There are several aspects to consider while preparing a party or event, beginning with food and drinks. Having a party with insufficient food or beverages may not go down well with your guests, who may protest and perhaps depart early. It can be a good feeling to be remembered as an accommodating and fun host. Therefore, if you have invited guests, be kind and hospitable. The solution is to arrange ahead of time to ensure that there is enough of everything, beginning with alcohol. In times of a pinch after hours alcohol delivery is also available.
Check your guest list
The number of visitors is the major deciding element in calculating how much you require. Generally, expect one alcoholic beverage each hour per visitor. If you know your visitors’ drink preferences such as beer, wine, spirits, or soft drinks, you may determine how much you will need. If you are unclear about people’s tastes, buy a selection of beverages and leave some on hand. Inquire with your beverage retailer about returning unopened bottles. Even if you can not return them, most unopened bottles will be usable for a prolonged time after the party, so there is no need to worry about waste. If you party regularly, you may wish to buy in bulk to save costs on major purchases.
What kind of party are you hosting?
Another factor that can affect how much alcohol you will need is the type of party you will be hosting. Sometimes casual gatherings may not warrant much alcohol selection but in comparison, a full open bar during a celebration may need a varying selection of alcohol that can accommodate all the different guests.
Casual gathering
Serving solely wine, beer, and nonalcoholic beverages is entirely appropriate, and may even be recommended, for informal occasions. Most visitors will find something to their liking, and for the hostess, limiting the alcohol selection simplifies planning and lets you match the beverage selections to your cuisine. This easy approach will assist you in determining how much alcohol and how many nonalcoholic beverages you will need to satisfy your party guests. For casual gatherings, you can include white or red wines, beer, water, and any desired soft drinks. Personalize the list to your visitors’ tastes or to fit a theme. For example, you could want to add sparkling champagne for a special occasion, or you might want to focus on specialized beer options for visitors with discerning palates.
Larger celebrations with a bar
Naturally, running a full bar will need extra planning and expenditure. You may already have a base of spirits, mixers, and accents at your home bar. However, you will need to look through your inventory to make sure you are not skimping on party favorites or making duplicate purchases. For large parties celebrating an occasion like a birthday or wedding reception a fully stocked bar with varying beverages may be best. A full party bar may include wines, beers, bourbon, gin, rum, scotch, tequila, vodka, and many more. Similar to the casual gathering you can cater your bar offerings to match the majority of your guests’ preferred tastes but still offer other alcohol for other preferences. In addition, the general rule would apply here that one alcoholic beverage each hour per visitor. Hence why curating a guest list and having a head count is so important.
How much should you buy?
With so many factors, determining how much alcohol to buy might be more of an art than a science. Here are a few tried-and-true guidelines to help you plan. Set out one bottle for every two guests at a cocktail party if you want to offer just wine and maybe champagne
Like before, planning for one drink every hour per guest but to be safe, raise that amount by approximately 25% to account for any variables like plus ones or heavy partygoers.
If the party is during a hot day or you are providing salty or spicy food, your guests may drink even more, so boost your alcohol purchases by up to 25%, depending on whether you are hosting strong drinkers. These are only general guidelines that can help you start with some estimates of the specific amount of alcohol you may need for your party.
How to maximize your alcohol offerings
There are some methods you can use to keep your alcohol offerings under control but still cater to your guests.
Serve a specific selection
The more variety you have, the more alcohol, mixers, and garnishes you will need to finish your bar. Keep things basic instead. If you want to provide solely wine and beer, your visitors will understand, and they will enjoy what you have for them. Plus, it is much easier for courteous guests to bring a bottle of wine or beer for the host.
Create an alcoholic punch
A punch is a summertime lifesaver. They are a wonderful, vibrant complement to your table and can help your visitors get into the festive atmosphere. Set up your punch bowl in the center of a designated table, surrounded by lots of glasses or appealing coated paper cups. By mixing your alcohol with non-alcoholic beverages you can serve more drinks while not reducing your supply of liquor.
After hours alcohol delivery – sometimes the party can go longer than planned or you may have had more people show up than you expected. As a host, you usually can not leave your guests. One way to keep attending to your guests but still maintain your alcohol inventory is using an alcohol delivery service that can bring drinks to your venue. There are some services that can bring alcohol straight to your door in under 45 minutes and operate till early in the morning. These types of services can ensure you have enough drinks for you and your guests till late into the evening.
Hosting a party can be filled with fun and celebration but before a party can even begin planning must be done. There are a number of things to consider like the time it will start and end, who will be coming, the food that will be served, and of course what drink will be offered. As described it may be best to first figure out how many people will be attending and use the general rule of one drink per person per hour to acquire your estimate on how much alcohol you really need.
