Free Friday night? Throw a cocktail party
Senior Evan Marks' 21st birthday presented his friends with a problem.\nThe morning after he became legal, a test loomed, making the traditional Kirkwood Avenue and Walnut Street bar crawl an impossibility. So, his friends dressed up, turned on Frank Sinatra, made a batch of Manhattans and wished Marks a happy birthday with a touch of class.\n"He couldn't do the bar thing and we all like cocktails," said Marks' friend senior Jenna Hess.\nSince its peak in the 1950s the cocktail party has been a classy way to entertain a wide variety of people with alcohol. While it has many aspects of a traditional theme party, a cocktail party oozes ambience and elegance.\nSenior Katie Collison, a fashion design major in the individualized major program, said dressing to impress is an important aspect of hosting a perfect cocktail party. She helped Hess plan Marks' elegant bash.\n"Personally, I am a fan of being dressed up rather than dressing down," Collison said. "I'm an advocate for dressing up because you look pretty."\nWhile she said the quintessential little black dress is always appropriate for a cocktail event, Collison said she wore a smart black halter dress at Marks' party. Girls can also wear a nice top and a skirt or even a pantsuit. But dresses or skirts should not be longer than tea length or the outfit becomes too formal, Collison said.\n"Shoes are really big right now, metallics or ones with embellishments," Collison said. "You can really work the accessories, anywhere from vintage to Claire's."\nCheck out bridal stores for tea-length bridesmaid dresses, or the juniors, misses or petites section of department stores as well as any of Bloomington boutiques to find the perfect dress. \n"We have some really good resources," Collison said.\nCollison said men's attire is simpler because it's so traditional.\n"The three-piece suit has been in existence since the 1600s," she said. "Always wear a tie and you can take it off if no one else has one on."\nBecause Hess and Collison wanted their party to have a retro feel, they put on Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and other members of the Rat Pack to serenade them as they sipped their cocktails.\n"Without that it would have been less festive," Hess said.\nAnd of course it wouldn't be a cocktail party without the cocktails. Mike Ohaver, manager of the Big Red Liquors on South Walnut Street, said students frequently ask him what they should make at their cocktail parties.\n"Gin and tonics, bourbon and vodka," he said. "Vodka and vodka martinis are always a hit."\nThe girls decided to get fancy and made Key Lime Pie martinis, classic Manhattans, Blue Hawaiians and apple martinis.\n"The Key Lime Pie was definitely everyone's favorite because it was a little different," Hess said.
Not the martini type? Throw a toga party instead
Senior Gilberto Pineda is no party amateur.\nThrowing parties that reached upwards of 70 people every three weeks with his roommates at their off-campus house last year, Pineda was always trying to come up with the next big theme that would keep people coming. He found it with a toga party.\n"We were all throwing around ideas for our next party, and someone said a toga party," Pineda said. "It was one we hadn't done yet and it was one we thought our regulars would be down for doing, so we decided to go with it."\nMade famous by the 1978 movie "Animal House," the toga party has long been a college party staple. Using the men of Delta fraternity as their guide, college students have been donning bedsheets and grabbing beers since the movie came out in pursuit of the perfect drunken tribute to Greek culture.\nOf course, the most important part of a toga party is the toga.\n"We all just grabbed our bedsheets and tied them around us," Pineda said. "Between all of our beds we had enough sheets."\nCollison said making a toga is as easy as stripping a sheet from a bed. \n"It's not like you want to look like you're in Greece," she said. "It's just your inspiration."\nPineda said the most important thing about throwing a theme party where revealing clothing will be worn is for everyone to feel comfortable.\n"With toga parties or summer parties or a Playboy party, you want to make sure the people who come will feel safe coming," he said. "No girl wants to have a guy messing with her."\nPineda said he made a song list based on popular music that would get people up and dancing.\n"I'm really big on having fun and dancing," he said. "But there's more than one thing to do at any of our parties."\nWhile Pineda said he served his normal party beverages, beer from kegs and vodka and punch, Mike Ohaver, manager of Big Red Liquors on South Walnut Street, said he would recommend Sambuca, a Greek liqueur.\n"It tastes like Jägermeister and has a licorice flavor," he said.\n-- No matter if she's wearing a cocktail dress or a toga, Senior Writer Kathleen Quilligan knows how to work it. Get a hold of her at kquillig@indiana.edu.
