Rocking Cocktail Reception Catering Tips

How to Host a Rocking Cocktail Party – Secrets of the Trade from cocktail party caterers

Cocktail parties are indeed a huge hit among adults. Whether you’re a teetotaler or someone who loves a drink or two, you are sure to enjoy the high spirits and energy of a cocktail party. If you’re looking for some year-end holiday parties to organize at your office, then a cocktail party will be appreciated by your employees.

Which occasions do Cocktail Parties Work?

• Great for entertaining business associates and stakeholders


• Open houses


• Wedding receptions


• Gathering among friends and family

Simply put, a cocktail party works for any adult gathering.

What’s the time duration of a Cocktail Party?

Generally speaking, cocktail parties last for 2 to 3 hours. Your guests not only imbibe on great cocktails but also get a chance to socialize and chat with other guests. Apart from cocktails, guests expect a small snack spread to munch on, in between drinks.

A cocktail party is pretty easy to plan. Here, you can find, all that you need to know about organizing a cocktail party.

Cocktail Party Decisions

Here are a few questions to help you get started on the right direction:

• How many guests will attend the event?


• Is this a formal business networking event or a casual event among friends/colleagues?


• When is the event date? And, how long do you have for planning the event?


• Where is the venue? Is it an outdoor or indoor event? If outdoor, will the weather be fine?


• Do you want a theme for the event? Or keep it casual?


• What type of food you want to serve at the event? Finger food or a full buffet dinner?


• Do you want a full bar or a limited cocktail menu?


• And, finally what’s your budget?

How to Plan the Food for a Cocktail Party?

Generally, most cocktail parties don’t serve a full course meal. Simple snacks like finger foods, hors d’oeuvres, and petite fours are fine. These foods let guests munch on something as and when they need, instead of sitting down to have a full-course meal.

Some of the best foods to serve at a cocktail party are – bruschetta, crackers, fried meats, mixed nuts, tapenades, a cut-fruit platter, cheese plate, and more.

Remember that salty, spicy foods work well for cocktail parties. To be a good host, it’s essential that you have to provide some nourishment for your guests to graze on. If you don’t want to deal with the food by yourself, then hiring a caterer is an excellent choice.

When you hire a cocktail party caterer in Gurgaon, you need not worry about the food. The caterer supplies the food, cutlery, and takes responsibility for staffing your event with waiters to serve the food to your guests.

Planning the Drinks

This is, of course, a critical part of a cocktail party. You have two options:

• Go in for a Full Bar – In this option, guests have complete choice over their drink. They can choose from a wide array of drinks. This is an excellent option if you have a well-stocked bar or willing to invest in one. Additionally, you need to hire a couple of bartenders to mix up the drinks as when guests request one.


• Go for a Drink Menu – This option works well when you have a little bar. You provide guests with a drink menu, from which they can choose. Additionally, this option is budget-friendly, as you don’t have to spend on stocking a full bar.

Get Some Professional Help from cocktail party caterers

As a host or hostess, it’s impossible to do it all on your own. You cannot expect yourself to socialize with friends while mixing the drinks for the event attendees. It’s impossible to do both at the same time.

The best option to pull off a successful cocktail party is to get some help. You can hire a catering company in Gurgaon. The catering team will not only take care of the food department but will also staff your event, take care of the bartending as well as waiting.

Here are a Few Expert Tips to Pull Off a Cocktail Party catering

• Make sure that you have all the essential bar tools – shaker, mixer, stirrer, glassware, and others. If you’re hiring a catering company, then they would take care of this.


• Send out your invitations early. Sending invites 2 to 3 weeks before the event is a good practice. If it’s a busy time of the year, like Diwali, Christmas, New Year, you can send the invites way earlier (around the one-month mark).


• Make sure to remind your attendees a couple of days before the party.


• Ensure that you have plenty of plates, cutlery, glasses, and cocktail napkins on hand.


• Use the RSVP to estimate the number of guests who will be attending the event. Plan the food and drinks for five extra people so that you don’t run dry before the end of the event.


• Two to three drinks per person is a reasonable estimate. Use this figure to determine the number of bottles and the food quantity.


• Make sure that you have two or three mocktails to serve guests who don’t drink.


• Add a Wow factor to the party. This can either be a stunning centerpiece, a trendy drink, an outlandish theme, or anything. This wow factor is what will keep people talking about your party for a long while to come.

Trendy Drinks to Serve This Year

Some of the popular drinks this year include:

• Vegetable infused cocktails – Instead of just using fruit juices in cocktails, try to add vegetable juices like carrots, beets, cucumber for a unique healthy twist to your drinks.


• Fermented drinks are In – Experiment with various flavors to provide healthy and cold fermented beverages on your menu.


• Turmeric Infused Drinks – Turmeric has moved from Indian kitchens to bars. It makes for a refreshing and colorful cocktail.

Final Thoughts

Organizing a cocktail reception is easy. Make sure that you have the right help on hand by partnering with the best cocktail party caterers in Gurgaon.

Cheers for hosting a rocking cocktail party!