Post Prohibition Cocktail Party Etiquette

“Jause” al Fresco?— In Vienna, it’s usually a cold snack, or a cold meal, served in between the standard breakfast, lunch and dinner. A charcuterie board or cheese, fruits and nuts with wine will qualify, as will even cake and coffee.

Gay, Informal Games, and Food to Go With Them for Cocktail Hour

HOMES at 4 o'clock pause in the day’s occupation that is known in America as the “cocktail hour.” In England it is known as “tea.” In gay Vienna, by the Danube, it is called the "jause."

Since the repeal of Prohibition the cocktail hour has become a feature of American social life and an afternoon institution of the smart hotel and club. And with the Christmas holidays upon us this hour should be one that promotes happiness and good cheer more than any other. This is one time that you can throw your doors open wide to your friends and neighbors.

Questions regarding the etiquette of this new entertaining form are often received: For example, how long is the cocktail party, what is the correct dress, the proper hour to arrive, the right thing to serve?

Cocktail time is between the hours, of 4 and 6, or 5 and 7. Guests come and leave as at a tea, when they please. The cocktail hour is more apt to extend late into the evening if the guests begin to enjoy themselves thoroughly.

No entertainment but conversation and congenial company is provided, and one is expected to go on for dinner somewhere else. However, the host or hostess can start a few games.

ALTRUISM

Each one is asked to write down a stunt that anyone can do. These stunts are collected, mixed up and then passed around. Each person is then “ordered” to do the stunt written out on the slip of paper given him. Oh, boy! Some fun!

STAR WITNESS

A few of the guests, not more than four or five, get together and plan a short and exciting murder case. Although the case is only outlined. it must be complete and provide such details as names, type of weapon used, the address, habits, and appearance of the principal participants.

The conspirators return to the rest of the guests and act out the murder scene they have concocted. The acting must not take more than five minutes and may be done in less.

When the acting of the crime is over, a list of questions which are prepared by the conspirators is read off to the other guests who have just viewed the enactment of the crime. The guests are given pencil and paper and without talking to each other must write down their impressions of the true answers and sign their names at the bottom.

Questions that may be asked are: What did the murderer say just before he committed the crime? Was there a girl involved?

What caused the murder?

There are the kind of questions that test the observation of the “witnesses.” The actual questions will depend on the crime enacted.

BLOWN EGG OR THE EMPTY LUNG

Prior to the arrival of your guests take a raw egg, puncture a hole in each end with a pin and then blow through one of the holes until all of the inside of the egg has been blown out through the other hole, Caution must be taken to see that the skin inside the shell is well punctured; otherwise the egg won't empty. This empty egg-shell is your equipment.

Mark off the table exactly in half. Half of the players may be arranged around one side of the table and the other half on the other. All players must be on their knees so that their mouths are even with the top of the table. Now place the egg-shell in the center of the table.

At a given signal, everyone starts to blow. The object is to get the egg off one side of the table or other, by blowing it over the edge. Each time the egg-shell goes over the edge, it scores a point for the side opposing.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY

Everyone is a judge in this game. Divide the guests into two sides. Form them into two rows facing each other. Now the host or hostess announces he is the "District Attorney" and may ask anyone any question that occurs to him. He now starts to pace up and down between the rows.

He stops wherever he wishes and asks someone a question. However, the one he addresses is not the one who must answer— it is the one directly opposite.

The object is for the District Attorney to make the person to whom he speaks answer his questions or to catch the one who should answer it, off guard.

If the person spoken to by the District Attorney answers the question put to him, or if the person opposite who should answer fails to do so promptly, the one who misses must become District Attorney. The District Attorney takes the player's seat.

If the person spoken to by the District Attorney answers the question put to him, or if the person opposite who should answer fails to do so promptly, the one who misses must become District Attorney. The District Attorney takes the player's seat.

These games are especially good if the group is not well-acquainted. The only type of food served with cocktails is canapés, chilled crisp and provided in great variety.

There is no need to dress for this informal cocktail hour. Guests arrive from playing bridge, golf, tennis, shopping or from the office. Street clothes are proper even for the hostess, although the picturesque, floor-sweeping hostess gown makes her that much more charming.

A suggested few appetizers for the successful cocktail party:

When gin or vermouth is used in the cocktails, an excellent hors d'ouevre is Melba toast spread with relish. Canapé spreads are sardine and egg: pineapple and chicken, crabmeat and onion; minced ham and egg: deviled ham and mushrooms; fresh shrimp with mayonnaise: parsley and capers; Roquefort and cream cheese; boned anchovies with sliced hard-cooked eggs.

All is not the high priced pate de foie gras that seems to be. A harmless way of deceiving your guests is with “mock pate de foie gras” canapés. Use the finest knife of your meat chopper and grind a cup of boiled calves liver and a quarter-cup of cooked mushrooms. Combine with three tablespoons of mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste. Blend thoroughly and spread on canape biscuits. Serve these sophisticated tid-bits with slices of lemon. — Clipping from unknown newspaper Source, 1933 or 1934

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

Cocktail Party Etiquette Tips

Cocktail parties were popular throughout most of the 20th century. They are a fun way to entertain without serving a sit-down dinner.– “At a small casual party for intimate friends the host or a man friend usually mixes the drinks. The food is customarily limited to snacks, dips, and appetizers which can be handled without messing the fingers. These are passed by the hostess at the beginning of the party and then placed conveniently for guests to help themselves.”
Photo source, Pinterest

The cocktail party has several advantages, for both the hostess and the guest. It is in formal, it normally has a time limit, and people can circulate and talk to the friends they most want to talk to, and many more guests can be accommodated than at a buffet or seated meal. At a small casual party for intimate friends the host or a man friend usually mixes the drinks. The food is customarily limited to snacks, dips, and appetizers which can be handled without messing the fingers. These are passed by the hostess at the beginning of the party and then placed conveniently for guests to help themselves.

For the larger party comprising people who may not know others, the host and hostess have to play a more active part; it is advisable, therefore, to have help at the bar if possible, and in the kitchen, too, if hot hors d'oeuvres are planned. The food, small in portion, should never be sweet; usually it is highly seasoned or is made up of such items as anchovies, sharp cheese, and olives. Good drinks, good food, compatible company, and sufficient room to circulate are the requisites for a good cocktail party.

For the really large affair, held when the main meal is eaten in the middle of the day and the guests may be coming some distance, a buffet is necessary. The menu can be simple, but hearty enough to substitute for a meal, with food that will keep fresh over the period of the party. A well-balanced plan would include one or more hot dishes, as well as cold meats, cheeses, relishes, a spread, and a variety of food that can be eaten with the fingers.

COCKTAIL PARTY CHECKLIST

INVITATIONS— 

Mail or phone. The time is usually somewhere between 5 and 8 P.M. up less it is a come-when-you-can and stay-as-long-as-you-like buffet plan.

MUSIC— 

Some find this helpful as a background, particularly at the beginning of a party, but many people find it disturbing. Ashtrays should be large and plentiful. If arrangements can be made to have them emptied regularly, so much the better. For tables that do not have an alcohol-proof finish, a liberal supply of coasters should be available. Place small tables next to chairs so that guests can sit down with their drinks.

GLASSES— 

It is good to have on hand twice as many as your guest list. 

ICE CUBES– Start freezing these at least a day ahead, to fill ice buckets, or else buy the cubes in quantity. Use only fresh ice for old ice absorbs tastes and odors.

FOOD— 

Many foods can be prepared well ahead and sealed in airtight wrapping for the refrigerator or freezer.

NAPKINS, SERVIETTES, AND HAND TOWELS— 

Have plenty of the gay paper cocktail napkins on the food and drink tables and an extra supply in reserve. Hand towels of soft absorbent paper, which seem to be preferred to dainty linen ones, should be well supplied in all bathrooms and powder rooms.

COCKTAILS— 

Follow a tested recipe and use a jigger for measuring, unless you are an expert guesser. Stir, rather than shake, all drinks made with clear liquors, such as Martinis or Manhattans. Martinis can be made somewhat in advance and placed in a refrigerator. The ice is added later so that the cocktail is not diluted. Shake all cocktails that contain ingredients which are harder to blend, like Daiquiris, Bloody Marys, and whisky sours. Pre-chill the glasses – this makes a big difference. Use lots of ice – but never twice. There is nothing worse than a lukewarm drink that was meant to be cold. For drinks like a Tom Collins, as a rule, sugar, fruit juice, and ice are put in the glass first, and then liquor is added. For a carbonated drink, like a gin and tonic, add ice, liquor, then the mix.

For those who do not like cocktails there are many alternatives, besides the traditional serving of whisky or sherry. Punch and eggnog are two favorites, and if you do not have your own recipes for these, any good liquor or wine shop will provide you with them. You might try a “cheese and wine” party, or make this a part of a cocktail party. Cheeses should be eaten with the fingers or with the aid of toothpicks. 

The food, with plates and napkins, and the cocktail equipment, can be set on one table. But it is better to have the bar set up on a separate table with plenty of room for service, as guests usually like to drink for a while before eating. If you have a barman, he can take orders and serve everything from the kitchen or pantry. Coffee should be ready in the kitchen, since it may be needed later in the evening.— From “Table Settings, Entertaining and Etiquette,” by Patricia Easterbrook, 1960

🍽 Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia