Bringing people together is one of the most beautiful things we can do. Creating community has an immense amount of benefits that live with us for a lifetime. Inside jokes are created, we get to reconnect with old friends, connect with new friends, and maybe see real life connections in front of our eyes! Hosting in your own space also has its downfalls, and no I don’t mean having to run the dishwasher an extra time, or taking out the garbage at the end of the night. More so – how to ensure the event ends, so you can go back to getting cozy in your pajamas without having to tell people – please leave my home.
Hosting a cocktail hour is an excellent way to minimize your hosting burden, and ensure people go to their respective homes, without feeling like you are kicking anyone out. With this journal entry, I’ll give you an easy step by step process to hosting your first cocktail hour at home, to reap all the benefits of bringing your people together, without ending up a disgruntled host.
The invite- Invitations, and the wording on invitations are so vitally important. an invitation should give your attendee all the information they need to successfully enjoy the event. you know your people better than anyone else, so your preferences may need adjusting. For example, if you don’t want to check in as to whether people are, or are not going to make it, a simple app, like partiful helps remind guests, and helps to “BCC” guests on mass messages in case there are last minute issues that need addressing such as parking, or change of location. when using an app like this, I find it helpful to create two seperate regular invites, one as a design header for the app, and one with all the information on it as regular that you can text or email to your guests. Below I’ve included a few examples.
if it’s a small crowd, I like to verbally, or over text just ask if a certain date and time is good for folx. then once ive got a consensus on timing and interest, I’ll make the invites. i usually do this, a month or two out from the date in question. it is never easy to have the majority of people on board, and then have a few folx that can’t make it. do you adjust for those few people? do you invite them anyway knowing they can’t make it? i always find, that you cannot get a group of people together, without a few scheduling issues. often times I find it best to politely say, i plan to do this again, and would love you at the next one! that way people don’t feel slighted to left out. invites should be sent atleast 3-4 weeks in advance.
for a cocktial hour, the invitation should have a clear start and end time. for example, 5:00-7:00pm is an appropriate time for a cocktail hour. leaving it open at 5pm helps you be prepared, and also, depending on your people, gives them the chance to be fashionably late for 5:30pm. Any later than 7pm and you may find yourself hosting for late night drinks, which is not the point of this particular type of event. the goal is to be cleaned up, and in your pajamas early!
as for food, be clear you are not serving dinner, you can say on your invite “light affair,” “small bites,” or “after work munchies.” your wording, again depends on your people, and the vibe you wish to curate. I have found prepping in advance for cocktail hour makes life a breeze. creating a crudite board the night before is always a good way to go. you can put a wet paper towel over the veggies, and cover overnight in the fridge to ensure everything is just as crunchy. That way, all you need to do i uncover, and serve! charcetueries are also a good option, just wait to serve the crackers on the platter until the time of the event, to make sure they don’t get soft in the fridge overnight. However you can lay out, and unrwap your meats and cheeses and cover a well! This makes light crazing food really easy for a quick gathering. i’d personally choose to avoid trying anything new, or deciding this will be your time to use your sourdough starter for the first time to make a braided and baked brie. the point, is to keep it easy to prep, easy to set up, and easy to clean.
cocktails will depend on your taste, and your crowd. personally i love anything that is an easy two step process for hosting. This could be a batch cocktail, maybe something fun like a good spaghetti cocktail, even martini’s pass the easy hosting test. just make some room in your fridge to chill glasses, and keep your vodka or gin of choice in the freezer for a classy touch. I’d also recomend prepping any garnishes the night before if you can to make set up that much easier.
by being clear with your guests what to expect, prepping smartly the day before, and keeping items minimal, clean up should be a breeze, you’ll get the chance to catch up, or make new friends, all the while not making a large extravagent event that costs you a lot of time, and money. Of course the world is your oyster, and you can create whatever event you choose, however if you were to ask me, we don’t get together enough in this world. so being able to host and make it easy for yourself and guests, gives you the opportunity to host time, and time again.
