If you don't have a bartending guide, print out any recipes you need from a cocktail website (try www.webtender.com). "Throw some recipes on the table and let your guests play," says Dale DeGroff.

Start bagging ice cubes a few days before a party. Home-made ice cubes are better than smaller, store-bought ones. "As the ice gets smaller and smaller, the drinks get warmer and warmer," DeGroff says.

Hire a neighborhood kid to help bus and clean up — neither requires handling alcohol.

Speak to your guests ahead of time about transportation home. Carpooling, a hired driver, and cabs are all good solutions.
It's your responsibility to make sure guests don't drive drunk. Outward signs of drunkenness include slurred speech and impaired motor skills, but even one drink can send some people over the legal blood alcohol limit. Play it safe and call a cab.