Wine and beer will do, Champagne is always acceptable, basic mixers will suffice. But there's no trendier way to spice up a party than with a special cocktail created specifically for the event, whether you're planning a last hoorah for summer or are looking forward to the celebration-heavy season ahead.

Creating cocktails may sound intimidating, but no professional skills are required. A jumping-off point and knowledge of a few basic tenets are all that's required; creativity and experimentation will take things from there. Jane Tomich, an attorney with a penchant for party-throwing and a talent for creating interesting libations, typically begins with a theme. For her recent engagement party (Tomich is engaged to Mad Art Gallery owner Ron Buechele), she created two signature cocktails inspired by the party's Cuban theme. "I wanted to use rum," she explained. "I decided a spicy drink would be a fun idea to explore; I figured the drink needed to have sweetness to go with the heat, so pineapple juice seemed like a good place to start." After a couple weeks of experimenting, Tomich ended up with the Revolucion, a pineapple juice and pepper vodka concoction served in a red-sugar-rimmed glass.

When a theme isn't available, Tomich uses an ingredient as her starting point. For a birthday party that prominently featured pomegranate in the menu, she created a drink starring the ruby-red fruit and named it after the guest of honor's childhood home. At an Italian-themed dinner party, she wanted to use blood oranges in the cocktails, so she tweaked an existing favorite, the Mimosa, to fit the evening, using blood orange juice and Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine. Recently, she's been experimenting with fresh herbs, infusing simple syrups with herb flavors for use in cocktails at upcoming events at Mad Art Gallery.

And those basic tenets Drinks shouldn't be too weak or too strong; "I stick to a 3-to-1 proportion, that's three parts nonalcoholic ingredients to one part alcohol," Tomich said. The best drinks are a balance of flavors; Tomich finds that most drinks need an acid or a tartness for balance. "I prefer fresh lime juice and use it in almost everything," she said. Finally, quality ingredients, from the alcohol to the mixers and garnishes, are key to success. "It's hard to make a bad drink when you're using really fresh juice," Tomich said.

For her recent engagement party at Mad Art Gallery, Jane Tomich created the rum-based
Revolucion.

North Oakland
Courtesy of Jane Tomich

1 oz. Pearl pomegranate vodka
1½ oz. Pama pomegranate liqueur
1 oz. pomegranate juice
Fresh lime juice
Ginger ale
Bitters

-- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the vodka, liqueur, pomegranate juice, a splash each of fresh lime juice and ginger ale and a dash
of bitters.
-- Shake well to combine and strain into a martini glass.

Revolucion
Courtesy of Jane Tomich

4 oz. pineapple juice
1 oz. Matusalem rum
1 oz. chile pepper-infused vodka
Fresh lime juice
Simple syrup
Sugar
Lime wedges, fresh pineapple and maraschino cherries for garnish

-- Rim a highball glass with sugar.
-- Fill the glass with ice, add the pineapple juice, rum and vodka.
-- Add a splash each of lime juice and simple syrup and stir.
-- Garnish with a piece of fresh pineapple, a lime wedge and a maraschino cherry threaded onto a toothpick and serve.

Che Guava
Courtesy of Jane Tomich

1 oz. vodka
1 oz. Patron Citronage orange liqueur
1 oz. guava nectar
1 oz. cranberry juice
Juice from 1/4 lime
Juice from 1/4 lemon
Club soda
Sugar
Lime wedges and maraschino cherries for garnish

-- Rim a highball glass with sugar, then fill with ice.
-- Add the vodka, orange liqueur, guava nectar and juices and stir. Top off with a splash of club soda.
-- Garnish with a lime wedge and a maraschino cherry and serve.