Bethenny's Four Tips for a Perfect Cocktail Party

Bethenny Frankel's latest book, Skinnygirl Cocktails, features 100 delicious low-calorie cocktail recipes—in other words, the perfect excuse to throw a cocktail party. And the Skinnygirl maven herself sat down with People recently to give three easy trips for throwing the perfect bash.

Her first tip (obviously) is to "create a signature cocktail with a nice little menu. It looks upscale and it costs you no more." The offer of fun and fancy cocktails will get your guests excited, Bethenny explains. "It makes them think and they'll drink it because they wouldn't have thought of it."

The next thing to consider is lighting and music. "You cannot have overhead lighting. You can't make people feel like they're on the face of the sun. People want it to be nice mood lighting. But it can't be pitch dark either because what is the point of putting on an outfit on if no one can see it?" Bethenny wisely advises before recommending candles and ambient lighting.

The Real Housewives of New York City star also has some strong feelings about song selection. "You can't start playing Kool & the Gang 'Celebration' the minute people come because you have a disco affinity," she explains. "It has to be music to eat greens by, then a little bit of dance later, maybe a little rock and roll…Something for everyone."

And the most important rule, according to Bethenny, is to make sure you're enjoying yourself too. "A  stressed out host is not a happy host so do as much as you can before," Bethenny advises. "People would appreciate you having a great personality more than they would you spending 4 hours on duck à l'orange."

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[Source: People]