- Tuesday 14th April 2026
Hosting
I love the slightly chaotic first part of having people over.
Someone arrives early. Someone else is late. Coats end up somewhere they weren't supposed to, people are being introduced and you're trying to finish whatever you should have finished twenty minutes earlier.
This is exactly why I'm a fan of the welcome drink.
It gives you something to offer as soon as someone comes through the door and buys everyone a little time to settle in. More importantly, it sets the mood without requiring very much effort.
Don't make your welcome drink a second job
The best welcome drink is one you can actually enjoy serving.
If you're making complicated individual cocktails while everyone else is talking, you've probably chosen the wrong drink.
Make something you can prepare ahead, pour easily and serve beautifully. It should be refreshing enough for the beginning of an evening and interesting enough to get people talking.
That can just as easily be a non-alcoholic welcome drink.
For a long time, hosting without alcohol meant the interesting bottles came out for people who were drinking while everyone else was offered juice, water or a standard soft drink. Thankfully, we're moving away from that.
Alcohol-free drinks can be tart, aromatic, bitter, spicy, sparkling or complex. There's no reason for them to be treated as the lesser option.
Everyone gets the nice glass
This is one of my rules when hosting.
If you're serving something special, serve it properly. Use the good glasses. Add the garnish. Put some ice in it if that's how it should be served.
Don't make the person choosing the alcohol-free option feel as though they've been moved to the children's table.
Hibiscus makes a particularly good base for an alcohol-free welcome drink because its natural tartness gives it character, while ingredients such as ginger and citrus bring freshness.
Soruhl can be served very simply with sparkling water and orange, or used as the base for something more elaborate if you're in the mood.
Either way, the important part happened before anyone tasted it.
You opened the door and offered them something.
That's hospitality.