Drinks Party Essentials

Christmas is a great time to gather friends or family for drinks. There’s not the pressure of having to prepare an elaborate meal and you can easily invite whoever you fancy without having to worry about having enough knives and forks and whatnot. Here are our tried and tested top tips for a great drinks party;

1. Do as much as you can before the first guests arrive. You want to enjoy the party and not be exiled in the kitchen away from your guests.

2. Keep the food simple. Small bites that guests can nibble as they mingle are perfect. Pile canapés, cheeses and party food on to rustic cutting boards and beautiful platters. Its probably prudent to have more cold food than hot food so that you don’t spend your entire time pulling trays out of the oven.

3. Set up a bar area. With more than a few people, it will be impossible to keep everyone’s drinks topped up, so lets guests help themselves. Have garnishes such a lemon and lime prepped before hand, and ice & tongs in an ice bucket for people to help themselves too. And always have more alcohol and ice than you’ll think you need.

4. Set the mood. String up fairy lights or pop tea lights every where you can - your guests will appreciate the flattering glow of candle light ;-). Foraged branches & berries are a festive way to simply dress a room. And of course, music is key. Have a couple of playlists on the go or entrust a music loving pal to act as DJ.

5. Relax and enjoy. Your guests will take their cue from you. If you are stressed, they won’t be able to relax properly and if you’re dancing on the table, then they’ll probably join you!

We’ve put together a few party essentials from Maven that will bring a sense of style to any gathering. Have a ball!