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It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, cocktail season is always upon us in the superyacht world and there are a few simple things that need to be thought of when hosting an onboard cocktail party to ensure a recipe for success.
Ingredients.
Using the finest ingredients is key. There is nothing worse than letting a classic mojito down with limp mint leaves, having bad coffee for espresso martinis or below average juice mixers for the tequila sunrise. Without a fully stocked bar, you have lost in the cocktail making game before you’ve even started, as well as all the spirits be sure to have a variety of brands available.
Ice, ice baby – don’t run out. Ice is a top ingredient that can sometimes be overlooked in the cocktail party planning world from blocks, cubes, shaved, crushed, cracked or even ice balls, if you are on top of your ice game, you will be cool (😉) and the rest should flow because no one should get a lukewarm drink. Before you use your ingredients, check your bar tools, think shakers, strainers, measurers, juicers etc and don’t run out of anything!
Ambience.
So you may already have the multi-million dollar luxury location on which to host but that shouldn’t be taken for granted, there is more that adds up to create the perfect ambience. Before planning, gauge the occasion and the situation to what sort of party your guests will be expecting. It’s a nice touch to tie the boat’s location in with a theme, but if you choose a theme, ensure it is consistent and everything is in keeping with it. Or just keep it simple and coordinate the decor and colours.
Location may be key, but lighting will make or break the party so test it out before the guests arrive and adjust accordingly throughout. Once your guests are in the perfect environment, don’t give them a plastic tumbler for their cocktail, have a large assortment of cocktail glasses on hand for all types. And don’t forget the music, your party could crash and burn if you don’t get it right so remember to cater to your audience.
Snacks.
Is it really a cocktail party if there isn’t some fancy food to snack on? You’re going to need to set yourself up with killer canapes so test some recipes out beforehand and make sure your nosh compliments the drinks. Think dainty, anything that requires two hands is going to make things complicated. The drinking hand must always be free.
Guests.
Keep to a guest list and check with the host depending on numbers, it’s important to not overcrowd especially when it comes to floating parties. The quality of the cocktails, canapés and the company should be enough to keep the guests entertained but sometimes an extra form of entertainment doesn’t go amiss. From live music, performers, magicians, comedians, photographers to photo slideshow displays the list is endless depending on the boat, guest and party type.
Guest facilities are also important, onboard these will be up to superyacht standard anyway but for bigger parties, you may need to think about additional cloakroom and storage.
