Entertaining: 7 tips for responsible hosts

With Labor Day weekend, Rosh Hashanah and football season all upon us once again, the opportunities for hosting parties are on the rise. Whether you're gearing up for an office cocktail party, the Big Game, Christmas festivities or anything else, learning how to throw responsible shindigs is part of being a grown-up. Set the beer funnel aside, brah, and follow these tips for a successful party with far less to regret the next day.

Clean up stray and abandoned glasses regularly. Apart from cluttering up an apartment, and creating tempting ashtrays for those few venues where indoor smoking is still allowed, partially finished drinks are fair game for guests who have had a bit too much. And those extra sips won't "count" in the mind of the reveler trying to track his or her drinks.
Alcohol is alcohol: According to the Distilled Spirits Council's 5 Tips for Hosting Responsible Cocktail Parties, "part of drinking responsibly is knowing that alcohol is alcohol. It's not what you drink, it's how much that counts." In other words, a standard 12-oz. beer has the same amount of alcohol as a 5-oz. serving of wine, as a 1.5-oz. shot of an 80-proof hard spirit.
Watch the strength: "When hosting a business business party, or even a regular party, cocktails should not be too strong, and a non-alcoholic version should be offered with similar presentation, so no one feels obligated to drink (too much)," says uber-mixologist Charlotte Voissey (who just crafted the cocktail menu for the new W Hotel New York Downtown in Manhattan).
Provide food and non-alcoholic drinks. Real food, not just chips and dip. Water should be available and plentiful, both for guests avoiding alcohol, and for those imbibers seeking to pace themselves.
Designate someone to watch over everyone else. If you have a bartender (or are the bartender), have them keep an eye on guests who return frequently. If you don't, find the most maternal person there and let them fret and monitor: They'll enjoy it. Don't be afraid to cut a guest off or commandeer their car keys. It's your party, your rules.
If kids are present, even teens, offer up snacks and beverages at two different levels around the room. Focusing kids on kid drinks and snacks, and adults on the others will go a long way towards avoiding stolen sips. And clean up those strays (see hint #1). Mocktails can be great for kids as well, as long as they realize they're drinking a tasty non-alcohol beverage and not simply mimicking funny Uncle Henry.
Make sure guests can get home: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, automobile fatalities involving alcohol increase in both frequency and proportion of accidents as the night wears on, and on weekends. Ensure either there are designated drivers (who don't drink at ALL throughout the evening) willing to shuttle guests home, or that a cab service can reach your neighborhood. DISCUS advises you have local taxi service numbers available for guests. Plan ahead and offer up a few sleeping bags, air mattresses or clean pieces of cardboard for guests who aren't going anywhere.

Check out our great mocktails below, or pick up Preggatinis: Mixology for the Mom-to-Be (Natalie Bovis Nelsen, 2008). For more information on hosting responsible (and successful) parties, visit Discus.org or DrinkIQ.com.

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Key Limeade (Dana M. Bruner, The Perfect Purée)

1 part Culinary Traditions Key Lime Concentrate, thawed
6 parts Water
1 part Simple Syrup
2 parts Soda Water

Place Key Lime concentrate, water and simple syrup in a pitcher with ice cubes or large block ice. Stir, and top with soda water.

East Meets West (Adam Seger, CCP and mixologist)

1 1/2 oz Beverage Artistry Passion Colada, thawed
3/4 oz Beverage Artistry Yuzu Luxe Sour, thawed
1 tsp Fresh Ginger Zest
1 Kaffir Lime cut into quarters

Muddle limes in a cocktail shaker. Add the rest of the ingredients and ice. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass, serve.

La Limonata (Patricia Richards, mixologist for Wynn/Encore, Las Vegas)

1 1/2 oz Beverage Artistry Yuzu Luxe Sour, thawed
4 oz Lemonade
1/2 oz Trader Vic's Rock Candy Syrup (or simple syrup)
1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
4 oz club soda

Fill a 16 oz (pint) glass with ice. Add yuzu, lemonade, simple syrup and lemon juice. Top with club soda and a fresh lemon slice. Seal with a plastic lid and cover with a clean napkin. Rock upside down and back up three times, and serve.