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Things to consider when planning your cocktail party catering menu

With today’s technology, we’ve managed to streamline just about anything. Everything the world has to offer is just one click away. Unfortunately, with all this technology and innovation, somehow we still only have two hands, which means that a cocktail party is still a little tricky to plan. With a drink in one hand, that only leaves your guests with one hand free to grab delicious appetizers and hors d’oeuvres.

When you are working with your caterer for your cocktail party and appetizer event, make sure that you are specific about the requirements. If there isn’t room for your guest to sit and eat with a knife and fork, make sure that all of the dishes are bite size, so that your guests can easily grab and eat.

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Bite size canapes made from fresh and seasonal ingredients from Philadelphia farms.

Farm fresh and seasonal canapes and appetizers

Having a wait staff walk through the crowd with beautifully plated trays with canapes, appetizers, and a few amuse bouche to delight your guests will also make it easier for your guests to get a taste of everything without the whole party huddling around the appetizer station. Of course, if your guests are hungry, servers may be rushed by a mob of hungry guests. So, having a few appetizer stations strategically placed around your party space, as well as servers passing out food and drinks is a great way to keep the party flowing and your guests mingling.

Cocktail party catering in Philadelphia

Make sure that your appetizers are easy to eat and hold with one hand, leaving the other hand free to hold a cocktail or network with new people.

Schedule your cocktail party in between meals

If you only plan on serving cocktails and appetizers, make sure that all of your guests are aware of this so that they can plan to eat a good meal beforehand, or after. You should also schedule the event to begin in between meals. Don’t start at noon and then tell people you’re not serving lunch. Or start at 5:30, and then not serve dinner. If you’re having a cocktail even, make it during cocktail hours, like 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.

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Even desserts can be bite sized to give your guests something sweet to go with their cocktails.

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And, just because it’s appetizers doesn’t mean you can’t treat your guests to come tasty culinary treats. You don’t have to dumb down your flavors or your ingredients just because the dishes are smaller and bite-sized. At DiAntonio’s, size doesn’t matter. We always make our foods from scratch, using farm fresh and seasonal ingredients.

We look forward to catering your next Philadelphia event.