Chic Christmas
cocktail party

And to drink..

• For Champagne Framboise, pour 2 tbsp framboise or raspberry liqueur into each glass, top with iced champagne and float several fresh raspberries on top.
• Shots of iced vodka can be très chic - to add a festive touch to your bottle, slide it into an empty juice carton. Fill the carton with water and gently push down into it the heads of several pansies, or holly leaves and berries, then freeze it upright. Once frozen, peel off the carton and set the bottle out, with a folded napkin nearby to hold it when pouring (have a plate or serving dish at the ready to catch the drips as the ice melts).
• Classic martinis are the height of sophistication. Whole books, novels, treatises have been written about how to make them. Here's my version: pour 4fl oz gin and ½fl oz dry vermouth into an ice-filled shaker. Shake, then strain into a glass. Garnish with a lemon twist or olive. (The lemon should just be a sliver of peel about 1½in long trimmed to ¼in in width.) Deftly crank the twist over the Martini's surface, allowing a few drops of lemon oil to dapple the surface.

  Gift ideas, festive food, party looks, love tips and more. Countdown to Christmas at iVillage

    Related Links

  • Cocktails on the cheap
  • Throw a Sex and the City party
  • Food & Drink Home
  iVillage TV - Food zone
  
  View video in larger player