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Whether you're cheering on your alma mater with your cross-country sorority sisters or celebrating your aunt's 70th birthday with family who live throughout the state, hosting a virtual dinner party offers a fun, festive way to share a meal when you can't
literally share your meal. Ahead, professional caterers and private chefs alike share their best advice to get your party cooking. Start with a cocktail—but just one.
Just like you would at your favorite restaurant, begin with a drink. "I always like to start my virtual dinner parties with an easy cocktail or mocktail and an appetizer," says Jennifer Hill Booker, the owner of Your Resident Gourmet Cooks! "This helps everyone to get over their kitchen jitters—plus there is something tasty to sip and snack on while the rest of the meal is being prepared." She recommends a "crisp, effervescent" ginger martini, paired with her BBQ cola chicken skewers. Chef Sam Davis-Allonce, a private chef and owner of Hot N Saucy, likes a Bloody Mary or red sangria spiked with brandy, citrus, and ginger, while Petrina Peart, chef at Gaiya's Harvest, pours Aperol spritzes in the summer and red wine or muddled whiskey cocktails during colder weather. "Your drink just needs to be something you enjoy sipping on—and I do mean sip!" Peart says. "As the host of any party, you're tasked with keeping things progressing towards the goal of the party, and virtual parties are no different. It's nice to commence with a community toast and set your intentions for the evening; it's not so nice to get drunk and forget to turn on the oven."