Jessica Seinfeld is the author of three New York Times bestselling cookbooks, most recently, The Can’t Cook Book, and the President and Founder of Baby Buggy, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing clothing and equipment to families in cities across the U.S. She lives in New York City with her husband, two dogs, and three children.
Here, Seinfeld gives us her entertaining tips to help us prepare for the perfect cocktail party.
Have you ever felt stressed out over planning a cocktail party? Jessica Seinfeld can relate—and she’s here with her foolproof entertaining tips that will completely prepare you for having people over to your house.
In order to enjoy yourself and not frantically run around throughout the event, thinking ahead is required. Seinfeld suggests making everything self-serve, so that people can help themselves and leave you free to socialize with friends and party-goers.
Master the cocktail party, and read on for Seinfeld’s full list of instructions.
How-to get set up:
1. To protect your furniture, cover your credenza, side table, or dinner table with placemats before laying out your faux bar.
2. Choose your signature cocktail and give it a unique name (try one of Jessica’s favorite recipes, below)—place in festive carafes alongside seltzer water.
Note: For the house cocktail, figure 12 to 16 ounces per person.
3. Uncork multiple bottles of wine and chill in an ice bucket (or in Jessica’s case, a punch bowl filled with ice) before guests arrive so they can serve themselves.
Note: For wine, figure 1 to 3 glasses per person. There are 4 glasses of wine per bottle.
4. Use a multipurpose glass that works for any type of beverage—also use these to hold cut up lemons and limes.
5. For a pop of color, set out bright straws.
6. Always have a full ice bucket and a wine opener on-hand.
7. For a personalized touch, add a stack of stylish cocktail napkins.
8. Finish off with votives for an additional decor element.
How-to make Jessica’s signature cocktail:
Combine 2 parts fresh grapefruit juice, 1 part tequila, and 1 part club soda in a glass pitcher. Stir in sliced grapefruit and lime for color.
Watch the video above for the full tutorial, and be sure to share your own favorite recipes with us on social media using #InStylexJess. For more of Jessica Seinfeld’s favorite meals and entertaining ideas visit doitdelicious.com, and be sure to follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
RELATED: View More of Jessica Seinfeld’s Recipe Videos for InStyle Here
—Coordinated by InStyle.com’s Senior Fashion Editor Violet Gaynor