The information below comes from a great resource, Cocktail Food, a book by twin sisters and co- owners of Thymes Two Catering, Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford. In addition to being instrumental in calculating the quantity of food and drinks needed for a party, this book has great recipes too! Cheers!

Hors d'oeuvres

• Cocktail Party: 5 hors d'oeuvres per hour per person for the first two hours and 3 hors d'oeuvres per person each hour afterward.
• Cocktails before dinner: 4 hors d'oeuvres per hour per person.
• 4 napkins per person, especially when passing food.

Drinks

• 2 drinks per hour per person for the first 2 hours and one drink per hour per person for every hour thereafter.
• 1/2 pound of ice per person for the first two hours or 1 pound of ice for a party that will last 3 hours or more.
• 2 glasses per person.
• A 750-mL bottle of wine, champagne or liquor will yield six 4-ounce glasses or sixteen 1 1/2 ounce shots of liquor.
• If you have a full bar, purchase at least one 750- mL bottle each of vodka, rum, scotch, bourbon, tequila and gin plus mixers such as fruit juices, tonic water, club soda, soft drinks and lime juice.

Often, I recommend serving a signature cocktail in lieu of a full bar. It's less expensive and easier to play bartender when you only have to shake up a few ingredients.

The recipe below is one of my favorites, an updated twist on the classic Cosmopolitan. One of my clients served it at his wife's 40th birthday party. They called it 'Pomegranate Potion' but all of the guests ordered 'Wendy's Drink'! Perhaps it could be your signature cocktail!

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/4 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz pomegranate juice
champagne
orange peel for garnish

PREPARATION:
Shake all the ingredients with ice in a shaker.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Top with champagne.
Garnish with an orange peel.