The Return of the Cocktail Party

A cocktail party is meant to be short and sweet. Inviting your friends over for cocktails should be a two hour chance to catch up and unwind. You and your guests can get together for just a short time; reconnect and then still have most of the evening to yourself. And when you consider a shorter cocktail party to celebrate instead of a big party with drinks, dinner and dessert, you might be looking at saving a little money, too. Consider some of these cocktail party ideas for your next birthday, graduation or next big event. Pick the perfect urbane cocktail party invitation and you’re well on your way to a suave, grown up party.
The Classic Cocktail Party
When you think of cocktails, the Martini is generally the first libation that comes to mind. Celebrate the Martini and its sophistication with a charming Martini invitation. Your guests will be feeling debonair right from the start. Treat your guests to an updated ‘Martini Bar’ with gourmet stuffed olives and garnishes. You might need to break out the bartending book to find some other great cocktails that need a revival. Consider putting a new twist on the Manhattan, the Side Car and the Brandy Alexander for a cocktail restoration.
Custom Cocktail Party
If swank is not your style, but you still love the idea of a cocktail party you’ve got a few other options. Get your guests involved by making and naming custom cocktails for your guests. If your friend Jack likes vanilla vodka and chocolate, combine the two for a ‘Jack-hattan.’ When inviting guests ask them RSVP with some of their favorite flavors. Stock your bar accordingly and you’ll be mixing up custom creations in no time. Keep some fun non-alcoholic juices and sodas on hand, too.
Summer Cocktail Party
Once the weather turns hot, you’ll need some cool beverages for your cocktail party. Margaritas are the perfect summer cocktail. Mix up the flavors with peach, mango, strawberry or whatever fruity concoction you can think of. Another cool favorite on a hot, summer day is the mojito. And don’t forget a chilled fruity punch for added kick. Add some finger foods or skewers from the grill you’ve got a red-hot summer cocktail party.
Cold Weather Cocktail Party
Winter doesn’t have to put a damper on your cocktail party. Add a little heat to your next cold weather cocktail party with spiked apple cider, egg nog or peppermint hot chocolate. Sipping cocktails by the fire is a wonderful way to celebrate the cocktail and the spirit of the cocktail party. It won’t matter if the weather outside is ‘frightful’ you’ll have a hip winter cocktail party to keep you and your guests warm.
Whatever event you’re celebrating, a cocktail party just might be an inexpensive and low-key way to enjoy the occasion. A few cocktails and some finger foods are all you need to celebrate the cocktail and the company of friends. And don’t forget – just about any cocktail can be made into a ‘mocktail’ for your guests who want to join the fun, but don’t drink alcohol.

Moms Enjoy Cocktail Parties

It's a lovely Friday afternoon in Boca Raton, Fla., and as the kids enjoy time in the backyards, their moms gather – to raise a glass.
"Getting together with the girls and the kids running wild … It's just mommy's Happy Hour Friday night get-together," Jill Thompson, who has two children, told "Good Morning America."
The mothers meet once a month, and just as babies enjoy their bottles, the mothers enjoy theirs.
"You have a glass of wine. You take off your shoes. The kids are having a great time … What's better than that?" Kelly Donoghue, the mother of two children, said.
These Florida mothers are not alone. "GMA" assembled a panel of six mothers, and several said cocktail play dates are not only the new norm, but something they've grown to look forward to.
"You know, it's kind of is a nice opportunity to … sort of, know, loosen up and take our mom hat off for a minute," one mother told "GMA" contributor Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
"Especially a first-time mom," Holly Mitchell said. "You're all so exhausted, you're so nervous, you're so scared you're messing up … And to have a little sense of ourselves, that glass of wine does it ... it sort of-- makes you feel like an adult. Because you're completely surrounded by nothing that is adult, right?
Joelle Siek, a mother of three, put the get-togethers into perspective."No one's getting, you know, bombed or anything like that," she said. "Just sitting back, relaxing, having a drink or two with your girlfriends and their kids. "
The panelists all agreed that cocktail play dates should only be done when no one is driving. But only one mother -- Nicole Profis Dalven -- said she's uncomfortable mixing a glass of wine with child care.
"My boys are so active, I have to watch them constantly. And I would never, obviously, do anything to put them, you know, in harm's way …," she said.
Asked how they would feel if they were deprived of playtime with their glasses of wine with the other mothers, one panelist replied:
" Crabby."
Another said: " Miserable."
"Nuts," one mom chimed in.
Another panelist said she'd feel "bummed out."
Babies in Bars?
The Internet is full of sites devoted to women who believe motherhood and alcohol aren't mutually exclusive.
But some women are horrified by the idea of a play date involving wine. A post on "GMA's" Facebook page set of a firestorm of comments – with some people calling the pay dates "risky" or a "recipe for disaster."
Laura Deutsch is the founder of Baby Bites, a mom support network that hosts cocktail gatherings. She says society applies a double-standard to mothers when it comes to alcohol.
"You hear dads taking their kids to the baseball games … and enjoying a beer with their friends. And nothing has ever been said. Nothing, you know? And all of a sudden, the moms who do the exact same thing, it's this whole big phenomenon," Deutsch said.
Studies suggest there's a basis for the concern. A survey conducted by Working Mother magazine last fall found that 40 percent of mothers say they drink to cope with stress.
So how far is too far when it comes to moms and alcohol?
How about babies in bars? Believe it or not, that, too, is a growing trend.
In New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles and other areas, "a lot of people are going to local pubs where they can just sit with their friends, bring young babies," said Rory Halperin, editor in chief of Time Out New York Kids.

Learn How To Appreciate Your Cocktail

Learn how to fully appreciate your next cocktail with these tips from Bartender Misty Kalkofen.

Having mastered sacred texts as well as the cocktail shaker, Kalkofen chose to focus her energy on the latter. While attending Harvard Divinity School, she began bartending to finance her education. Two years ago, she founded the Boston chapter of Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails, which celebrates the art of classic cocktails and raises money for women's charities. Now, Kalkofen mixes at chef Barbara Lynch's new bar, Drink.
What is your favorite fruit or vegetable to use in summer cocktails?
Strawberries are always among the first fresh berries of the season, and it's great to see the bright color after a winter of drab. I usually muddle or puree them-a strawberry batida is delicious and refreshing on a warm day.
20 refreshing summer drinks you'll love.
How do you dream up new cocktails?
Sometimes I look to cookbooks for inspiration. For example, while trying to come up with a drink using Plymouth Gin and Laird's Applejack, I started looking at recipes for apple pie. I kept seeing recipes that used Chinese five-spice powder, so I made a syrup out of it and added it to the cocktail.
Any advice on exploring an unfamiliar cocktail menu?
Don't write off a cocktail just because it's based on a spirit you don't usually drink. If someone had a shot of, say, Fernet and didn't like the bitterness, then they would probably avoid cocktails that include it. Unfortunately, they'd miss out on great cocktails like the Hanky Panky, which uses Fernet in small doses just as you would angostura bitters.
What's an easy way of getting seasonal flavors into cocktails at home?
Try to work in fresh herbs like mint, rosemary, basil, or thyme. They can add depth and dimension to your drink.
What to drink during a financial crisis.
As a Harvard Divinity School graduate, have you found any parallels between religion and cocktails?
Humans seek comfort in many ways, two of which are the rituals of organized religion and the rituals of social drinking. Martin Luther wrote, "Who loves not woman, wine, and song remains a fool his whole life long."

Enjoy The 21st Birthday With Cocktail

The 21st birthday is more than simply the guest of respect turning another year big; it is a change into full maturity as the lawful age to drinks. In nowadays society, the capability to raise a goblet of champagne, the goblet of wine, otherwise a stein of cocktail in a happy toast is a typical way to good wishes and extends salutations, and for most populace, it is usual to organize a gathering theme around alcohol at honor of this important age. There are lots of options for the type of mature party theme, including:
　　• Cocktail parties with the variety of sole libations to test
　　• A bar hopping or pub crawl experience to visit various locations
　　• A party themed approximately a particular drink, like different types of beers or martinis
　　• Adding alcoholic beverages for a classic party subject, like pina coladas for the luau party

　　• Celebrating with a mauve vintage from these years the guest of respect was born
　　Whatever the alcoholic center of the event, this is important to decide free printable the 21st birthday invitations which are coordinated along with that theme. This 21st birthday invitations themselves might have pictures of intoxicating drinks, or they might be related themes which the drinks are associated along with. A popular invite theme includes:
　　• Images of bars otherwise nightclubs
　　• Images of popping corks, glasses raised, or specific drinks in a toast
　　• Themes along with ID cards otherwise "now lawful” motifs
　　• Images that utilize the total of 21 foods and drink otherwise glasses as an alternative of candles to stand for age
　　• Taxi images or designated driver
　　The Non-Alcoholic Alternatives
　　Simply because someone is rotating 21 does not mechanically mean they are paying attention in alcohol, though. This doesn't mean, however, which the birthday celebration wants to be any fewer festive. 21st birthday invitations themes devoid of alcohol may comprise:
　　• "Cheers" motifs utilizing sodas or further non-alcoholic drinks
　　• 21 birthday candles otherwise appropriately numbered candles
　　• Casino-oriented motifs since most casinos need gamblers for being 21 years old
　　Finding gratis issuable 21st Birthday Invitations
　　The Free printable invitations could be found from the number of websites, & printing individual invitations make sores that there are both neither too lots of nor too few for sharing with friends, party guests, and other family members.

Enjoy A Cocktail With Dinner

　　You enjoy a cocktail with dinner.According to Somer, alcohol can fool us into thinking we're hungry, even when we’re not. "We eat as many as 200 extra calories during a meal when it’s accompanied by one alcoholic drink," she says. And that’s not even counting the calories contained in the actual beverage! The average glass of wine or beer packs about 150 calories, but it’s the cocktails that can really get you into trouble. "Women think of beer as fattening, but you'll gain weight twice as fast with a gin and tonic or a Cosmopolitan," she says. For example, an 8-oz margarita clocks in at 380 calories. Drink two and you're looking at the equivalent of a Quarter Pounder with cheese and a small order of fries.

　　The European chefs aim to pass knowledge and experience to the talented Mauritian cooks in a culinary exchange that will develop original recipes while keeping a Mauritian focus.
　　The first trial on Tuesday involved the preparation and testing of the new recipes created by the teams.
　　The dishes were anonymously presented to our team of judges who tested them.
　　This hard day’s trial was topped off with a cocktail evening attended by sponsors, organisers and chefs alike.
　　Still to come:
　　Wednesday 16th March
　　Second trial day for the teams allowing them to perfect the dishes to be presented on the final day of the competition.
　　Thursday 17th March
　　The Final! The European Chefs withdraw from their respective teams, leaving the Island Chefs to prepare the dishes perfected with their counterpart on their own.
　　Friday 18th March
　　A 6-Star dinner at the Blue Penny Cafe Restaurant. During this evening the 6 Chefs will demonstrate their culinary talent and each one will prepare one of the 6 dishes – thus a 6-star menu! This will be presented to any guests of the hotel interested in sampling the extraordinary and collaborative menu.
　　Saturday 19th March
　　The winner’s will be announced!
　　Sunday 20th March
　　The European Chefs will get the change to demonstrate their culinary talent.