Some tips and guidance on how to put together your own cocktail menu. Offering cocktails to your guests at your forthcoming party will certainly add a touch of glamour to proceedings. Whether you’re planning to offer a range of cocktails for a couple of guests you have round for dinner or whether you’re planning a full scale party with 10 or more people, having a well curated cocktail list is a great fun addition to your plans.
The two main things to consider when planning out your cocktail party the time of year and the mix of guests that you will have.
Time of year
Give thought to what the weather will be like at the time of year when your party happens. That is of course much more important then what the weather is like now as you plan out your cocktail menu. If your party is intended to be a summer party when the weather may be warm or perhaps even hot, give thought to some nice summary cocktails which are perhaps light in style and feature summer flavours such as elderflower, strawberry, raspberry, peach etc. You certainly don’t want to have any cream based cocktails on your list in June, July or August. Nobody will want them and you may have trouble preventing the cream from going off.
Some lengthy drinks topped up with soda or perhaps champagne or Prosecco are always a great fit for summer. You can decorate them easily with bits of fruit. Providing you use some elegant glassware – the finished result will look fantastic. Consider the colours of the drinks on your menu too. You want to aim to offer a good range of colours as well as a good range of styles. The cocktail selection simply looks more visually appealing if you have a wide range of options.
Christmas
If it’s a Christmas event you’re planning, you can of course try something completely different. Having some rich, and indulgent drinks is ideal to suit the mood. Cream based cocktails such as the Brandy Alexander or drinks containing Baileys may work beautifully. Short, classic cocktails fit the festive theme. Whatever party you’re planning, remember to have a couple of non-alcoholic options as well. There will always be a handful of people who are driving or who don’t drink alcohol through choice. Make sure they’re catered for and offer something more imaginative then a bottle of coke or J2O.
Offer a range of spirits
It’s also important to offer a range of base spirits for your cocktails. Just because you are a huge fan of gin or tequila, doesn’t necessarily mean that all your guests will be. When putting together cocktail menus for our fee paying guests, we would usually offer a range of five alcoholic cocktails with a couple of non alcoholic mocktails. I always tried to ensure that the alcoholic options covered a fair range of spirit bases.
Who is coming to your party?
The second thing to consider is the mix of people who will be joining you at your event, function or party. Clearly, a great cocktail menu for let’s say a group of a dozen females at a hen party, all under the age of 25, will be a different type of menu to a party planned for let’s say your dad or granddad’s 70th birthday where there will be equal numbers of females and males. Generally with hen parties our menus used to be heavily orientated towards vodka, gin and possibly light rum. A group of men in their 50s will possibly be interested in golden or dark rums, cognac and whisky or bourbon.
Enjoy the process
Give yourself plenty of time when planning out your cocktail menu. It’s always a good idea to print off some menus to guide your guests when choosing their drinks. You don’t need one for everyone. I work on a 3:1 ratio. One menu per 3 guests. That way they can share and will enjoy interacting with each other over your list.
It’s also a good idea to have a dedicated serving area, such as a table in the garden or in a room in your house where you can line up the cocktail shakers, the ingredients and all the glassware. It’s just easier to work that way.
Enjoy the planning process. Make it as relaxed as you can for you. Then allow yourself time to enjoy it on the day. Cheers.