Plan your Party ahead…

Party Planning is a combination of luck, experience, calculation and humour. But just follow these simple guidelines to plan how much alcohol you need for your event. If you are asking  “How much alcohol including beer, wine and bubbles should I purchase for my party?” Consider that on average each invited guest might enjoy two drinks in the first hour and one each hour thereafter. Quantities will depend on the length of the party, the strength of the beverage, the day of the week and the size of your party. But a few simple guidelines will help you decide how much to purchase.

• A bottle of wine has around seven standard drinks, a stubby of beer around 1.5 and a one-litre bottle of spirits yields approximately 22 mixed drinks, so if you know how many guests are attending and what kind of bar you are going to have, you can easily figure it out. Why not buy wine with your own personalised label from Corporate Wine…it will make it a party to remember
• As well, to accommodate those not drinking cocktails or beer, remember that Whites tend to be more popular than Reds, particularly in summer.
• If you want to save money start buying your booze 6 months out. Wait for specials and discounts and stock up over time. Also helps spread the cost over a few months.
• If you plan to have a birthday toast with Champagne or Bubbly, you obviously need to purchase additional bottles so that everyone has a glass to raise – one bottle fills seven regular Champagne glasses.
• Have heaps of chilled water on hand.

Party Catering Quantities

Choosing the right quantities for your party is not an easy task and depends on the kind of event you’re throwing, and knowing what your guests are likely to drink. See list list below for some guidelines…

Liquor and Mixers for a Full Bar

General Beverage Serving Guidelines for a 2-Hour Party

In general, plan on two drinks per invited guest during the first hour of your party, and one each hour after that.

Wine – Estimate one bottle of wine for every two guests at a two hour cocktail party. If serving both red and white wines, you should have twice as many bottles of white as red, unless you know specifically that your guests are red wine drinkers.

Beer – Plan on two bottles or servings of beer per person for the first hour, and another one for each subsequent hour of your party.

Champagne or Sparkling Wine -One 750 ml. bottle of champagne or sparkling wine fills 6 champagne flutes. If serving as a toast, one glass per person is enough. If you’re serving champagne as a pre-meal cocktail, plan on 1.5 glasses per person. If it will be served throughout a two-hour cocktail party or dinner, plan on three glasses per person.

Spirits and Mixers – One 750 ml. bottle of spirits will serve 17 drinks. Plan on 3 drinks per person during a two hour cocktail party. The amount of mixers you will need depends on the type of cocktail you plan to serve. Look at your cocktail recipes and multiply the volume of mixer ingredients needed per cocktail by three, per person, for a two hour party.

Liqueurs and After Dinner Drinks – Plan on getting 15 drinks from each 750 ml. bottle. Usually you’ll only need one drink per guest.

Water – At a cocktail party, one liter of water will serve four guests. At a sit down meal, plan on serving three guests from each liter. Offer a mix of mineral and still water.

Soft Drinks and Juices – At a party where other beverages, such as wine, beer, and cocktails will be served, plan on one 8-oz. glass per person. If there are children at your party, you’ll need to increase that amount by 3 drinks per child. If non-alcoholic drinks will be the only beverages served, plan on 3 per guest, adults and children.