Kara Newman

Tips for Throwing a Perfect Holiday Cocktail Party

Filed under: Spirits

Tips for throwing a perfect cocktail party.

Kara Newman, author of Spice & Ice: 60 tongue-tingling cocktails (Chronicle Books, 2009) and Spirits Reviewer for Wine Enthusiast Magazine has offered us some of her best tips for throwing the perfect holiday cocktail party.

First and foremost, it is important to prepare in advance, says Newman, whose articles have also appeared in The New York Times, Imbibe, The San Francisco Chronicle, Gourmet, and Saveur, and many other publications.

Here's what Kara suggests:

The pros pull together their mise-en-place before an event, and so should you. Before guests arrive, make sure you have everything you need to make drinks close at hand. That means glassware, spirits, garnishes, etc. Cut fruit into wedges; wash and dry herbs; squeeze fresh juice and decant into squeeze bottles.
If space permits, put glasses in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before guests arrive. Pull them out as you're making drinks, and they'll be perfectly chilled and have a professional-looking frosty sheen.
Alternatively, set out a "do it yourself" station with a theme, such as a Bloody Mary station with various spirits, mixers, and garnishes. Print up a basic recipe or two, and stand it in a picture frame. Guests can use the recipe as a guideline, or create their own drink riffs.
If you're serving alcohol, always be sure that you're serving food, too.
Good rule of thumb: You can never have too much ice!
If you don't want to tend bar, consider making a party punch and serving in a show stopping, decorative bowl.

Check out our related story on holiday-themed cocktails along with recipes including one created by Kara, herself.

Tags: awards-main, cocktail recipes, cocktails, food-pedia, Kara Newman, luxist-awards, main-pedia, recipes, spirits

Cocktail Recipes for Holiday Entertaining

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Spirits, Holiday Guides

The Candy Cane Lane holiday cocktail by Van Gogh BLUE Vodka

Planning to throw a holiday party or an unforgettable New Years' Eve bash? We collected favorite cocktail recipes from some of the best mixologists around, all of which perfect for holiday entertaining.

Richard Leach, the head of the cocktail department at New York's Polynesian supper club, The Hurricane Club told us how to make his delicious banana, rum and fresh mint cocktail while Matthew Silverstein, the bar manager at Mario Batali's Del Posto gave us the recipe for his famous XO Champagne Cocktail. Olivier Flosse of New York's A Voce, shared his "Whisky del Frante" recipe while Chef Jon Ashton, in-house chef for Relish magazine, gave us his "Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Dessert Shot". Finally, Kara Newman, author of Spice & Ice, a zesty book brimming with cocktail recipes, gave us the secret for making her "Spiced Caramel Apple" cocktail (check out our related story that features Kara's best tips for throwing a cocktail party).

From Van Gogh Vodka's "Candy Cane Lane" to the "Sugar Cookie", your guests will love these festive cocktails. Try out a few recipes and let us know us which ones you like the best in the comment field below.

Candy Cane Lane (seen above)
2 1/2 oz Van Gogh BLUE Vodka
1 oz White crème de menthe
1/2 oz Peppermint schnapps
Cream
Splash of Grenadine
Peppermint candy for garnish

Add a dash of grenadine into the bottom of a chilled martini glass and set aside. Pour the rest of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into the glass with grenadine to create a "swirl" effect. Garnish with peppermint candy.

For more holiday cocktail recipes, click on any of the images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Holiday Party Cocktail Recipes