 15 limes in one evening, if you have enough guests....

Also, prepare garnishes ahead of time (though preferably not more than about 30 minutes before guests start arriving--they don't last forever). I use plastic cups for juices and garnishes, and arrange them in my 'bar area' (kitchen counter) along with the liquors I'll be using for most of the drinks. And be sure not to skimp on the garnishes for too many of your drinks--they often make the difference between a good drink and a truly impressive one.

Probably the most important thing is to make sure you have enough ice. Ice is the cheapest and most crucial element of any cocktail party. You simply can't make drinks without it. For everyday usage I have two ice trays and a full ice bucket in the fridge, so I don't run out if I have a few people over on short notice, and for my parties I supplement this with two bags of store-bought ice.

Finally, make sure you have appropriate glassware available. For my parties I try to make sure I have at least 4 highballs, 4 lowballs, 8 martini glasses, and miscellaneous other glasses to use as a stop-gap if needed. You'll have to keep a constant glass-retrieval and washing (or, more realistically, rinsing) system going, but it's really the only solution for a large number of guests unless you're going to rent or purchase a bunch of glasses. While some people seem happy to drink from plastic cups, this will only ever work for drinks intended for a highball or lowball. Martini glasses are shaped the way they are for a reason (make yourself two gin martini's and drink one out of a plastic cup and the other out of a martini glass if you don't believe me), and serving a drink in glass will keep it cold for longer, which is crucial for most cocktails that aren't served over ice.