How to Throw a Cocktail Party

Co-authored by Rachel Weinshanker and Eric McClure

Last Updated: May 13, 2023 Approved

Cocktail parties are a great way to celebrate a big event, but they’re also just a great excuse to get dressed up and hang out with loved ones for no reason at all. Since cocktail parties are usually only a couple of hours long and nobody will expect a full-blown meal, throwing a cocktail party is a pretty low-pressure affair. Just make sure you choose a fun signature cocktail or two and load up on the right supplies and you’re sure to have a blast!

1

Location

There’s no reason you can’t host a great party at home. This is an especially great option if you want to just have a casual, intimate night with friends and family. However, you could rent out a venue if your home isn’t especially big or you’re going to have a ton of guests. It may also make things easier if you don’t want to worry about cleaning up.^{[1]
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- If you rent a venue, they’re likely to offer catering services if that’s something you’d be interested in.
- You can host an outdoor cocktail party if it’s really nice out!
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2

Guest list

Invite a fun group of people to your party. Shoot for 6-15 guests if you’re just hosting at home to keep things relaxed. You can invite more folks if you’re renting a venue, obviously. Try to choose guests from different walks of life who are extroverted and interesting. Getting a variety of different people together is a great way to keep things fun.^{[2]
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- You can always just throw a cocktail party with your closest friends. There’s nothing wrong with throwing a little party for you and your best buds.
- If you’re throwing a cocktail party for a wedding, make sure to invite the close friends and family on both sides.

3

Dress code

Cocktail parties are traditionally formal events, but it’s up to you. If you’re going for a classier kind of vibe, stick with traditional attire. If you want to throw a casual party, that’s totally fine, though.^{[3]
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Research source} You can also set a dress code based on the theme as well. Movie characters, 80s attire, or sleepover party can all be great themes for a small cocktail party.
- If you’re doing a theme-based cocktail party, include a few examples of what guests should wear. Most cocktail parties do not have a theme, but you can choose one if you’d like.
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4

Invitations

Select a time and date, and send your invites out. Most cocktail parties start around 7 pm or so, but you can pick any time you’d like. Either mail a formal invitation out, or opt for an evite if that’s easier for you. Include the address, dress code, and a short note about the theme if there is one.^{[4]
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- If you’re throwing a small party with 6-15 people, you probably don’t need any RSVPs or anything like that—you can just track that in your head. But if you’re hosting a huge cocktail party for a wedding, put some RSVP info on the invite so you can track who’s coming.

5

Drinks

Choose 1-2 signature cocktails to make for the event. Make your party memorable by giving it its own drink! Providing a couple of signature drinks will give your party a classy touch. It will also cut down on the number of random drink requests you’re fielding from guests.^{[5]
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- Give your signature cocktails fun names—even if you aren’t dramatically changing any ingredients. “The Groomsman,” “Jessica’s Cosmopolitan,” and, “Chicago mule” are playful and memorable.
- You can assume each guest will down 2 drinks per hour. Count up your guests and the length of your party to get a good idea of how much liquor you need.^{[6]
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  Rachel Weinshanker
  Certified Event & Wedding Planner
  
  Expert Interview. 14 February 2020.}
- Be sure to buy plenty of beer, wine, and soda as well. Not everybody drinks, and a lot of people that do drink prefer wine and beer.
- Either mix your cocktails ahead of time and keep them in a pitcher in the fridge, or enlist a friend to play bartender for the night. You can also just leave everything out for your guests to make their own drinks.
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6

Food

Provide plenty of snacks, but don’t worry about a full-blown meal. Nobody shows up to a cocktail party expecting a four-course buffet. Since a cocktail party doesn’t need a sit-down meal, plan to provide 4-5 hors d'oeuvres and snacks. Alcohol and an empty stomach are a dangerous combination, so make sure you have plenty of food to nibble on.^{[7]
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Expert Source

Rachel Weinshanker
Certified Event & Wedding Planner

Expert Interview. 14 February 2020.}
- Choose snacks that can easily be eaten with a toothpick or fingers. Folks will want to snack while they’re standing up and chatting, and nobody wants to fiddle with a fork and a plate if they’re holding a drink.
- Common snacks include cheese and meat boards and assorted olive, nut, or fruit platters.
- You should also include 1-2 sweet dishes. Cookies, cupcakes, and brownie bites are all good options.^{[8]
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- Feel free to order some appetizers ahead of time, or make them yourself!

7

Music

Put a playlist together full of cool background music. Make a playlist ahead of time turn it on before your guests arrive so that it feels like they’re walking in with style. This will make the environment more welcoming and fill up any awkward silences until the party gets going. There are tons of preassembled YouTube and Spotify playlists out there if you want to make this easy.^{[9]
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- You could stick with smooth jazz if you want to keep things calm and cool.
- Lo-fi hip hop instrumentals are perfect background noise if you’ve got a younger crowd on your hands.
- Classic rock or 80s synth pop can be fun options if you’re looking for something people can sing along with.
- You can also throw a custom playlist with multiple genres together if it suits the vibe. Nobody knows your guests better than you do!
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8

Setup

Rearrange the furniture to maximize movement. You’ll be entertaining a lot of guests, so make sure there’s ample room for folks to move around. Slide large tables to be closer to the wall and set out additional seating if you need it. Make sure there’s a large space in the center of the room so that folks can stand up and mingle freely.^{[10]
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- Dedicate at least one area for folks to get or make drinks, and one area for guests to grab a bite to eat.
- Make sure the trash can is visible. Nobody enjoys sifting through cabinets looking for a hidden trash can in someone else’s home.

9

Decorations

Stick with minimal decorations for a classy vibe. You don’t need any crazy decorations to make your cocktail party feel classy. Simply put a few accent pieces out, like vases of flowers or streamers, to jazz up your party.^{[11]
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- If your cocktail party is outdoors, string up some lights to set the mood and make sure your guests can see where they’re going.
- Cocktail parties are usually meant to be sleek and classy. You don’t need balloons or anything over-the-top to pull a great cocktail party off.
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10

Virtual cocktail party

Choose a video conferencing platform and send invites out. You can ask people to pick up something to drink on their own, or send out instructions for a recipe so that everyone can enjoy the same drink. If you’re feeling ambitious, you could mail out cocktail ingredients.^{[12]
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- Dress up for the video call! Dressing up will make you feel like you’re actually heading out to an in-person party, and it will also really get your guests into the spirit of things.^{[13]
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- A virtual conference party is a great excuse to get a bunch of folks living in different parts of the country in one place!
- Facetime, Zoom, Skype, and Google Hangouts are all great options when it comes to video conferencing software.^{[14]
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What food should I provide at a cocktail party?

Rachel Weinshanker
Certified Event & Wedding Planner
Rachel Weinshanker is a Certified Event and Wedding Planner and the Owner of San Diego Life Events, an award-winning wedding and event planning business based in San Diego, California. Rachel has over eight years of event planning experience, and her work has been featured in many notable publications. San Diego Life Events has been awarded the Wedding Wire Couple's Choice Award in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Rachel is a graduate from San Diego State University.

Rachel Weinshanker

Certified Event & Wedding Planner

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I want to throw a cocktail party to welcome our new reverend. Is that appropriate and can it be in the church?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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It totally depends on your religious beliefs, the community's attitude towards alcohol, and whether the reverend drinks or not. The same applies to whether it's an appropriate event for a church. If you're on the fence about it, why don't you consider throwing a mocktail party? Come up with some fun fruit juice cocktails that are alcohol-free and serve those instead. Nobody should have any negative feelings about that.

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What hours are appropriate for an afternoon birthday party for an adult?

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If you're looking specifically at the afternoon, 3-4 pm is probably going to be a good starting time. Honestly, any time should work so long as your guests are going to be free. If most of your friends work day jobs and the party isn't on the weekend, you probably need to shoot for after 5 pm, though.

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