Rum Runner Press, Inc.
Dr. Ron A. Ñejo
I am often asked how to host the perfect cocktail party, so much so, that I’ve decided to write a short series of articles on the subject for the benefit of “Got Rum?” readers. These are not laws, rather they are guidelines, good, time- tested guidelines that have worked well for many host s in the past. I hope they will help you as well.Hosting the Perfect Cocktail Party - Part III
Traditions & Innovations
Great hosts are always aware of drinking traditions (such as toasting newlyweds, people celebrating birthdays or anniversaries, etc.) and are able to handle them with all the required pomp. Excellent hosts also create their own drinking traditions and share them graciously with their guests.
Serving a Rum Flip at 10 o’clock in the morning while standing by the swimming pool, rather than at night when sitting by the fireplace is not only original, it is also every host’s inalienable right.
Many generations ago, the finest sipping rums, veritable family reservas, would only be offered to dinner guests after they had satiated their appetites, the modern host, in contrast, is applauded with mellow contentment when uncorking his decades-old bottle of rum after playing 18 holes of golf or while watching a football game.
Many bachelors enjoy serving breakfast or brunch to their guests, few if any of whom would question their hosts for mixing orange juice with rum instead of champagne to make Caribbean Mimosas. If ever their wisdom is questioned, they effortlessly cite numerous precedents. In the USA it would be appropriate to mention that John Adams regularly consumed a tankard of hard cider every morning before breakfast.
Novelty for novelty’s sake should never be the goal of the modern host, but novelties that turn the boring into exciting and that put smiles on peoples’ faces are always welcomed with open arms.
Reciprocity
It was once a tradition that parties attended had to be parties repaid. Even though the notion is rooted firmly in the belief that social encounters were only successful if they led to even more social encounters, today’s host realizes that most of his friends and guests lead lives that are not always conducive to hosting themselves (possibly due to residence size restrictions, presence of small children, even parking limitations for guests!).
While those who never host a party would have been in the past invited to fewer and fewer parties, todays hosts realize that the goal is not to load their guests with liquor and an obligation to return it, but simply to allow friends to enter one’s life by allowing them to enter one’s home.