“Welcome! We are so happy you are here! Can I get you a drink?”

Make sure your guests feel welcomed appropriately.

When you're hosting a dinner party or welcoming guests over, it's important to make sure they feel welcome. It's polite for you to offer drinks for your guests. It shows that you've taken the time to prepare before their arrival.

Don't say, "the fridge is open," and instead offer drinks.

Don’t let your guest stand there awkwardly without something in their hand! It is also just as rude to say something like, “The fridge is open!” This is not their house and unless they are Kimmy Gibbler from Full House, they will feel uncomfortable going through your refrigerator. Take two seconds to offer them a drink and get it for them.

You can have a signature drink

The first thing you need to do is decide what type of drink will be your signature for this event. It's important that the cocktail you select be appropriate for the occasion, and also something that your guests will enjoy. There are thousands of drink recipes on the internet that you can use to come up with a drink that matches the theme of your party. Sometimes wine or beer is the appropriate option as well! For example, if I was throwing a football party, beer would be my go-to choice. Don’t stress yourself out, but put a little thought to the decision.

Pour your guest's drink into a proper glass

As much as you can help it, use a proper glass for your guest’s drink. There is a reason why champagne tastes so much better in a champagne flute glass versus a solo cup. I recommend having some glassware for each type of drink you tend to serve the most. My future father-in-law is a big fan of martinis so it only makes sense for them to have martini glasses on hand. A couple who we are friends with always serve Moscow Mules in those wonderful copper mugs. The drinks always taste better!

Sometimes your function will have so many guests that you have to resort to plastic cups. They make cuter plastic cups now and I encourage you to seek those out before grabbing the red solo cups.

Be sure to refresh their drinks throughout the night

You should make sure that your guests are always well hydrated. It's important to keep everyone's drinks topped up throughout the night so that no one feels like their needs aren't being met. If you want to make things easier on yourself, I recommend making their first drink for them and then pointing them to a set up bar cart that you have set up with all the ingredients for your signature drink so they can serve themselves in the future if you feel you don’t have time to make drinks all night.

Another great option, hire a bartender!

For my fiancé’s graduation party for his MBA, we invited so many of his family members and all of his friends and I knew there was no way I would be able to make everyone’s drinks myself, there were too many people. I found a bartender service on Thumbtack.com and hired a wonderful lady so serve my guests drinks whenever they wanted one. She bought all the necessary ingredients she needed for whatever guests might want and she had a table and tablecloth she set up as well. Everyone loved having her there! I took some basic drinks that she knew how to make and made a menu with clever cocktail names that went with the graduation theme. Hiring the bartender to come to my house was so fun for everyone there and made my job hosting that much easier.

Conclusion

I hope this has given you some great ideas for how to make sure your guests feel welcomed at your next event. Remember, just ask when they arrive, “Can I get you a drink?”

Cheers!