Party Times: Being the perfect host

It's December and that means that you are more likely to be hosting dinner parties. To help you throw some stellar parties we've roped in a pair of experts for advice:

DOM WALSH - BARTENDER AND FINALIST AT WORLD CLASS 2016

Barman, how would the perfect dinner party play out for you?

Dinner parties are all about the experience. It doesn't have anything to do with the food or drink, although these do help. The perfect dinner party should be a night surrounded with good friends, quality drinks and an amazing atmosphere.

What are your tips for preparing drinks for the party?

Make something that is easy to pour. It's all about the prep. Your job is to host. The last thing you want is to be stuck in the kitchen making 50 mojitos while your guests are left to entertain themselves. Punch works well. Guests can help themselves, which makes for less washing up as well. That said, why should you do all the work? Get guests to make their own cocktails. Set up tables with all the ingredients. This works very well with gin-and-tonics. Why not have a couple of different gins available and a couple of different tonics along with a bunch of herbs and spices to garnish.

Would you suggest any food and drink pairings?

That's very broad but white wine generally goes with lighter meat and red wine with darker, more hearty dishes. I am a bit lazy, so pairing a wine with every dish is too much admin. A welcome drink can pair with the starter, maybe a red wine with a main and a whisky or rum with dessert. A tequila theme can be fun but dangerous. Big pitchers of margaritas are amazing to put on the table, and these work with any dish.

SIMMI AREEF - COMEDIAN

What topics of conversation should you stay away from?

Anything to do with another person's religion. Also, always suss out the person's political allegiances; you don't want to swear at Hlaudi Motsoeneng only to find out that you're talking to his sister.

Some nifty icebreakers?

I'm a probably the most antisocial person in the world so my icebreaker would be to bring someone who is a better talker than I am. My ex-girlfriend also said that it's a good idea to listen first and talk afterward, so maybe ask people "what do you think?".

How to avoid long goodbyes?

Just leave. I usually will just whisper to the person who invited me, or whatsapp them and disappear. I was recently at a wedding and I told the bride I was leaving. She said: "But the wedding hasn't even started yet." I said "Ja, but I'm tired" - and then left. There is no point in these long, drawn-out goodbyes, so just leave.