How to Plan the Ultimate International Women’s Day Cocktail Party
Every year, on 8th March, International Women’s Day is observed to celebrate the contributions of women in different spheres of life. Planning an intimate or informal party is a great way to mark the occasion. To make the planning for the International Women’s Day party process easy and successful, here is a comprehensive list of things to keep in mind. This simple guide will help you sail through your hosting needs.
Setting the venue
- Choosing venue
When choosing the venue, the number of guests, the theme and ambience matter. If the host’s house is big enough to accommodate a particular number of guests, then celebrating Women’s Day at home is the best option. A spacious outdoor area, will be a great backdrop, along with having an open sky, making for the perfect space for brunches and lunches or even well-lit dinner parties.
Also, renting a place is a good option if that aligns with the host’s budget and number of invitees.
- Decoration
For a Women’s Day party, create a theme that resonates with women, their contributions and power. The colours and the props used should adequately be in sync with the special day. Every little thing needs to come together as a perfect party- matching the ambience and the decided surroundings is essential to blend everything in.
Deciding the menu
Deciding on the menu for a mixed crowd can be challenging. Some women may enjoy vegetarian dishes, and some prefer non-vegetarian. Again, some prefer cocktails, while some choose mocktails. So, consider the guests’ choices and select the drinks and food accordingly. A few ideas on cocktails, mocktails and vegetarian and non-vegetarian menus are shared here.
Cocktail Options For Her
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Pina Colada
It is a classic cocktail made with rum, coconut cream and pineapple juice. Light rum should be used to create this cocktail, as dark rum can be a bit caramelised. To create this fruity flavoured cocktail, take 30 ml of light rum. The other ingredients include 39 ml pineapple juice, 15 ml coconut cream, 1 tsp sugar, ½ lime cut into two wedges, ice cube and crushed. Add all the ingredients in a shaker along with ice, shake well and serve this tropical drink into a hurricane glass.
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Vodka Spritz
A crisp cocktail that includes vodka, sparkling wine, and sometimes fresh fruit juice is added for added taste. Ingredients needed are 15 ml vodka, 30 ml sparkling wine, 45 ml lemon squash, 1-2 lime wedges and ice. Pour vodka and other juices into a glass with ice. Top it with 10 ml soda water. Stir gently and then serve the drink immediately.
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Peachy Keen
Peachy Keen is a versatile cocktail that can be experimented with vodka or bourbon, tequila, or sparkling soda, and it brings a twist to every creation. To experiement a peachy keen cocktail with vodka, one can use the follwoing ingredients- 30 ml vodka, 60 ml apple juice, 60 ml peach iced tea mix, 30 ml soda, ½ lime, ½ apple to garnish. To make this cocktail, fill up a shaker with all the ingredients and ice in the required amount. Shake well for 15 seconds until well mixed and chilled. Top it with soda and serve.
Food Choices For Her
Some food ideas that pair well with the cocktails mentioned above are:
Starters-
- Paneer tikka skewers- These are baked or grilled paneer cubes that are served with mint chutney.
- Mini Sandwiches- These bite-sized sandwiches have a filling of grilled chicken or salmon, cucumber, or egg salad.
- Smoked paprika potato chips- These are paprika-sprinkled potato chips.
Main Course-
- Palak paratha with raita- These are palak stuffed parathas served with a cooling yoghurt raita.
- Baked lemon butter chicken- the chicken cubes are coated with butter and spices and perfectly roasted.
- Italian roast chicken- This is a quarter-sized chicken piece that is roasted with leeks, peppers, olives, capers and thyme.
- Braised chicken- in this recipe, chicken legs are cooked in Mediterranean sauce with olives and capers.
Non-Alcoholic Beverages For Her
In the non-alcoholic beverages category, there can be different juices, mocktails, tea, and coffee. Keeping juices like apple juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, etc., is a good option. For the people who prefer tea, arranging peppermint tea, chamomile tea, and other herbal teas can be a good option. Different mocktails can also be served at the party, so here are some options.
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Cranberry Rosemary Herb Soda
This flavourful and herbaceous mocktail is created with the ingredients 60 gm frozen cranberries, 60 ml honey syrup, 2 sprigs of chopped rosemary leaves, and 250 ml soda. For better flavour, you can muddle the cranberries, and rosemary leaves together before adding in the other ingredients.
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Roseberry Mule Mocktail
This is a tangy and bright mocktail with ingredients like1 handful of blackberries, 1 sprig rosemary, 1 tbsp honey, 150 ml ginger beer, and 15 ml lime juice. Muddling or grinding the berries and rosemary, then passing them through a sieve can help clarify the colour and flavour of the cocktail.
Budget Planning
While doing the budget planning, making out how many people will join, the cost of decoration, food and drinks, and everything should be kept in mind. Focus on the aspect that is most important to you. The food, the venue or decorations, whatever it is, allot the budget accordingly.
Some costs can be saved by organising the party at home or a nearby park, preparing food using bulk ingredients and recipes, and doing DIY or minimal decorations.
Invitations
This is one of the most creative parts, where you can create your template or customised flyers with Women’s Day in mind. Include a heartfelt message to make the invitees feel welcome and positive about attending the Women’s Day party. Add the venue details, date, time, and dress code (if any). If the Women’s Day party has a theme or colour, use visuals in the invitation that will resonate with this specific day and colour.
Activities to keep the guests busy
In the Women’s Day celebration, all themes must be related to women’s empowerment. So, the activities should also reflect the theme. Some of the activities include-
- Signature Cocktail Creation
Encourage the women to create their signature cocktails.
- Mixology Masterclass
Inviting a mixologist can be a good option so guests can get hands-on experience with cocktail mixing and try different ingredients.
The planning stage for the International Women’s Day celebration on 8th March is complete. Now is the time to convert these plans into actions. Follow these step-by-step guides and all the planning details to celebrate this Women’s Day.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
