Step by Step Martini Party Planning List

One of the most important aspects of hosting a successful Martini Party is to plan, plan, plan. By creating a step-by-step plan of your Martini Party, this will allow you to give attention to details that you may not realize once the party begins. And most importantly, proper party planning up front, will help you have more fun at your own party.

What is the focus of your Martini Party? Will it have a theme? Is it for a holiday or other celebration? Deciding how to present your Martini Party to your friends can go a long way to establishing fun for everyone invited. Planning a theme or other "spin" on your Martini Party will add to the uniqueness and mystique of your gathering.

1. To begin party planning, plan your guest list wisely. Due to the intimate nature and the art of Martini making, a guest list of 10-12 fun, outgoing friends may be ideal. You'll want to invite your best friends and any fun-loving friends, family or co-workers, as your Martini Party will be full of fun surprises. Since your Martini Party will be only for a few hours, expect conversation to be light and fleeting and you shouldn't have to spend a lot of time doing much else but mixing Martinis.

2. Decide if you're going to cook or if you may want to bring in help or a caterer. Also, you'll need to decide who will be mixing Martinis during the party. Do you want to be the one mixing all night? It is a cool way to talk to everyone and be the "life of the party." Hiring smiling Martini bartenders are a cool touch to a fun and unforgettable party, as well. And always remember to ask for help cleaning up.

3. Prepare your invitations. There are different options for you to invite guests to your Martini Party. One way is to use online invitations, which are FREE and offer a variety of Martini-based invitation themes. Traditional snail-mail invitations are a cool and traditional way to invite your guests, as well.

4. Plan your beverage and food menus. If you've picked a theme for your Martini Party, this will help in deciding what to serve for both food and drinks. Planning your menu early will help you be able to shop early as well. A Martini Party doesn’t really need anything fancy in the way of food - some cheese and crackers will suffice, but here are some tasty party food ideas. Also, there may be some extras needed (garnishing, finger-food, etc.) that you may forget if not thought out in advance. You want to avoid needing to run to the store 20 minutes before the party begins! And you want to make sure you have plenty of everything you need, as you don't want to run out in mid-party.

5. Decorate ahead of time. One of the key elements of a cool, unforgettable Martini party is the decor and the mood that is set by how you decorate. Tasks like moving furniture if needed, purchasing decorations or party novelties for your theme, redecorating the room in which the party will be held, picking music, etc. should be done at least one day ahead of the party.

6. Prepare your party utensils. Clean the Martini glasses that you'll be using. Make sure you have enough napkins, ice cubes, stirrers, and any other Martini paraphernalia that you'll need for a successful and fun party. Lots of prep time may be needed to prepare olives, slice lemons, limes or whatever.

Here are some cool Martin Party things to remember to get that your guests won't soon forget:

- Martini glass charms set. Use these as a cool way for each guest to "mark" their Martini glass, by adorning the glass stem with a Martini charm.

- A selection of Martini rimmers. Rimmers are the final touch to prepare a Martini glass, by dipping the moist rim of the glass into granulated sugar in a variety of flavors to compliment your Martini concoctions.

- Martini napkins will add a cool and creative element to your party.

- When smartly placed around the room, Martini posters are an inexpensive way to set the mood of your party.

- Martini gifts, such as jewelry, books, are other things that can be used as inexpensive giveaways for Martini games or trivia.

Your Martini Party can be a fun time even for you, the host, if you are organized and plan ahead. Use our FREE My Martini Party planner and remember to make lots of lists so you won’t forget something at the last minute. Most importantly, get ready to have fun!