Patti Stanger: How to Hook Up at Holiday Parties

With the holidays in full swing—and workplaces setting up celebratory open bars—Americans will have plenty of opportunity to mingle with their co-workers—and their office crushes.

Thankfully, Patti Stanger has some advice on how to handle these social occasions. Is it OK to hook up with someone you're crushing on? And how much is appropriate to drink at this year's holiday party? The Millionaire Matchmaker star is sharing all.

"I’m a two-drink maximum girl, you know that," she tells Los Angeles Confidential magazine. "Obviously, you don’t want to get crazy. As long as your belly is full and you’re not slipping and sliding and slurring your words, you’re fine."

But her rules about getting tipsy at these parties don't end there. She even shares what kind of alcohol is best in these situations.

"If you drink hard alcohol, it’s not going to have the same effect as wine," she says. "With tequila, you want to take your top off and dance on the table. Not appropriate. But wine mellows you out. You get more intellectual and more romantic—you want to have more conversation. It lets you sit back and assess the situation, and you don’t look like a dumb, idiot party girl."

With tequila, you want to take your top off and dance on the table. Not appropriate.”

Patti Stanger

So once you've had a drink, Patti breaks down the best way to tell if a suitor is potential dating material.

"Honestly, if your wine glass isn’t refreshed yet, a gentleman should walk over and ask, 'Can I get you another?'" she advises. "You want to know if he’s chivalrous, and the chivalry is: 'Can I get you an hors d’oeurve? Can I get you a drink? Can I get you a chair?' You want to know what his style is—if he’s all about himself, he’s not even nervous that your glass isn’t refreshed."

For those who are already attached, Patti has advice on taking your relationship to the next level—especially as engagement season approaches.

So how should a man propose around the holidays? "You want to really step your game up, but you don’t have to spend a lot of money," she says. "This [idea that we have to] get all the firecrackers out, we have to rent the helicopter, we have to do all this drama, we have to rent the Hollywood sign with 'I love you, will you marry me?'—it’s crap. It’s the sentimental things. [It's like] I have a token from the first time we went out. Maybe it was the menu, and you wrote, 'Will you love me?' on the menu. You have to think outside the box. It’s not about who spends the most, it’s about who is the most thoughtful."

[Sources: Los Angeles Confidential Magazine]