Maynard, who's been behind the bar at the Chart House for 26 years, is a bit of a purist and rolls his eyes at the Cosmo and Lemon Drop school of drinks. "They're not actually martinis anymore," he says, recalling the days when businessmen came into the Chart House for three-martini lunches that lasted through the afternoon. Those were true, gin martinis, no fruit, no frou-frou. (That ended with tougher drunk-driving laws and tax changes that disallowed write-offs of those boozy lunches.)

Still, Maynard enjoys creating new drinks —Êhe was among nationwide winners of a competition sponsored by Gray Goose vodka earlier this year for a concoction he called the Purple Goose. The drink was featured in Condé Nast publications and served at chic parties sponsored by the magazines last month. He's won other competitions, as well, and a drink he invented — the Guy Tai, a high-end version of the standard maitai — is a frequent call at the Chart House.

He won a martini contest sponsored by Chopin vodka by posing as a curmudgeon who refused to blend a bunch of ingredients into a premium liquor — he encased the bottle in ice, froze the glass, and, with great ceremony, made a very spare drink with just a little liliko'i syrup for zing.

Like most bartenders, Maynard will remember your drink even if he doesn't recall your name. He says you can tell where someone is from, and what generation they belong to, by the drink they order. Manhattans and Old-Fashioneds are the likely order of an older East-Coaster. Californians like lighter drinks, mostly vodka-based cocktails, and they always, always call for a specific brand. Hipsters have abandoned Hypnotiq and Jack Daniel's for chilled Crown Royal (Canadian whiskey) straight up. (Maynard shivers at the thought of this one.) And, of course, those -tinis usually indicate a 30- or 40-something woman, like Kaina.

Kaina, 32, is going to set aside her crowd's BYOB New Year's Eve party tradition this year and do a semi-hosted cocktail bar to open the festivities in the Ho-nolulu apartment she shares with her boyfriend.

"We're going to mix up some pitchers of vodka cocktails and when those are gone, people can switch to their own stuff. A couple of my friends already brought over some vodka, and we're going to use fresh fruit juices and make them really 'ono," Kaina said. She was still considering recipes when The Advertiser spoke with her, but she knew one of the drinks would feature some frozen liliko'i juice she got from her auntie, who has passionfruit vines in her yard.

Indeed, you don't have to break the bank to put on a cocktail party if you do as Kaina suggests: Limit your offerings, building cocktails around a single distilled liquor (vodka is the most versatile choice, followed by rum). And if friends are willing to contribute, so much the better.

While it's easiest in most homes to set up in the kitchen, you can turn a counter or table elsewhere in the house into a bar. If the surface isn't waterproof, cover it with a plastic tablecloth or strip of shelf liner, then with a nice tablecloth. Put a cooler of fresh ice behind the bar and don't let anyone stash anything in this cooler — it's strictly for ice to be used in drinks. Break up the ice a bit beforehand with a mallet or ice pick.

You'll need a generous-size ice bucket as well as a large pitcher of cold water, a cutting board and sharp knife for slicing fruit, bowls or glasses of garnishes (olives, maraschino cherries, cocktail onions, lime and lemon wedges), glasses (or plastic cups), a jigger and a cocktail shaker. A muddler is useful — this is a thing like a miniature cudgel that's used to mash up ingredients inside a drink — such as mint inside a mint julep. A wooden spoon will do.

Swizzle sticks and favors such as paper umbrellas are a festive touch, as is colored sugar with which to decorate the glass rims. Pomegranate seeds, candied ginger, various kinds of citrus peel, flavoring ingredients such as grenadine (pomegranate syrup) and bitters, simple syrup and fine sugar, fresh mint and spears of pineapple all contribute drama and a variety of flavors and textures.

If you're doing blended drinks, a blender is required, too, but Kaina says she gave a margarita party once and regretted it. "The thing is so LOUD and it kept going on and off, on and off — forget it!"

Then, of course, you need liquor, fruit juices and mixers. This is where recipes come into play. Unless you're doing a full bar with an experienced bartender, you need to identify a few drinks that will make up your repertoire — three or four is plenty. It might save confusion if you make a fanciful bar menu and post it, so guests know what's available.

Maynard said premium vodkas are the "it" call right now, though the folks who make gin are trying to fight back by bringing out more hyped, high-end versions of that liquor. The Chart House has dozens of vodkas and the 30-somethings aren't hesitating to order Stoli Elite at $14 a pop, he said.

Whatever you serve, provide coolers of ice for guests who choose to bring their own tipple. And be sure there's at least one nonalcoholic drink on the menu as well as some standard soft drinks.

Of course, there's gotta be food, too. In today's Taste section, we've compiled a selection of super-simple, super-quick and not too expensive pupu, because most of us will work at least part of New Year's Eve day and we'll be rushing to get the festivities started.

Here's Maynard's award-winning recipe:

Purple Goose

• 2 parts Grey Goose Original
• 1 part raspberry schnapps
• Dash of Cream de Cacao

Mix and serve on the rocks.

And here's the famous Guy Tai.

Guy Tai

• 1/4 ounce orgeat syrup*
• 1/2 ounce orange Curacao**
• 1 ounce Bacardi gold rum
• 1 ounce sweet-n-sour mix
• 1 ounce limeade
• 1 ounce pineapple juice
• 1.5 ounce Meyer rum
• Lime wedge

Mix orgeat, Curacao, rum, sweet-n-sour, limeade and pineapple juice and pour over crushed ice in a 16-ounce glass. Pour Meyer rum slowly over an inverted spoon to float on top. Squeeze lime wedge. Serve (umbrella optional).

* Orgeat is a sweet syrup with almond and rose or orange water flavors.