Party planning is a grueling task. You need to keep track of the guest list, what food will be on offer, and oh yeah, the booze. You figure that’ll be the painful part.
How much alcohol do you need, and what kinds do you want? Well, you are in luck. Keep reading to learn a bit about how you can safely figure out how many drinks you’ll need to keep your party buzzing!
Doing the Math
You need to consider several factors when you math out how much alcohol to buy for a party. Such as how long you think the party will last, are your guests heavy drinkers or, how much variety you want? Is your party going to be a cocktail party, where it’s all about the booze or a sit-down dinner where food is king?
Planning a party gets complicated quickly when you go fancy, so keeping these questions in mind is a good idea. Especially if you’re doing a cocktail party where the drink variety is a bit up in the air. It doesn’t hurt to manage the expectations of your guests to cut down on how much you have to spend.
How Much Should You Buy?
There are several ways you can do this with a couple of rules of thumb. Figure your average drinker can down one drink every hour, then because you want to make sure you have enough, add another twenty-five percent to that. If your party is on a hot day, or perhaps your offerings are on the salty or spicy side, you’ll want to add *another* twenty-five percent, since your guests will probably drink more, and that’s not counting the heavy drinkers.
With cocktail parties, if you plan on only serving wine and champagne, you’ll want to plan for a bottle every two hours per every two guests. If you want other drinks there, you can prepare similarly. If you do want to have more variety, there are ways to save money.
For example, if you want to put the cocktail into the cocktail party, limit the choices, or prepare pre-made cocktails. This article goes into detail about how pre-made cocktails can be the life of your party! Another great idea is to prepare a bowl or two of an alcoholic punch, and it also counts as a decoration!
Pairing With Food
When picking food to go with your party drinks, always consider the old standard of the meat and cheese board. One of the easiest finger-foods to prepare, it might be pricey if you want to go premium, but it will be a crowd-pleaser. Add garnishes like mustard or jams, or fresh fruit to make it a bit healthier.
You might want to add a bit of variety by getting some appetizers to go along with the meat and cheese. You can get pans of individual quiches or chicken kebobs that can add a bit of savory to your table, especially if your drinks are sweet! Just figure two of each item per guest and you have a good thing!
Buying Alcohol for a Party
There are many things to keep track of for a party. Don’t let figuring out your drinks and snacks take all the fun out of your party!
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