Leslie Brenner

Cocktail dress
Martini glass
Swizzle stick
Pimento-stuffed olive
Cocktail napkins
Mingling
Toothpicks with frilly cellophane hats
Maraschino cherry
Canapés
Ice bucket and tongs

For four drinks:

1/4 ounce dry vermouth
8 ounces Absolut Citron vodka
2 ounces fresh watermelon juice

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in vermouth to coat ice, and pour out excess. Pour in vodka and watermelon juice, shake, and strain into martini glasses.

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This witty, entertaining guide covers every nuance and necessity of throwing the absolutely perfect cocktail party--including the secrets of mixing sublime drinks, serving delectable, make-ahead canapés and hot hors d'oevres, and most important, mingling.

The Art of the Cocktail Party even shows you how to be a good guest (don't bring flowers), how to make an entrance, how to flirt (flatter the person you're talking to), and how to ditch a bore. On the host/hostess side, learn how to handle the guest who shows up early, how to stimulate mingling, how to extinguish a tray of burning hors d'oeuvres, and how to get stubborn hold-outs to leave when the party's over (put on your bathrobe).

With 60 recipes for classic cocktails and equally-chic non-alcoholic drinks, 70 original, easy-to-execute hors d'oeuvre and canapé recipes, lists of dos and don'ts, and 125 stunning illustrations by Juliet Jacobson, The Art of the Cocktail Party will turn any host or hostess into the talk of the town. But best of all, it's a fun read: after all, it was written by a critically acclaimed novelist!