Drinks are often an afterthought when planning a dinner party or small get-together. Most of the planning and preparation goes into the food and decorations, and the drinks are pushed to the side. While there's nothing wrong with beer and wine, serving one or two special drinks at your next gathering can really make your party stand out.

I know what you're thinking - who would want to work behind a bar all night mixing drinks? With these simple to make recipes, based on classic favorites, your guests can make their own concoctions.

You don't need a degree in mixology to impress your guests with fancy drinks. These are recipes derived from classic drinks. Sometimes all you need to give an old drink a new twist (pun intended) is a garnish or secret ingredient. So plan and prepare, but when party time starts, be sure to enjoy the gala as much as your guests!

Take this classic vodka and orange juice drink and spruce it up!

Make Ahead Preparations: You can set up a lot of the ingredients beforehand, as early as 2-3 days.

1. Make Orange Sugar: Take one cup granulated sugar and add zest only from 5-6 oranges. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside.
2. Make Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice: Squeeze oranges into pitcher, using a mesh strainer if you don't want pulp. Make enough for the number of guests you are expecting.
3. Find and Clean Glasses: You don't want to be stuck doing this the day of the party. You can use anything from juice glasses to champagne flutes. Be creative!
4. Cut Thin Slices of Oranges: This is for coating the glass rims with juice, so cut as many as you will need drinks. Don't do this too soon in advance, but you can do it the day before as long as you cover and refrigerate.
5. Find and Clean Alcohol Shakers: This will be for the alcohol mix that you will make ahead. You'll keep these in a big bowl of ice as part of the assembly line. If you don't have shakers, you can use clean water bottles.
6. Make Ice
7. Create chalkboard or poster "how-to" instructions (see party tip to the right)

Day of Party Preparations:

1. Fill alcohol shakers with 4 parts vodka to 1 part triple sec. Make as many as you will need for your number of guests. Place them in a large bowl filled with ice.
2. Make orange zest curls using a canelle knife.
3. Pour orange sugar onto a small plate.
4. Create your assembly line (see party tip to right) by taking all of the items needed for the drink and arrange in order of assembly.

5. Set up your "how-to" instructions so that your guests can see it next to or on the self-serve table.

The final drink will look like: Glass with sugar coated rim filled with vodka, triple sec and OJ mix, with an orange peel garnish!

This frosty version of the original uses lime sorbet as a flavor enhancer. Let your guests cool off at that hot summer barbeque by slurping on this frozen drink that does not require a blender!

Make Ahead Preparations:

1. You will need: lime sorbet, gin, tonic, limes and drink stirrers
2. Find and clean glasses - any kind will do.
3. Slice the limes crosswise into 1/4 inch slices and put a slit halfway through the lime (for garnishing the glasses)
4. Create a chalkboard or poster with "how-to" instructions.

Day of Party Preparations:

1. Create your assembly line as: glasses > lime sorbet (with ice cream scoop) > gin > tonic > stirrers > lime slices.

The final drink will look like: Frosty and thick gin and tonics with a wonderful lime flavor.

The surprise ingredient is what makes this drink great!

Make Ahead Preparations:

1. You will need: Cherry Coke, rum, ice, chocolate covered cherries and one chocolate bar (shaved for garnish)
2. Take the chocolate bar and shave chocolate curls using a vegetable peeler and refrigerate.
3. Find and clean glasses and alcohol shaker.

Day of Party Preparations:

1. Add ice and rum to alcohol shakers, so that the rum is chilled when the guests pour their drinks (without ice in their glasses).
2. Create your assembly line as: glasses > chocolate covered cherries > rum > Cherry Coke > chocolate shavings

The final drink will look like: A rum and coke with two chocolate covered cherries at the bottom of the glass with chocolate shavings on top for garnish. Rum and coke reinvented!

Whatever you decide to serve, just try to give it a personal touch. Your guests will appreciate the effort and it will make your parties more memorable!