How to Host a Monthly Cocktail Club for Friends

Ah… the Dog Days of Summer are a thing of the past.
The leaves on the trees turned brilliant colors, then dropped leaving behind bare branches.
The daylight hours are fading fast, and soon it will be pitch dark by 4:30 pm.
And the crazy busy holidays are still a month away…

NOW is the time to celebrate these darker days to make the Winter months stuck indoors more enjoyable. It’s time to host a Monthly Cocktail Club for you and your friends!

This article will give you all the details you need to make your Monthly Cocktail Club a success. Cheers!

Monthly Cocktail Club

I thought it would be fun to get together with friends once a month when we all tend to spend more time inside. So, I came up with the idea of a Monthly Cocktail Club! We started in October and will meet once a month until at least March. And who knows… maybe we’ll enjoy it so much, we continue on through Spring.

The Basics

Here are the things I came up with for this idea.

Pick a Date

We are meeting once a month for our Cocktail Club, starting in October and going through at least March.

Take Turns Being Bartenders

For our club, we currently have four couples. Each month, a different couple is responsible for providing the cocktails (of their choice) for the group. So basically, a different couple is the ‘bartender’ for their month. For example, for our first club get-together in October, my husband and I were bartenders. We provided everything needed to make Corpse Reviver Number #2 cocktails. 

By taking turns like this, we’re spreading out the cost of the cocktails, as well as giving each couple the opportunity to have fun and choose their cocktail of choice to share. It also gives everyone the chance to try new cocktails we might never have tried otherwise.

Provide Snacks

When drinking cocktails, food is also important, so we have each couple bring a snack to share. It’s completely up to each couple to decide what they’d like to bring.

Getting Started

Pitch Your Plan to Your Friends

At least a month in advance, ask your friends if they’d like to commit to a Monthly Cocktail Club. You could recommend that you meet on the same day each month to keep the schedule easy.

For example, our plan is to meet on the second Friday of each month. I chose Friday nights so everyone would still have their weekends free – as we know how busy everyone’s lives are and that weekends are a hot commodity.

Choose a Location

Once you decide on a schedule, you’ll want to decide on a location. You could either host the Cocktail Club at your house each month, or you could rotate houses so each couple hosts at their own house.

Always At Your House – I personally prefer hosting our Cocktail Club at our house each month. It’s not that I don’t love going to our friends’ houses (I really DO enjoy that), it’s mostly because I bought all the supplies needed when I came up with this idea, and it’s just easier for me to not have to haul all these things around.  And I really enjoy having friends over. These are all things to consider when you’re deciding on your location.

Rotate Host Houses – If you prefer, you could choose to have your Cocktail Club get-togethers at a different couple’s house each month. For example, your house the first month, a friend’s house the next month when they are the bartenders, and then another friend’s house when they are the bartenders, etc. NOTE: Keep in mind that not all of your friends may feel comfortable hosting in their homes. You know your friends, so keep that in mind when deciding on where to gather each month.

Create a Facebook Group

I created a Facebook Group for our Cocktail Club. This allows us to post our monthly club get-together and everyone has a chance to see who is planning on attending that month.

The Facebook Group also allows us to share cocktail recipes, ask questions, and is also a resource for all things cocktail related. Try it! It’s fun!

ALTERNATE TIP: If the people in your group don’t use Facebook, you could create a group on Slack or Discord. instead.

Supplies Needed

When you’re the bartender for the month, at the most basic level, you’re going to need:

• Enough glasses for everyone
• Cocktail ingredients
• A shot glass (or measuring cup)
• Ice Cubes
• A snack to share

If you want to go beyond the basics, here are additional things I recommend. NOTE: Either you can provide these items for each club get-together, or each bartender-of-the-month could provide these things.

Cocktail Shaker and Strainer– A Boston shaker is an all-around shaker that can be used for pretty much any cocktail that needs to be shaken. If you’re only going to have one shaker, I highly recommend this type over a Cobbler shaker. Boston shaker kits usually include the Hawthorne strainer, but if your shaker doesn’t have a strainer, you’ll want to be sure to get one.
TIP: I bought one shaker set for each couple. This way, the bartender-of-the-month can demonstrate mixing the cocktail, while one person from each couple can follow along and make a cocktail at the same time. If you only have one shaker, the bartender will use it to demonstrate the drink, then have to pass it along to each individual person to take turns using it. By the time the last person has made their drink, everyone else will have finished theirs. 

Jigger – A double-jigger is a great tool to have. I like jiggers that are 1-ounce on one side and 2-ounces on the other. If you prefer shot glasses, I recommend having at least a 1-ounce shot glass.
TIP: In the cocktail shaker sets I bought, they each came with a jigger and other tools needed to mix cocktails. 

Bar Mats – Black rubber bar mats might seem like an optional thing to have for a home bar, but trust me – they are invaluable! They will protect your working surface from spills and will make clean-up so much easier!
TIP: I bought enough bar mats so each couple has one at their place setting. Not only does this make clean-up easier, it also looks a lot more professional, and fun. 

Cocktail Napkins or Coasters – To make your Cocktail Club feel more like a bar experience, make sure you have napkins or coasters to use when serving drinks. I found some elegant cotton cocktail napkins that definitely add a touch of class, but any cocktail napkin or coaster will work.

Large Ice Cubes – Of course, you can use regular ice cubes from a regular ice cube tray, but… large ice cubes for cocktails are much better! The larger the ice cube, the less it melts and dilutes the beverage, and it actually chills a cocktail quicker.

TIP: To see all the things we’re using for our Cocktail Club, here’s a link to my Idea List on Amazon.

Outline for the Evening

Of course, you can determine the details of how you want your Cocktail Club evening to progress, but here is the outline I planned.

The Bar – When you’re ready to start, have your guests sit at your center island, kitchen or dining room table, or wherever you’d like to mix your cocktails and use as your bar. We like using our center island for this. Kudos to those that have an actual bar to use!

The Demonstration – Have the bartender stand on one side of the bar to demonstrate how to mix the cocktail. It’s also nice to learn the history of the drink, where it originated, or any other important information about the drink. While the bartender is demonstrating the drink, have one person from each couple use their own cocktail supplies and mix a drink along with the bartender. When that person is done making their drink, their partner can use the tools to make their own drink.
TIP: Since I wanted part of the fun of this Cocktail Club to include learning how to mix drinks, I think it’s important to have each person make their own drink – versus the bartender making drinks for everyone or premixing batch drinks to serve. Some people may never have used a shaker before, so this gives them that opportunity to learn, and gets everyone involved. And – it’s just more FUN this way.

The Toast  – Once everyone has made their own cocktail, it’s time for a toast! Clink glasses and enjoy your cocktail! “To the good life!” (A special shout-out to our friend for coming up with this toast for us. It has a lot of special meaning.  😉 ).

The Snacks – While everyone enjoys their cocktail, you could have guests move to a table where the snacks are laid out. Guests can get up at any time to make another drink at the ‘bar’, while they enjoy good conversation, laughs, tasty snacks, more laughs, another cocktail, and more laughs. (Trust me, there will be plenty of laughter!)

Additional Tips and Notes

• Create a Logo – I created a name and a logo for our Cocktail Club. I think it makes our get-togethers seem more ‘official’, and it just makes things more fun. You can use the free app called Canva to create your own logo. Canva is very easy to use and also includes templates you can start with. Check it out!
• Make Your Own Coasters – I used the logo I created to have custom beverage coasters printed. The coasters turned out so cool! I ordered the sample set of custom coasters from Sticker Mule – they were just $9 for a set of 10.
• Make Your Own Cocktail Recipe Cards – I also used the logo and Canva to create custom recipe cards. I had the cards printed at Vista Print using their 4×6 postcard as the base. These recipe cards can be used to record the cocktail recipe – each person can take a card and keep it for their home bar. I also found a clear storage box to hold the cards and coasters in – it works great as a centerpiece on the bar.
• Create a Playlist – A cocktail party wouldn’t be complete without music in the background. Create a cocktail lounge playlist ahead of time, then start the music as soon as your guests arrive. We’re pretty lucky that one of our friends is a talented DJ and he created an awesome playlist for us to use. You can create a playlist using Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music (which is now included free for Prime Members), or any other app that you prefer for music. Just search for classic cocktail lounge music to create your list, then use a soundbar with your smartphone to play your list and you’re set!
• Take Photos – Don’t forget to take photos of your Cocktail Club get-togethers! You could post the photos to your private Cocktail Club Facebook Group in order to share them with each other. (NOTE: Make sure everyone is okay with having their photos posted to the private group first).
• Create a Letterboard Sign – I have a letterboard sign on our front entryway that I change once a week. But I also change it specifically for our Cocktail Club gatherings. With a quick internet search, you can find lots of fun cocktail quotes to use for your letterboard.
• Decorate Your Space – While decorating your space for the evening is not a necessity, I do think it makes things more fun. You don’t have to go all out, just a few simple things will help set the mood. For example, I found this really cool LED neon BAR sign that we hang for Cocktail Club evenings. I also have a lightbox marquee sign to post the name of the cocktail we’re drinking each month. We also handpainted/hand-lettered several plain white tea towels to use for drying dishes or general clean-up. They were fun to make, and they’re fun to have displayed.
• Have Plenty of Ingredients – I highly recommend you have enough ingredients to mix at least two drinks per person. Obviously, you know your guests best – so if three drinks (or more) per person is likely, make sure you have enough of everything to go around.
• Plan Backup Beverages – When I entertain guests, I like to be prepared for any scenario and have a backup plan when needed. I highly recommend you have backup beverages on hand in case someone in your group really doesn’t like the cocktail being served that month. Your backup beverage could be something easy like a bottle of wine or bottles of beer. You could also have common mixers, such as Ginger Ale or Coca Cola to go along with the spirits being used that evening (this allows people to mix a more common, simple beverage). Having a backup beverage is also helpful in case everyone loved the cocktail that evening and drank all the ingredients needed to make it!
• Make it a Mocktail Party – If you and your friends don’t drink alcohol, you can always follow these same ideas and make it a Monthly Mocktail Party! Just serve the non-alcoholic versions of classic cocktails and you’ll still have a blast!

So there you have it! Hopefully you can use these ideas to personalize your own Monthly Cocktail Club!

Obviously, make sure to drink responsibly, and don’t let anyone drink and drive!

Let me know if you give this a try, or if you have comments or suggestions. I’d love to hear from you!