The most important thing for any cocktail party is the drinks. These should range from alcoholic drinks to non-alcoholic and mixers drinks. Consider stocking the following drink types:

- Good white and red wines with some champagne.

- Gin, scotch, whiskey, vodka, bourbon, and sometime rum (depending on climate conditions).

- Draft beer and some foreign beer are always appreciated.

- Mixers such as juices, coke, ginger ale, and club soda. Also, serve some bottled water and sparkling water.

Make sure you have all the correct glasses for the different drinks. Being able to present each drink in the right setting and glass is very important for a successful cocktail party.

Another important thing to consider is keeping some fresh fruit around for the drinks. A lot of people enjoy having a lemon or lime wedge with their drinks and will greatly appreciate it if it's provided.

Hors d'oeuvres are good to have with any party. Besides the specialized dishes you should consider some general plates. These include:

- A good fruit plate with fresh fruit is great to have on the table. When you do these go ahead and cut up apples, pears, and those types of fruits so that people won't have to do it themselves.

- Crackers, cheese, and meat can be put together on one plate. Be sure to stock a few different brands of meats and cheeses to provide some flavor and character to the plate.

- A vegetable plate with ranch dip is a cheap and great addition to any Hors d'oeuvres table.

While you can host a cocktail party on the spur of the moment it's recommended that you send people a hand written invitation. This makes them feel good about being invited and will help entice them to come. Remember, make sure to add a RSVP on the note so that you can figure out who is coming and who isn't.