Party Essentials: The Drinks Kit, Masks and Candles Worth Buying
Across our party, home bar and Halloween guides the same handful of things keep coming up. Rather than repeat them on every page, here they are in one list.
Two of them are recommendations from elsewhere: the automatic cocktail making machine and the drinks cabinet. The masks, candles, cards, badges and decorations are our own, designed and printed in the UK.
Shop the cards that go with these
Shop party items Masquerade masks Halloween masks Fancy dress masks
Party decorations, designed by us
Bunting, decorations, badges and cards drawn in house and printed in the UK.
The drinks setup
- An automatic cocktail making machine. It measures and mixes at the push of a button, so guests serve themselves and the host isn't stuck pouring all night. Worth it if you host more than a couple of times a year.
- A drinks cabinet with doors and drawers. Bottles stay upright and out of the light, the shaker and jigger hide in the drawers, and the top gives you a surface at the right height to build a drink on.
- Eight bottles cover most cocktails: gin, vodka, white rum, bourbon, scotch, tequila, sweet vermouth and triple sec.
- Three glass types: rocks, coupe and highball. Six of each is plenty.
- 1kg of ice per person. Everybody underbuys ice.
- How to make the perfect home bar - Read the guide
Masks and fancy dress
- Masquerade masks for a black-tie or Venetian theme - Shop the range
- Halloween masks for October parties - Shop the range
- Fancy dress masks across every theme - Shop the range
- Full costumes if the whole night has a theme - Shop the range
- One rule: buy the mask before the outfit. It's the bit that's hard to find late.
Candles and lighting
- Scented soy candles, hand poured, for the hallway and the bathroom - Shop the range
- Shaped novelty candles that work as table decoration in their own right - Shop the range
- Halloween candles - ghosts and pumpkins - for October - Shop the range
- Sweary Mischief candles for a party with a sense of humour - Shop the range
- Keep scented candles away from the food table and unscented ones on it.
Decorations, cards and badges
- Bunting, banners and party decorations - Shop the range
- Pin badges as favours for the people who helped - Shop the range
- Prints and wall art for a bar corner or a garden shed pub - Shop the range
- Cards for whoever the party is for - Shop the range
- Decorate the door and the bar, not the middle of the floor.
Where to start, by party type
- Cocktail party at home - Read the guide
- Luxury dinner party ideas - Read the guide
- Living room home bar ideas - Read the guide
- New Year's Eve at home - Read the guide
- Christmas cocktails to make at home - Read the guide
- Garden bar ideas for a British shed - Read the guide
Found your words? Now find the card
Shop party items Masquerade masks Halloween masks Fancy dress masks
How to write it so it lands
- Self-service bar, always.
- 1kg of ice per person.
- Buy the mask before the outfit.
You might also be interested in...
We make cards, pin badges, prints and party bits in house. These are from other shops we rate, and buying through the link costs you nothing extra.
Cocktail Making Machine - Automatic Mixology Home Bar Cocktails Mixing Maker
£299
View Cocktail Making Machine - Automatic Mixology Home Bar Cocktails Mixing Maker
Drinks Cabinet for Living Room, Black Bar Cabinet with 2 Drawers
View Drinks Cabinet for Living Room, Black Bar Cabinet with 2 Drawers
Where to shop next
- Party items
- Masquerade masks
- Halloween masks
- Fancy dress masks
- Fancy dress costumes
- Scented soy candles
- Shaped candles
- Halloween candles
- Funny candles
- Pin badges
- Funny wall art
- Greetings cards
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
- Pin badges
- All guides
Frequently asked questions
What do you actually need for a party at home?
A drinks setup guests can use without you, enough ice, food that works standing up, warm low lighting, and somewhere to put empty glasses. Everything else is decoration.
Is a cocktail machine worth buying?
If you host regularly, yes. It measures and mixes at the push of a button, which keeps the drinks consistent and frees the host from standing behind a table all night. For one quiet drink, a shaker and a jigger is quicker.
How much ice do you need for a party?
About 1kg per person. Roughly half is used chilling and shaking rather than going into glasses, which is why almost everyone runs out. Buy it on the day and keep it in a cool box.
Which candles suit a party table?
Unscented or shaped candles on the food table so the scent doesn't fight the food, and scented soy candles in the hallway and bathroom where they do the most work. Keep everything below eye level so people talk across the table, not round it.
Do you make the drinks cabinet or the cocktail machine?
No. We design and print greetings cards, enamel pin badges, prints, candles and party decorations in the UK. The cabinet and the cocktail maker are recommendations from elsewhere - only the things linked to our own shop are ours.