Belinda's hosting tips to Set Up A festive and tasty holiday Drinks Bar

1. Pick a spot for the bar: Set up a bar area near the gathering spaces- a dining table, kitchen island, or entertainment center in the living room can all work. You'll want an open path and easy access for mingling near the bar, and space to set up all the ingredients so that guests have everything they need to mix their own drinks. I like to place a few trays or cutting boards on the counter top under the drink making supplies to keep things tidy, but also so that I can group the ingredients together in a way that directs guest on how to make a cocktail: for example, a bowl of cut lemons and a bottle of Apple Pie syrup next to a fifth of good whiskey and a thermos of hot water becomes a hot toddy station, or a bowl of limes, tonic, Herb Garden syrup, and gin makes a Better Than a G&T station.,

2. Work ahead: Pre-arrange all of the shelf stable items, spirits, glassware, empty ice bucket, cocktail making tools, wine opener, little bowls for fresh cut citrus and garnishes like cocktail cherries, and add any decorations on the bar ahead of time. You can even do this a few days ahead of a party to save yourself time before people arrive. The arranging of pretty things on the bar is the most fun part for me, so I don't like to rush it!

3. Keep it classy, but simple: Put our 1-2 types of glasware total. Don't worry about matching the perfect glass to the correct cocktail, this is a party not a high end bar. On the otherhand, having some real glassware is nice for wine and cocktails as opposed to disposable cups. A tall highball or short rocks glass plus wine glasses is really all you need to get through a party and work well for a big variety of drink choices.

4. Cool it down: A few hours ahead, pre-chill sparkling wine, tonic, club soda, other mixers, and any batched cocktails and put them on the bar just before guests arrive. Use ice buckets to keep them cold if you have the space or some big bowls (salad and punch bowls filled with ice work great!) or put a cooler on a low stool or the floor near the bar. If nothing else, just bring out a coupel mixers at a time, allowing the rest to stay chilled in the fridge until they are needed. Be sure to have a seperate ice bucket dedicated to loose drink ice and include a scoop or big spoon to scoop the ice into glasses.

5. It's go time: Just before the party, add ice to the ice buckets, place out the garnishes and cut citrus, if using, uncork a couple of bottles of wine, and pour yourself your first one! I love starting a party with a moment to celebrate my own hard work!

• 1-3 flavors of Simple Goodness syrups to fit the season

• Good quality club soda such as Topo Chico, Mineragua, Q Mixers, or Fever Tree

• 1 bottle of cocktail bitters for making Old Fashioneds and Spritzes

• a small bottle or two of fresh squeezed and pre-strained citrus like lemon juice, lime juice, grapefruit juice, orange juice, blood orange juice, fresh apple cider, etc.

• a small bowl with Festive garnishes like pomegranate arils, dried apple or orange slices, cinnamon sticks or star anise, and fresh herb stems such as rosemary, sage, or thyme

• Hot drinks mixes: hot buttered rum, hot cocoa packets or mix, hot apple cider

• a thermos of hot water. I use an electric kettle or boil water then put it in a thermos for hot buttered rums, hot toddies, or hot cocoa mixes.

• 2-3 spirits to choose from, usually at least one light spirit such as vodka, gin or tequila, and one dark such as bourbon, whiskey, or rum

• A shot glass or measuring glass, a stir spoon or wooden stir sticks or straws, a cocktail shaker, and small cocktail napkins

• If your guests are less confident drink makers, a recipe or two printed out from our recipes guide, or even our Garden to Glass Classic Cocktails recipe book set out at the bar can guide them on how to build their favorite drinks