18 Cocktail Party Ideas Everyone Will Love

Throwing a cocktail party is easy. Throwing a great cocktail party requires a little more effort and planning. And if you’re looking to make your next cocktail party a great one, it’s a good idea to get a headstart on the planning—thinking through some cocktail party ideas – party theme ideas, drink ideas, dress code, and the food menu—and putting together a to-do list to ensure none of your amazing ideas get forgotten.

There are lots to think about and decide upon in advance: Are you hosting at home or renting a venue? Which party theme sounds the most fun? What food and drinks should you serve? Will there be a dress code? Will you have live entertainment?

While there may seem a lot to do to ensure your next cocktail party runs smoothly, our list of great cocktail party ideas can help you with the planning to ensure you and your guests have a fun night or day and that afterward, everyone excitedly looks forward to your next cocktail soirée.

Key Takeaways

• Planning is the difference between a good cocktail party and a great cocktail party.
• Start your planning early so you have plenty of time to organize everything.
• Pick a theme, and make sure your guests know in advance.
• If hosting at home, restock your home bar, get plenty of fresh ice, and plan your drinks menu early.
• If food and appetizers will be served, make sure there’s something for everyone, and pay attention to any allergies.
• Don’t forget the non-alcoholic drinks, and encourage all to drink responsibly!

Midsummer

The summer solstice marks the beginning of the summer and has been a time for merriment in many cultures, often celebrated with festivals and events. More often than not, the solstice falls on the 21st of June each year, and for those in the northern hemisphere, it is the longest day of the calendar year.

You can make use of those extra sunlight hours by hosting an outdoor cocktail party to celebrate the start of the summer. 

In terms of what to wear and what to serve, you can take some inspiration from the Swedes, for whom “Midsommar” is a de facto public holiday and always celebrated with gusto. Flowers in the hair, free-flowing schnapps, cinnamon rolls, and plenty of singing and dancing are the order of the day.

The Fourth of July

Independence Day is a day of national celebration in the US and, as a public holiday, is a great day to throw a cocktail party. You can get the party started by serving your guests a layered red, white, and blue shooter as they arrive, or if it’s a particularly hot day, a red, white, and blue margarita slushie.

If you want to make your cocktail party a fancy dress affair, you can suggest your guests turn up dressed as a Founding Father, a former President, the Statue of Liberty, or any other famous or iconic figure from US history or pop culture. 

Red, white, and blue table covers and bunting can help create the right atmosphere, and a flag or two always goes down well.

Despite Christmas falling in the middle of the colder months, it’s a time of year when many people are in the festive mood, and there are plenty of parties happening. If you’re planning on hosting a Christmas cocktail party, it’s a good idea to plan well ahead so people can save the date before they are inundated with more party invites.

Indoor parties are the order of the day at this time of the year, and you’ll want to make sure you have plenty of festive decorations to turn your venue into a winter wonderland. You’ll also want to prepare a festive drinks menu, with warming mulled wine being a great welcome drink and cranberry martinis always going down well. Also, prepare plenty of Christmas-themed hors d’oeuvres and appetizers to keep your guests well-fed.

New Years

The end-of-year celebrations mark another great time to throw cocktail parties, but again, as a popular time of the year to party, you’ll want to plan and announce your gathering well in advance. Most people are in the mood to party on New Year’s Eve, and people seldom need convincing to enjoy a few good drinks and festive cocktails.

Most cocktail parties at New Year will have something special planned for when the clock strikes midnight, such as serving a flute of Champagne. You could also surprise guests with a specially-crafted signature drink, such as one of these extravagant New Year’s Eve cocktails.

One of the best things about hosting a Halloween cocktail party is that everyone is in the mood for fun, and your friends won’t need much convincing to dress up. 

While you could leave the theme open as a general Hallowe’en theme, you could also be a bit more specific, theming your Halloween event as a ‘Ghosts & Witches’ party or picking a spooky TV show or movie as the theme, such as Stranger Things or Beetlejuice.

You could also set up a home bar and find some extra-spooky Halloween glassware, such as spooky shot and martini glasses, to help show off your special Halloween shots and cocktails. Party games always go down well at this time of the year, too, so you can think through your event layout and consider a couple of game stations or even a photo booth so you can capture people’s inventive costumes.

Red, White, Or Black & White

Color-coded cocktail party themes are a simple yet fun way to plan your next cocktail event. As the host, you’re free to pick any color or color combination that you choose, with red themes, white themes, and black & white themes all being popular choices. 

Simply pick your color and when you invite your guests, let them know which color you have chosen and ask them to wear a shade of that color. Be sure not to pick an obscure color that your guests will be unlikely to have in their wardrobes, though.

You can then also serve drinks and food based on your colored theme. Red cocktails and bowls of sangria work for a red theme; clear or white cocktails and snacks for a white theme; and layers of Kaluha and heavy cream make a great black and white shooter to serve as guests arrive for a black and white-themed cocktail party.

Traffic Lights

A traffic-light-themed cocktail party is a great way to get your guests talking right from the get-go, with people opting to wear green, orange, or red, depending on their relationship status. When the party starts, and the guests begin to arrive, people will naturally start talking about other people’s color choices as they arrive. 

When it comes to making drinks and snacks, you can follow the same three-color code. If you’re struggling with colored snacks, a dash of food coloring may help, and for drinks, colored liqueurs and cordials can help: grenadine for red, creme de menthe for green, and Aperol for a splash of orange. 

While the traffic light theme may not be the best choice if you’re throwing a cocktail party for family members, it’s a fun party theme when inviting like-minded friends.

1920s Cocktail Party

A decadent Great Gatsby cocktail party theme is a fun theme as you get to dress up as Jazz Age socialites and sip on sophisticated beverages. You can decorate your venue as a 1920s speakeasy and create your cocktail menu with Prohibition-era classics, like mint juleps, Tom Collins, or the Chicago fizz.

Make sure you have some 1920s music on hand to set the scene, with the soundtrack from the 2013 remake of the film being an easy choice. Fancy, Art-Deco-themed party invites also help set the tone, while your guests being greeted with an “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” sign will also remind them that the theme for the night is The Great Gatsby and that they’re there to have fun.

1960s Cocktail Party

Why not recreate the Summer of Love and host a 1960s-themed cocktail party? There’s no shortage of great music to play and keep your guests boogying into the night, and costumes can center around bell-bottom jeans, mini skirts, and flower power. For drinks ideas, beer and wine will always go down well, and you could also mix a big batch of fresh Hippie Juice to keep the theme going.