<div><p><p>Let’s face it – when you’re single, the arrival of February 14th is more likely to boost your blood pressure than make your pulse race. It’s bad enough that we have to endure at least a month of treacly advertising and sappy shop displays, but being alone on Valentine’s Day just serves as a bitter reminder that we’re spinning our romantic wheels in the ditch of destiny. It doesn’t do any good to remind your happily paired-off friends that St. Valentine was a martyr, too, and that he’s not even a saint anymore as far as the Vatican is concerned. That’s just like walking into a Kindergarten class and announcing that Santa Claus doesn’t exist.<br /><br />No, it’s time to take matters into your own hands and at least get some party mileage out of the night. What better group to invite than your similarly single friends? Don’t have enough for a quorum? Have them invite their single friends to invite their single friends until you reach critical mass. That way you’ll ensure a few fresh faces in the mix and that alone might make the evening worthwhile. Here are a few suggestions and shopping links to help you play Cupid without looking stupid.<br /><br />Invitations<br />Your best bet is to handle these by phone or e-mail. Since you’re likely to end up with at least a few people you hadn’t expected or don’t know yet, make sure your friends pass along your phone number or can at least confirm the intent of those receiving your second- or third-hand invitation. You’ll need to have some kind of body count for your party planning. However, since most people seem to think that R.S.V.P is a type of cognac, a good rule of thumb in this case is to double the number of guests who accept. Leftovers, after all, are part of what being single is all about.<br /><br />The bar<br />Conventional wisdom holds that you should allow for 2-3 drinks per guest, but in my experience, the Lonely Hearts Club tends to be just a tad more thirsty. If you overstock, see “leftovers” above. To keep things easy, and the host circulating, I recommend offering two cocktail specialties, a cache of non-alcoholic beverages, and a few bottles of vino (red, in honor of the occasion). Martinis are the most elegant and potent of love potions, as well as being one of the easiest to make. Just shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, garnish and gulp. <br /><br />Classic martini</p><ul><li>2 1/2 oz gin or vodka </li><li>1 1/2 tsp dry vermouth </li><li>1 twist of lemon peel or an olive</li></ul><p>Your second libation might make a gesture to the holiday by incorporating a splash of Parfait d'Amour (“Perfect Love”), a violet liqueur combining the intoxicating nectars of orange, vanilla and rose petals. You can stick to the martini theme with this heady concoction.<br /><br />Neapolitan martini</p><ul><li>1 oz vanilla vodka  </li><li>1 oz orange vodka   </li><li>1/2 oz Grand Marnier </li><li>1/2 oz Parfait d'Amour </li><li>1 splash Lime juice </li><li>Twist of orange peel for garnish</li></ul><p>Mama mia, or, as Dorothy Parker confessed:<br /><br />“I like to have a martini,<br />Two at the very most.<br />After three I'm under the table,<br />After four I'm under the host.”<br /><br />The nosh<br />I strictly subscribe to the rule that you should spend more time practicing your charm and making yourself presentable than you spend preparing cocktail food. Call a caterer, if you can afford it, or hit your local gourmet food emporium and stock up on a few hors d'oeuvres, if you can’t. Believe me, at this party no one’s coming for the food anyway. </p><p>The scene<br />Don’t overdo it on party décor. Remember, you and your guests have been choking on gratuitous Hallmark sentiments for weeks and the last thing they’ll want to be doing is sopping up gin with an “I heart U” cocktail napkin. That’s not to say you shouldn’t optimize for romantic ambience, however. Unless your idea of the thrill of the chase is pushing a double-wide cart through Wal-Mart, kill the overhead lighting. Light candles in places that won’t see a lot of traffic and swinging elbows. Spring for a few artfully placed flower arrangements and choose your soundtrack wisely. You could stick to jazz for a sophisticated and urbane feel, or you might want to hit the holiday head on with an anti-Valentine’s Day playlist of the “my-formerly-significant-other-left-me-with-nothing-but-these-bills” variety of country or blues. Whatever your choice, keep the volume low. No one, with the possible exception of Al Pacino, is sexy when they’re shouting.   <br /><br />Party games<br />Please. It’s game enough that you’ve invited a crowd of lonely souls who would be home catching up on their TiVo over a bottle of wine if it weren’t for your largesse. Back in those swinging days of Ancient Rome, during the February Feast of Lupercalia, young men would pull a girl’s name from a jar and stick by her side through the week-long festival. That’s swell if the name you pull is Juliette Binoche (or if it’s George Clooney doing the pulling), but on the whole, it’s best to just let your guests mingle and make their own choices. Key parties went out with the ‘60s for good reason. <br /><br />If Valentine’s Day brings misery, just remember that misery loves company. With just a little foresight and a minimum of prep, you can turn what might be a dull evening at best, and a wake at worst, into a boisterous bacchanal rife with possibilities. Take it from the English clergyman, George Herbert: “Living well is the best revenge.” <br /></p></p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=2616364&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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