Setting up a bar before guests arrive is one of the most effective things a host can do. It removes the pressure of pouring drinks on demand, gives guests something to gravitate toward the moment they walk in, and signals that the evening has been prepared for them. It does not need to be expensive or elaborate — it needs to be intentional.

A cocktail at arrival does something a bottle of wine on the table cannot quite replicate — it signals that the evening has been thought about before anyone sat down. The best dinner party cocktails are ones that can be batched in advance, set out for guests to help themselves, and require nothing from you once the first person knocks.