Now, whoever said that cocktails and baby showers can't mix? While the mommy-to-be definitely shouldn't be drinking alcoholic beverages, the baby shower guests that aren't expecting definitely can. And there are tons of virgin or non-alcoholic drink recipes available on the internet that would be great to try out.
For this baby shower, an in-your-face invitation is called for. Look for a card with a prominently featured, eye-catching cocktail on the front. Invite your guests over for a cocktail or two and coffee and dessert afterward. For this baby shower cocktail party, have several designated drivers on hand and the telephone numbers of at least two taxi services ready.
Set the party area up for a cocktail party. Several couches should be the seating preference of choice, with cocktail tables scattered around the room and near the couches. Set big, soft cushions on the couches to allow the guests to sit back and relax. Choose a relaxing, cocooning color like a dark chocolate brown and cream for your color scheme. Now is the time to bring out those chi-chi cut crystal vases and full them with chocolate cosmos and burgundy roses accented with bittersweet twigs. Set out plenty of votive candles and scatter gold-toned glass pebbles to make the tables sparkle.
You don't need a buffet table for a baby shower cocktail party since you will be spreading the food around the room for ease of access. A good way to estimate the amount of food that you need is to count between fifteen to twenty bites of food over a three-hour party. You should also estimate two drinks per hour for the first two hours and then two non-alcoholic drinks and caffeine-based drinks during the last hour to make sure no one drives home intoxicated. An arrest and a night spent in a detox area is not the memory you'd want a guest to take home.
Have the lights turned down when the party starts to get everyone in the mood. There should be lively music playing a bit louder than you think is necessary. Offer a drink when people come in with a self-serve bar where you make the first signature drink then the guests make their own during the next round. Have recipes of the drinks posted so that they can recreate the drinks on their own. For this chocolate baby shower cocktail party, you could have a chocolate martini as your signature alcoholic drink and a chocolate preggy-tini for the non-alcoholic beverage.
Have a variety of savory and sweet snacks around. An easy way to present the hors d'ouvres is to have a mix of savory on one tray and a mix of sweet on another. Line the savory platter with frilly lettuce or with dry material like colored lentils. The sweet platter can be lined with an aromatic material like coffee beans or whole cloves.
Different flavors work well together, like a shrimp paste canape together with a grilled vegetable bruschetta and a chicken liver pate on little toasts are classics. For the sweet tray, chocolate truffles and little fruit tarts are a definite no-brainer. You could also add a warm chocolate fondue with fresh fruits and shortbread cookies for dipping.
And for the favors, have alcoholic and non-alcoholic chocolate
truffles packed into a pretty wooden box for a baby shower cocktail
party that will be talked about long after it's over.