The invitation
Give a date, a start time, an address, and an honest idea of the evening, such as dinner at the table or drinks and snacks standing up, so that people know whether to eat beforehand and what to wear. Ask about allergies and dietary restrictions when you invite, not when you serve. Six to eight people is the largest group that can hold a single conversation at a table. Beyond that you are throwing a party, and should plan food that people can eat standing.
Before the doorbell
- Cook something you have made before, and choose dishes that are finished or holding in the oven before anyone arrives.
- Plan on one bottle of wine for every two guests, and have something good without alcohol that is more than tap water.
- Buy about a pound of ice per guest if you are serving mixed drinks.
- Stock the bathroom with a fresh hand towel, soap and a visible spare roll of paper.
- Turn off overhead lights in favor of lamps, and keep music low enough to talk over without effort.
- Set the thermostat a few degrees cooler than usual, because a full room warms quickly.
Be dressed and finished fifteen minutes before the stated time. The first guest should find a calm host, not a man in an apron with wet hair.
While people are there
Answer the door yourself, take the coat, and put a drink in each guest's hand within five minutes. Introduce each newcomer to at least one person with a line that links them, then move on. Through the evening, watch for the guest stranded at the edge of the room and the glass that has been empty for a while. Keep your own drinking a step behind everyone else's. If something burns or breaks, laugh and carry on, because guests take their mood from you. Leave the dishes until everyone has gone.
Ending the evening
Serve coffee or something sweet, stop opening bottles, and let the music come down. If the hints fail, it is perfectly polite to stand, thank everyone for coming and say you have an early morning. Make sure no one drives home impaired. Offer the couch or arrange a ride, and do not take no for an answer on that point alone.
Tip Write the evening's timeline backward from the moment you want to sit down to eat, and tape it inside a cabinet door. It spares you doing arithmetic with a guest at your elbow.
