A Party-Perfect Kitchen

8. Be prepared.

Have 90 percent of the prep done by the time your guests cross the threshold to your kitchen, she says. Your guests are there to be your guests, and just because they're in the kitchen, they shouldn't be made to work, she says.

Dark 'n' Stormy

Ingredients:

-1 1/2 oz. Gosling's Black Seal Rum or any other dark rum

-Splash of bitters (optional)

-About 1/2 cup ginger beer 1/2 lime

Directions:

Fill highball glass with ice, add rum and splash of bitters, and top with ginger beer. Squeeze lime into the glass, stir, and add the lime to the drink.