While not every party features alcoholic beverages, many of them do. While “bring your own booze” was an acceptable request in college, it’s a bit tacky to ask your guests to do so now. Generally speaking, the host is expected to provide refreshments, including alcohol.

With this in mind, the next step is deciding which types of alcoholic beverages to provide your guests. In addition to a case or two of beer and a variety of wines, you can’t go wrong with cocktails. But the list of cocktail varieties is practically endless. For those planning an epic party in the coming weeks, decisions will need to be made in regard to the cocktail selection.

There’s nothing wrong with trying fun and interesting cocktail recipes for your upcoming party. However, you can’t go wrong with including a few tried and true options as well. Let’s take a look at popular cocktails to serve at your next party:

Sangria

The cocktail known as sangria is pretty straightforward. It’s essentially red wine mixed with fruit juice. Sangria is popular for many reasons, including its easygoing flavor and punch profile. It’s also fairly easy to mix, making it an excellent cocktail choice for parties. While it may not have a noticeable impact on flavor, we suggest adding fruit slices to the mix in order to increase the visual appeal. However, the more fruit you add, the more likely it’ll infuse with the wine and enhance the flavor, so the more, the merrier!

Cocktail Popsicles

Also known as spirited ice, cocktail popsicles are a fun and interesting option for your upcoming party. As the name suggests, frozen cocktail popsicles are slushy cylinders of flavorful spirits combined with equally tasty mixers, providing guests with a memorable drink that goes down smooth. From blue agave frozen margaritas to white rum pina coladas, there’s something for just about everyone. What’s more, while they taste great and pack a punch, their limited size helps keep guests from going overboard.

Margaritas

From baby showers to happy hour, margaritas are a perennially popular cocktail choice for virtually any occasion. With this in mind, we suggest having the ingredients on hand to make margaritas for your guests. All you need is tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and kosher salt. Lime slices to throw into the final product for a pleasing visual won’t hurt, either. At that point, you might as well go all the way and buy a pack of plastic cocktail drinkware.

Mimosas

Few cocktails rank as simple yet delicious as the classic mimosa. It’s a mixture of champagne and orange juice. While mimosas are traditionally associated with weekend brunches rather than evening cocktail parties, their popularity makes them a recommended addition to your party’s cocktail menu.

Madras

We’ve gotten this far without a vodka cocktail recommendation. So here it goes: the madras, a mix of cranberry juice, orange juice, vodka, and lime. Think of it as an enhanced version of the classic Cape Codder, otherwise known as the vodka cranberry.

Jack and Coke

There’s a good chance many of your male guests will turn their noses up at the thought of drinking cocktails. That is unless Jack and Coke is on the menu. Otherwise known as whiskey and cola, Jack and Coke is a vintage cocktail that seems to go over well with those who typically shy away from mixed drinks. With this in mind, we suggest including it in your list of offerings. That way, even those “macho” types have something to enjoy.

Rum Punch

If all else fails, you can’t go wrong with a classic combination of fruit punch and rum. It’s like spiking the punch at prom, only this time, it’s consensual and legal. With that said, it’s important to monitor consumption to avoid having a dozen or so people spending the night; rum punch goes down exceptionally smoothly, meaning your guests may not be aware of how much they’re drinking. While you’re not a babysitter, you should still do your best to detect inebriation and act accordingly, even if it means requesting several rideshares to come to take your guests home safely.

So you’ve decided to host a party. You’ve gone so far as to send out invitations. Now it’s time to plan and prepare. If your guests expect to be served alcohol, that means making choices about which cocktails to serve. Fortunately, there are several winning options to choose from.

Alex Farina is a freelance writer from Ohio. He enjoys writing about design, fashion, nature, and technology.

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Do your research

Before you let your mind run wild with ideas in the excitement of planning this special event, have you done your research to find out the definite musts and must-nots for the bride? Brides are not all created equally, and while some might want a crazy night of alcohol and strippers (make sure to book your Wilmington strippers in advance), some might only want a fancy dinner. You should never assume that you know the answer, because while your friend might normally be timid or wild on a normal weekend, this event is a one-off, and they might surprise you. Try to get information either directly from the bride or indirectly through the groom or family about what they would like to do. It is also useful to know what is off the table. You might think a cocktail class is a way to go but not realize they have done this about three times before at other people’s bachelorette parties. They probably will want to do something different.

Talk to the guests in advance

Organizing the bachelorette party should be a team effort, and you should be fully aware of who the bride wants to attend and who they do not want there. For example, is the mother-in-law going to be invited? Do not assume you know; she could be a monster-in-law. Ask the other guests for ideas and their thoughts, but more importantly, ask them for their budgets. Especially with the custom normally being that everyone pitches in for the bride as well as their own costs, it quickly adds up for individual guests. Not everyone can afford a weekend away or even a full spa day, and no one should have to miss out because of their financial circumstances. Ask the guests privately if they have a financial limit and what you expect the budget to be for the whole event and be willing to compromise.

Think about the place for organizing a bachelorette party

So, you’ve decided to have a bachelorette party for your best friend before she gets married? That’s great! There are many things you can do to make it count. First, you need to pick the place for the party. You can go to your favorite club or restaurant, but if you want to have some privacy, you can have it at your own place or any other rented place. Decorating the place is another thing that you need to think about. However, if you don’t like decorating or simply don’t have time, there are other ways around it. You can purchase bachelorette-themed decorations, balloons, and bachelorette party banners and hire a professional decorator to do it for you.

Get fun props

A bachelorette party can be a good opportunity to be a bit silly as the wedding is likely to be quite formal in most cases. One thing that is always likely to get everyone into a fun spirit is the use of props. This can range from different extremes, but there is a lot to choose from on the market. You can, of course, get the bride and other guests’ sashes or t-shirts, but you can also buy photo props and fun things to consume like frozen margarita pops to create a twist to normal cocktail drinking.

Make sure the spotlight is on the bride

Finally, the most important tip to remember is to make sure the spotlight remains on the bride. It is clever to have a rough schedule for the event so that people do not get carried away and start their own party in their haste to have an enjoyable time. Having the bride complete challenges and answer questions can be a fantastic way to keep the focus on her special occasion.

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