Dinner Party Tips

Anyone who's in the corporate world knows that it involves a whole lot of networking and socializing. While its great fun to be wining and dining at social do's hosted by other people or at restaurants, remember you will be expected to host your fair share of parties too. Going from throwing the occasional get together with friends to regularly hosting formal parties can be quite daunting.

Hosting a formal party entails quite a bit of preparation- there's invitations to be sent, and drinks and food to be organized. You have to make sure you have enough glasses, cutlery and crockery to go round. The proper table setting is very important to making the right impression.

Making a list and keeping everything ready in advance is one way of making sure you will have enough time to mingle with the guests.

In addition to all this, it is always a good idea to have a few tricks up your sleeve to ensure that your party is a huge success. Here are a few suggestions that are sure to take away the stress of corporate dining and enhance your reputation as a great party- thrower.

• The rule of thumb regarding how much ice you require for your party is one pound of ice per person.

• Freeze maraschino cherries, mint leaves, cocktail onions and green leaves in ice cubes and use them to chill as well as garnish various dishes.

• Freeze plenty of green as well as purple grapes and add these to your punch just before serving.

• Larger blocks of ice take longer to melt. Use large ice cubes made from 1 liter fruit-juice cartons in your punch to keep it cooler for a longer time. Adding a few grapes and sliced or cubed fruit in the ice, will make your large ice cube look very eye-catching.

• If you are intend placing an unopened bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice, remember that the ice should only come up to the level of the neck of the bottle. If you dunk the whole bottle in ice, you may find it difficult to uncork the bottle.

• Make differently shaped dollops of butter by squeezing the butter through a pastry bag onto a cookie sheet. Keep in the refrigerator to harden. These little delicately-shaped individual servings of butter certainly look more eye-appealing than a boring old slab of butter placed on the table. And you can do these heaps in advance.

• To make an easy, yet unusual dip or spread, drain a can of white beans, puree the beans and blend well with a package of herb flavored soft cheese.

• To prevent milk-based dips from spoiling, place the container with the dip in a slightly larger bowl that is half-filled with frozen water. Choose the two bowls carefully so that they are functional as well as decorative.

• For unusual dip containers, take large red, green and yellow peppers. Cut off the tops, remove seeds and ribs and fill with dip. They add color and flavor to any setting.

• To quickly decorate the top of your cakes, place a wide-patterned doily on top and dust some powdered sugar on top of it. Remove doily carefully. It will have formed a nice pattern behind.

Non-alcoholic cousins of the party cocktail, mocktails were in all probability invented by party-loving person who did not drink alcohol and had had just about enough of drinking flavored sodas and aerated waters served by completely unimaginative hosts. (Don;'t I know it!)

Essentially cocktails, only without the alcohol, mocktails are a delectable blend of assorted fruit juices and crushed ice, served topped with an array of garnishes. Mocktails allow your guests to enjoy your party to the fullest without worrying about who is going to be driving home when the party ends.

Just because you don't drink alcohol, does not mean you need to have boring drinks.

Here are a few recipes for popular, easy to whip up mocktails that add color and flavor to any party.

Raspberry Daiquiri

Blend raspberry puree and lime juice. Add crushed ice. Serve in a sugar-rimmed glass, garnished with fresh raspberries. Daiquiris can be prepared using different varieties of fresh or frozen fruit. Use peaches for a Peach Daiquiri or kiwis for a Kiwi Daiquiri.

Foaming Dragon

Add 4 oz. orange juice, 4 oz. cranberry juice, 1 tablespoon icing sugar and a few ice cubes in a shaker. Shake well and strain into a highball glass that contains a few fresh ice cubes. Serve topped with 7-Up and garnished with fresh cranberries skewered on to a cocktail pick.

Virgin Pina Colada

Put 1 ¼ cups pineapple juice, ½ cup heavy cream, ½ cup milk, 2 tablespoons white sugar and 1 cup ice into an electric blender and blend till smooth. Pour into a large glass and garnish with one or a few pineapple chunks. Berry Good Smoothie

Pour ¼ cup mixed berry fruit juice and ¼ cup water into a blender that contains about 8 crushed ice cubes. Blend for a short while. Add ¼ cup frozen raspberries, 1/8 cup frozen blueberries and 1 cup frozen mixed berries. Blend till smooth and serve in chilled glasses. Garnish with berries before serving.

Sunrise Blend

Blend together 3 oz. fresh pineapple juice, 3 oz. fresh orange juice, 1 banana, 2 fresh strawberries and 1 cup ice till slushy. Strain into a large glass and serve garnished with strawberries.

Tropical Spritzer

Add 3 oz. peach juice and 3 oz. mango juice in a high ball glass half-filled with ice. Top with soda water and stir to mix. Serve the drink garnished with a star fruit.

Cherry Fizz

Slowly add ½ cup ginger ale to a glass containing ½ cup chilled cherry juice concentrate. Serve garnished with a mint leaf and cherry.

Gentle Breeze

In a large glass filled with ice, add 4 0z. grapefruit juice and 4 oz. cranberry juice. Garnish this colorful concoction with fresh cranberries and a mint leaf.

Lusty Lime Virgin

Put 1 can frozen limeade concentrate, 1 cup orange juice, 1 cup diet cola, 1 cup water and 10 cubes ice in an electric blender and blend till slushy. Serve in a tall glass garnished with a wedge of lemon or an orange wheel.

Yellow Bird

In a large glass stir together I oz each of grapefruit juice, pineapple juice and orange juice. Add 2 oz. 7-UP or sprite and few ice cubes. Garnish with a pineapple chunk or an orange slice. When the drink is ready and just before serving, float grenadine on top if it and let it seep through for effect.