Entertaining 101: How do I get started entertaining?

So you think you can have a cocktail party in Salt Lake City? You’ve been reading about resurgence of the cocktail.  Perhaps you’ve sipped a well-made cocktail or two while dining out, and have been thinking about making cocktails at home.  You’ll be surprised at how much enjoyment well presented and well mixed cocktails can add to your home entertaining… and yes, you’re right, you can have a cocktail party, even in Salt Lake City.  A good way to get started mixing cocktails is to find some like-minded neighbors and form a drink-of-the-month club (DOMC). A drink-of-the-month club can be a fun – and inexpensive – way to try new cocktails while getting together with neighbors.  My wife and I formed the first drink-of-the-month club here in Salt Lake City with our neighbors (and good friends), Tim and Melinda, several years ago. The four of us learned a few simple rules that kept our “meetings” safe and enjoyable.  Follow this link to see how to form your own drink-of-the-month club.

You don’t need a well stocked bar to start a DOMC; one good trick is to let your bar grow organically as you buy the necessary ingredients for new cocktails.  One fun “activity” of the Drink of the Month Club is trying new cocktails.  There are some great cocktail ideas in this post: Cocktails 101: How can you use ten classic recipes to expand your cocktail repertoire?  Another post expands on the list of cocktails: Cocktails 101: How to mix six classic Cocktail recipes from the 1950’s.  Be sure to check out the slide shows in these articles.

Soon we’ll review stocking your bar, but this should be enough to get you started with your first DOMC meeting or (start small) cocktail party.  Here is another copy of the DOMC Rules.  Many of them also apply to your cocktail parties.

Rules of the Drink-of-the-Month Club

• No Driving.
• No under-age drinkers – always obey local laws.
• Be a good neighbor – no noise, no mess, no loud music.
• Only invite neighbors who live within very short walking distance.
• One cocktail per person per recipe (unless only two couples are participating).
• Keep it small (6-8 people maximum).
• Know your limits, and when to stop drinking.
• Never urge someone to have another drink when they want to stop.