 Prior to the First World War, American dinner guests would be expected to enter the dining room immediately where drinks would be served at the table with appetisers.This changed by the 1920s, when hors d'oeuvres were served prior to a non-alcoholic cocktail; however, after the repeal of Prohibition in the United States, cocktail parties became popular with many different hors d'oeuvres meant as something to help counter the stronger drinks.It is the cocktail party that helped transfer the hors d'oeuvres from the formal dining table to the mobility of the serving tray.